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