Picture day September 3rd

Don't forget this important day! All first and second grade students will have their pictures taken in the morning.

Ms. Levangie's Letter Home

Welcome Back Families!

(And Welcome New Families!)

August 25, 2014

Dear Families,

Wow!  It’s that time of year already.  It promises to be a new, adventurous year with your child.  I am honored to take on the job of providing a loving, safe, enriching and stimulating classroom for your child.  Thank you for your support in advance. 

I will be setting the tone and my expectations for our classroom community during the coming weeks of school.  I am keeping our class together in our room for the first week and we will begin to transition to math the second week of school.  This way, we can roll out our social/emotional curriculum together. We’ll create classroom rules, discuss our “hopes and dreams” for the coming year and get outside to play games often.  The children enjoy taking ownership of their classroom and it allows me some time to take the pulse of your child and work to meet him/her where she/he is at upon returning to school this year. 

The Home/School folder will be sent home on Fridays or sooner if there are time sensitive notices that need to come back.  Today we had lots to send home.  Included in the folder is the information about the ECO program.  Mrs. Raynor and I will be rotating every other Tuesday with Alex Rob in our outdoor classroom.  Our class will start on September 23.  If you would like to help out on Tuesdays please fill it out and send it back.  I listed the specials below.  We are still looking for a Spanish teacher.  I will send home a magnet with the specials for your refrigerator soon.  We do have PE everyday and some days twice a day so if your child would like to leave his/her sneakers here at school that may be helpful.

Specials:

Monday- Music, PE

Tuesday-Music, PE (ECO every other Tuesday 1-3)

Wednesday- Health or Guidance

Thursday-Library/Technology

Friday-Art

If I send the Home/School folder home please empty it out and try to send it back the next day.  I will be sending bookbags home with “just right” books toward the end of September/beginning of October for your child to read at home.  Eventually second graders may have some writing to do in response to their reading.  I don’t send a lot of reading “homework” but will provide books from the classroom for your child to read at home.  The most important homework for reading, as you know, is to read at home every night and enjoy books.  I will send more information about this when the reading bag starts to come home.

If there is anything you would like me to know about your child at any time please call me at school at 454-7777, ext. 311.  I prefer talking on the phone, notes from home or talking with you in person.  Mrs. Raynor and I will be sharing a First/Second grade blog to notify you of special events and provide some great photos of the students in action.  I hope to send a Friday letter every week or every other week with updates from our classroom.

Here’s to a wonderful year with you and your child!  This week is going to be a hot one so you may want to send your child with a water bottle and possibly some sunblock or a hat.

Thanks again. 

Sincerely,

Lisa Levangie

“Ms. Levangie”

August 25, 2014

Hello 1st and 2^nd Grade Families,
            Welcome to a new school year at Calais Elementary School.  My name is Mrs. Raynor and I will be your child’s homeroom teacher this year. I am thrilled that your child is in my class this year!  I am very excited to get started. I hope you have had an enjoyable summer with your family.  I am looking forward to getting to know your child.  First and Second grade is an incredible adventure, filled with wonderful activities and experiences. We will have fun with science experiments and math investigations; we’ll make new friends, write stories, read fantastic books, and learn how to be a much more independent learner!

In our school, learning is a team effort, and you and I have a common goal…to help your child become an independent, joyful learner. To do this, I will utilize every available minute of our day to enrich your child’s learning.  Ms. Lavengie and I will also send homework which supports classroom instruction, send classroom newsletters to keep you informed of our activities, and offer a blog (www.mrsraynors.blogspot.com) with classroom, building, and district information, news, and links. As for your support, I would suggest helping your child find ways to read as often as possible, accompany them to our school activities, call or email when you have questions, concerns, or just want to visit, and finally, support them during the various challenges of becoming an independent student.

 I am a firm believer in keeping a strong, open line of communication between home and school.  After all, we have something so special in common; your child!  You are your child’s first teacher and you know him or her better than anyone else in the world.  I would love to start the year out with a glimpse of who your child really is.  What makes him or her so amazing?  What does he or she struggle with?  What are his or her hobbies and special talents? I am asking you to write to me about your child in a million words or less. J  If we were to sit down for 20 minutes over tea, what would you want to share with me about your child?  This information is confidential and is for me only.  It gives me a whole new understanding into who your child is and what makes him or her tick.  For example, if I know that Sally loves to draw, I might be able to have her use her talents on a class project.  If I know Jonny is terrified of spiders, I can be sensitive to his fears.  Yes, I will learn a lot about your child from our time together, but I would love to hear your input.

            Please know that I am not judging your writing and this is not a test.  I don’t care about spelling or grammar.  I care about what you have to say.  If you feel more comfortable, have your child help with the writing!  Make this a team effort.  Remember it can be as long or short as you want!

            This week and the upcoming weeks we will be focused on learning the routines of our classroom as well as the expectations for our classroom community.  We will stay in our homeroom classrooms for the first week and will begin to transition between math and reading classrooms the second week of school.  We will create classroom rules, get to know each other well, play games inside and outside, as well as discuss our hopes and dreams for the school year. 

            The Home/School folder will typically be sent home on Fridays, however if there are important papers that must be sent home sooner you may see it earlier in the week.  Included in the folder today is information about the ECO program as well as some important school paperwork.  ECO is something new we will be experiencing this year!  Ms. Levangie and I will be rotating sessions every other Tuesday with our leader Alex Rob.  Our Class will start on September 30.  If you would like to help out with ECO please fill out the volunteer form and send it back to school.  If I send the Home/School folder home please empty it out and send it back the next school day.  Eventually, we will also be sending students with book bags and math homework, but don’t expect that until October. 

If you would like to contact me with any important information about your child you can call me at school at 454-7777, ext 312 or talk with me in person.  You can also email, but please know that I will have limited time to check and respond to emails.  Also, check out our blog mrsraynors.blogspot.com for some great photos of the students here at school. 

            Thank you so much for trusting me with your child this year and thank you for taking the time to tell me about him or her!

For Your Information (FYI)   *We are still looking for a Spanish teacher*
Specials Schedule for Mrs. Raynor’s  1/2 students
Monday: Spanish, PE, Music
Tuesday: Music, PE
Wednesday: PE, Spanish, Health/Guidance
Thursday: PE, Library
Friday: PE, Art
1/2 students will have PE everyday and should have the appropriate footwear so they can fully participate.

Sincerely,

Randilee Raynor

1^st/2^nd Grade Teacher

rraynor@u32.org