We are off to a fantastic beginning! Thank you all for participating in our family visits. They have served as a valuable time for me to get to know a little about your child before the school year began. This past week I have seen new friendships forming, as well as a lot of enthusiasm for learning! We have been learning daily routines and procedures, as well as practicing them, to help set a solid foundation for learning throughout the school year. We are also forming our classroom community through many get-to-know-you activities and games. We have a wonderful group of children in this class!
Important Dates
Parent and Guardian Back to School Night
Wednesday, September 23, from 6:00-6:45 or 6:45-7:30 (Come to either slot, arriving either at 6:00 or 6:45)
-This is an opportunity to meet other parents and guardians in your child's class and learn more about our curriculum, personal learning plans, and report cards. Please refer to the school email sent last week for more information about this night!
Student Conferences
Thursday and Friday, October 8 and 9
-Please plan on scheduling your child's student conference for either October 8th or 9th. Details on how to sign up will be sent out soon.
Your Child's Weekly Schedule
Monday-Physical Education
All students should wear athletic shoes and clothes that allow them to be active. We will almost always have physical education outside, so please be sure your child has appropriate clothing. Water bottles are also important. Please send a full, reusable water bottle with your child every day to school. This will help ensure that they are comfortable physically throughout their days at school. We will also have class outdoors often on Mondays where we often get a little muddy!
Tuesday-Out and About Class
This is our scheduled time to study outside of the classroom. We will be 'Out and About' for most of the afternoon. Many of these excursions will be to wet, muddy places. Please help prepare your child to spend Tuesday afternoons outside, rain or shine. Rain boots are a good choice, as long as your child can comfortably walk in them. A rain coat, warm layers, gloves, warm hat, sun hat, and scarf will help ensure that your child has a positive experience while learning outside. Please keep most of these items, along with a change of clothes and sunscreen, in your child's backpack.
Wednesday and Thursday-Art Class
Students will have art class twice a week. They will be using a variety of materials and are welcome to bring a smock or old shirt.
Friday-Early Dismissal
Dismissal is at 1:05 for the entire school every Friday. Please send a large healthy snack with your child every Friday. We will also have outdoor class often on Fridays, so please be sure your child has weather appropriate clothing.
Things to Have EVERY Day
Since our curriculum is dependent upon getting outdoors regularly and learning through hands-on experiences, it is important that all students are prepared to be outside every day. Our outdoor curricular experiences are dependent upon having comfortable and prepared students who are ready to learn and participate. Please make sure your child has everything they would need to be able to be outside comfortably for up to a few hours every day in a variety of weather. The following items should be with each student every day and may be kept in backpacks:
Water bottle, healthy lunch, sun hat (It needs to cover the cheeks, nose, and tops of ears.), sun screen, warm hat, gloves with flexible fingers, rain boots, rain jacket with a hood, a complete change of clothing (including socks and underwear), and warm layers such as long underwear and a long sleeved undershirt
(Optional: Work overalls, with pockets, to quickly slip over clothes)
Lunch Information
We eat lunch in the classrooms, so we are trying a 'pack it in, pack it out' procedure with lunches. This means that any uneaten food will come back home, rather than going in the garbage. (This also helps easily communicate with parents and guardians what was eaten at school and what was not.) Cloth napkins and reusable containers are encouraged! Students will compost fruit and vegetable scraps, such as peels or cores, at school near the garden. We have lunch every Monday-Thursday from 11:40-12:05. Please send a large, substantial, and healthy 'snack' (or small meal) on Fridays. We have our large snack time from 10:40-11:00.
Parent and Guardian Volunteers are Needed
Thank you to the volunteers who have signed up outside of the classroom! Our school is dependent upon volunteers to help supervise students during recesses and lunch, which allow teachers to take lunch and bathroom breaks, as well as give time to prepare materials for lessons right after recesses. Our curriculum and delivery is also strengthened by having 1-2 volunteers in the classroom during morning literacy time to help guide small groups while the teacher is meeting with small reading groups, as well as through having volunteers accompany us on our Out and About trips. If you are able, and would like to volunteer, please email me at s.reuter@fgcschool.org or sign up outside of our classroom. Volunteers play a large role in the success of our community charter school. All help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Our class is still in need of parent and guardian volunteers for the following days and times:
Mondays
- 9:00-10:00, One to two volunteers to help guide small groups with handwriting, word work, and literacy games
- 10:00-10:20, Filled (Thank you Mandi!) One volunteer to help prepare and hand out snack while the teacher continues working with reading groups
- 10:20-10:40, Filled (Thank you Mandi!) One volunteer to help supervise morning recess
- 11:40-12:25, One volunteer to help supervise lunch and lunch recess
Tuesdays:
- 9:00-10:00, One to two volunteers to help guide small groups with handwriting, word work, and literacy games
- 10:00-10:20, One volunteer to help prepare and hand out the class snack while the teacher continues working with reading groups
- 10:20-10:40, One volunteer to help supervise morning recess
- 11:40-12:25One volunteer to help supervise lunch and lunch recess
- 12:25-3:00, One to two volunteers to help supervise with the teachers on Out and About trips
Wednesdays:
- 9:00-10:00, One to two volunteers to help guide small groups with handwriting, word work, and literacy games
- 10:00-10:20, Filled (Thank you Mandi!) One volunteer to help prepare and hand out the class snack while the teacher continues working with reading groups
- 10:20-10:40, Filled (Thank you Mandi!) One volunteer to help supervise morning recess
- 11:40-12:05, Filled starting October 1 (Thank you Kelly!) One volunteer to help supervise lunch recess
- 12:05-12:25, One volunteer to help supervise lunch recess
Thursdays:
- 9:00-10:00, One to two volunteers to help guide small groups with handwriting, word work, and literacy games
- 10:00-10:20, One volunteer to help prepare and hand out the class snack while the teacher continues working with reading groups
- 10:20-10:40, One volunteer to help supervise morning recess
- 11:40-12:25, Filled (Thank you Leslie!) One volunteer to help supervise lunch and lunch recess
Fridays:
- 9:00-10:20, One to two volunteers to help guide small groups with handwriting, word work, and literacy games
- 10:20-10:40, One volunteer to help supervise morning recess
- 10:40-11:00, One volunteer to help supervise 'large snack time'
Class Snacks
I am sending a family snack schedule where we ask that each family be responsible for providing the class with a healthy snack for one week increments. On average, families will be on 'snack duty' for 2 weeks out of the entire school year. Please contact me prior to your snack week if you have any questions or are unable to provide snack at that time. Thank you!
Enrollment Packets and B Street Farm Forms
If you have not yet turned in your child's enrollment packet, please take a few moments VERY soon to complete it and turn it in to the office. Our class still needs enrollment packets from at least 9 students. Included in the enrollment packet was a B Street Farm form, which allows your child to be on the farm property. Most of our curriculum this year will take place at the B Street Farm, yet we will not be able to go as a class until ALL forms are turned in to the office. We have had to cancel two trips there already this September. Now is the time for your children to see the wonders of the harvest on a farm, as well as 'hook' them into this year's project! Please make sure your enrollment packet is turned in by Tuesday, September 22 so that we do not have to cancel future trips planned. After the last packet is turned in, there will be a 8-10 business day turn around time before we can go to the farm. As you can see, this is really urgent! Thank you!
Family Fun Committee
Would you like to get to know the other families and children in your child's class? Do you have ideas of fun activities that could bring families together? I am inviting parents and guardians to step forward to create a little 'Barn Swallow Family Fun Committee' that would focus on planning regular family events, potlucks and get togethers. In the past we have had parents plan a Saturday family trip to a local pumpkin patch and a gingerbread decorating day and story read aloud. What other activities could our class families take part in? A camping trip? A harvest party? Renting a community garden plot together? Do you have a special skill, talent or hobby and would like to lead a little family workshop on it? (Wood working, sewing, quilting, farming, cooking, music, painting, bird watching, fishing etc.) Please email me with your ideas and let me know if you would be interested in helping to form this committee!
I'm looking forward to a fantastic year! Please email me with any questions or comments you may have at s.reuter@fgcschool.org .
