GENERAL CLASSROOM INFORMATION:

Daily Schedule:
Breakfast/Morning Work (Daily Math/Language/Journal Entry): 30-40 minutes
ELA (Reading/Writing/Grammar): 1.5 hours
Recess: 9:55-10:10
ELA (Continued)
Lunch/Recess: 10:50-11:30
Math: 1-1.5 hours
Recess: 1:30-1:45
Science: 45 minutes-1 hour
Itinerant: 30 minutes
o Monday: Physical Education (2:30-3:00)
o Tuesday: Library (2:15-2:45)
o Wednesday: Counseling (2:00-2:30)
o Thursday: Music (9:30-10:00)
o Friday: Physical Education (2:30-3:00)
*Order of schedule might vary based on the day.

Grading:
Grades will come from a wide variety of sources. Everything your child does will receive some sort of feedback. The
grades that go in the gradebook will be determined throughout the year. Anything with a number grade on it will go into
the gradebook.
There will be written tests in each subject throughout the year: your child will know about these at least a week in
advance.
There will periodically be projects that students will have time during the school day to complete, but might also need
to take home to work on.
If you ever have a question about a grade your child received, please send me an e-mail and I would be happy to go
over it with you!
Missing Work:
If a student fails to complete classwork or homework on time, not only will their grades suffer, but students will not be
able to participate in our Fun Friday activities until all work is complete.

Communication:
Anytime I have an announcement, notice, or message for parents, I will send home a hard-copy, e-mail it, and post it on
our classroom website.
Parents do have access to our classroom website and can contact me on there, via e-mail, or by hand-written message.
Contact Info:
o E-Mail: [email protected]
o Weebly Classroom Site: misssahagian1718.weebly.com
o Chief Joseph Phone Number: (406) 268-6675
I encourage that parents/guardians communicate with me about any questions or concerns they might have. We are a
team!

Behavior Management:
POSITIVE reinforcement will be used as much as possible in this classroom.
ALL students are expected to be RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY!
Students will receive acorns for great behavior. Acorns can be used to buy a number of things in the classroom. A full
list of things students can buy will be on the classroom weebly site.
If the class as a whole can practice good behavior, they will be able to choose from a variety of class rewards
including:
o Pizza Party
o 35 Minutes of Free Time
o Game Day
o Movie & Popcorn
o No Homework Passes
If a student is not responding to positive reinforcement, and repeatedly disrupts the class, warnings will be handed out.
Please refer to student handbook for behavior expectations.
o Warning 1: Verbal Warning
o Warning 2: Behavior Sheet to be Filled Out & Signed by Parent/Guardian
o Warning 3:
After Repeated Offenses: Phone call home/meeting with parents/guardians (with or without student)
and some agreement of punishment in school and at home until behavior improves.
After a Severe Offense: Principal will be involved immediately and parents/guardians will be contacted
about setting up a behavior plan.
Bullying of any kind is NOT tolerated in this classroom and students who bully others will be reprimanded accordingly.
Seating:
Each student will have his/her own desk; seats will be assigned and subject to change at any point throughout the year.

Absences:
If your child is absent from school, they are still responsible for making up all work from the day, and will be given a
reasonable amount of time to do so based on how long they were absent.
Your child will be given an organized absence folder containing all of the work they missed when they return to school.
Absence folders can also be taken home by siblings or picked up by a family member.

Food:
Students are allowed to bring ONE SMALL snack to school. They will be given a very brief time window during the day
to eat it in the afternoon after lunch.
Try to make healthy choices!
I do offer students candy/food as an occasional reward, unless parents/guardians are not okay with that.

Parent/Guardian Volunteers:
Throughout the year, I will need parent and guardian volunteers for a number of reasons including but not limited to:
o Guest Speaker/Reader
o Set Up For Special Activities or Events
When the time is approaching, I will send home a notice with students asking for volunteers. If you are interested, you
can fill out the form and have your child return it to me.
You can also sign up to volunteer through our weebly class site under the volunteer tab.
If there are more volunteers than needed, I will randomly select people and let you know asap if you have been chosen.
I appreciate all the help I can get! :)

Homework:
As a parent, you do not want to see your child struggle. It is expected, however, that the students complete homework
by themselves, unless they are told otherwise. In life, we need challenges thrown at us to grow. If your child is showing
extreme distress over homework, PLEASE let me know so that I can make the appropriate adjustments. It will not help
them learn, or help me to help them learn if their homework is being done for them.
I dont think that students lives should revolve around school, especially at this important age. It is important that
these kids spend time with family and enjoy trying out other activities outside of school in order to be well-rounded and
happy. I will not overload students with homework, or assign work that I feel is unnecessary. If you feel as though
your child is overwhelmed, or not being challenged enough, please e-mail me and let me know so I can
make necessary accommodations.
ALL homework is due the day after it was assigned unless told otherwise.
 Things that are not finished in class will become homework.

SUBJECT INFORMATION:

English Language Arts (ELA)

We will be spending approximately an hour and a half on ELA every day. This will include phonics, reading, reading
comprehension, writing, and listening skills. We will be spending the most time in the subject area per day. Learning
and developing upon students reading abilities is imperative at this stage in their lives and mastering these skills will
directly impact their overall success as students.

Mathematics
We will be spending approximately an hour to an hour and a half on math every day. Many children have difficulty
grasping mathematics and how to successfully manipulate and work with numbers. There are, however, new strategies
that professionals have developed to break down math concepts to help students understand better. This is probably not
the way that you were taught to do math. PLEASE do not teach your children the math short cuts right
away. They are learning to do things a certain way for a reason. They WILL learn the short cuts once they understand
the thinking behind these short cuts.

Social Studies
In social studies this year, we will be focusing on learning how to be a responsible citizen in a community. Students will
become more aware about their role as members of a society and will begin to delve into some geography. Most of the
social studies curriculum will be woven in with other subjects.

Science
Science will be taught a few times a week in the first grade and will be separated into three separate units in the
following order:
1. Balance & Motion
2. Pebbles, Sand, & Salt
3. New Plants
Science will be taught predominantly through hands-on experiments and children will learn by physically manipulating
and observing their own scientific procedures.