August 2014

Dear Parents,

Welcome to grade one! This year is sure to be full of new experiences and opportunities for
your child. This year, nine of us will be working with your child as part of the grade one team.

Grade One Teachers and Teaching Assistants
Marcela Talero-Hester and Nadia Panaitescu
Nan Knights and Ana Tarus
Sarah Ryan and Ramona Clinciu
Shamera Wilkins and Sabina Chiris
Heather Wildes

The following document provides some basic information regarding routines and
expectations in grade one. More detailed information will be provided during the Back to
School night.

We look forward to working with you and your child this year!

Sincerely,

The Grade One Team


















ABCs of Grade One

Absences
If your child is ill, you must notify the PYP Office and inform the secretary of your childs
absence. You must contact the PYP Office by 8:00am. If your child becomes ill during the
school day and must leave school before afternoon dismissal they will need to be signed out
in the PYP Office.

Attendance
Your childs progress at school is influenced in large part by their daily participation. For this
reason, regular attendance without tardiness is essential.

Any preplanned occasion or circumstance that includes educational, religious or special
family events involving a students absence from school requires a parent to request in
advance principal authorization for a prearranged absence.

Please refer to the AISB's Attendance Policy for more detailed information.

Arrival and Dismissal
Children are expected to be in their classrooms at 7:55am each morning as classes begin at
8:00am. Students who arrive after 8:00am must check in at the PYP Office and will be
marked late in the attendance. Before 7:55am students are to play outside on the Central
Park playground where there is adult supervision. Children and their parents are not to wait in
the hallway before 7:55am.

Students are dismissed at 2:50pm with the exception of Wednesdays when they are
dismissed at 2:00pm. Grade one students are dismissed from the outside door of their
classroom. Please wait outside to gather your child at the end of the day. You must provide
the PYP Office with the full names of the people who are permitted to pick up your child.

In order to ensure your childs safety, we will not send your child home with anyone other
than their designated pick up person/bus without written permission from you. If there is a
change in the way your child is to get home from school, this information must be sent in
writing. Please send a note or email to the PYP Office by 12:00 should your child be picked
up that day by anyone other than their parent, guardian or driver.

Behaviour
Please read the Early Childhood Behaviour Policy for information about behavioural
expectations in grade one.


Birthdays
We will celebrate classroom birthdays on a monthly basis. At the beginning of each month, a
birthday celebration will be held in the classroom where all students celebrating a birthday in
that month will have the opportunity to celebrate alongside their peers. Parents are
welcome to bring in a snack to share with the class for the celebration.

Calendar
The Early Childhood calendar and Six-Day Rotation calendars are available on AISB's
website. You can import these calendars to your own electronic devices to ensure you
receive the most up to date information about upcoming events.

Clothing
On days your child has Physical Education (P.E.) they will be required to wear an AISB issued
P.E. uniform. Please make sure to check your child's class schedule to know the days your
child has P.E.. We recommend that you label all of your child's P.E. clothing with their full
name.

On days your child does not have P.E. they may wear their own clothing provided it complies
with AISBs dress code outlined in the parent handbook.

There are occasions where your childs clothing may become soiled at school. To ensure
your child remains clean and comfortable throughout the day, we ask that you send to
school an extra change of clothes for your child. It is important that this change of clothing is
appropriate for the current weather.

Students will be going outside during recess nearly every day. It is important they are
prepared for the weather as it changes throughout the year. In the summer, a hat and
sunscreen are recommended. In the winter we suggest that students have a hat and gloves
as well as appropriate outerwear.


Communication
We look forward to keeping an open line of communication with you throughout the year.

If you need to get a message to your childs teacher, there are several ways to do this:

1. Send a note to school with your child. It will be your childs responsibility to check for notes
when he or she arrives at school each morning.

2. For non-urgent issues, you can send an email to your childs classroom teacher. As we are
working with children throughout the school day, we cannot guarantee that we will read
your email during school hours. We aim to respond to your email within 48 hours.

3. Schedule an appointment with your childs teacher via email. We would be happy to
provide you with some possible times we can meet.

4. For urgent matters call the PYP Office and leave a message. The secretary can then relay
a message to your child's teacher.

Please note that drop off and dismissal are some of the busiest times of the day. Our full
attention needs to be on the children to ensure they have a smooth start to the day and are
dismissed safely in the afternoon. These are not ideal times for us to stop and discuss
individual student progress. We ask that should you wish to discuss your child's individual
progress before or after school, you do so only when you have an appointment.

Contact Information
It is important you know how to contact both the PYP Office as well as your childs teacher.

PYP Office
Cristina Marinescu
Early Childhood Secretary
# 021-204-4307

Classroom Teachers
Marcela Talero-Hester: mhester@aisb.ro
Nan Knights: lknights@aisb.ro
Sarah Ryan: sryan@aisb.ro
Shamera Wilkins: swilkins@aisb.ro


Electronics
We ask that you do not send mobile phones and other electronics to school with your child.
Children using mobile phones throughout the school day will have their mobile phones
confiscated and sent to the PYP Office.

Field Trips
We believe that learning outside the classroom is just as important as learning inside the
classroom. We aim to take children to places on field trips in and around Bucharest that
support what we are learning in the classroom. You will receive a permission slip from your
childs teacher ahead of a field trip.

Food
If you have volunteered to bring food to share for classroom celebrations we ask that you
provide healthy, nutritious snacks and/or meals.



Health
Please inform the school doctor of any important information regarding your childs health
including allergies and medication. It is your responsibility to ensure that the doctor has the
most up to date information.

If your child requires medication during the school day, including over the counter
medication and homeopathic remedies, they must be given to the Health Office so that the
school nurse or doctor can administer them.

Homework
Children in grade one can be expected to do the following for homework:

Read for 20 minutes each night. Children can read in any language they choose.
These 20 minutes can include your child reading to you or you reading to your child.
Record their nightly reading in a simple reading log.
Complete 10 minutes per week of online math review. We will recommend some
online resources to use for this math review.

We encourage you to read with your child during this time to help support their reading and
to promote reading as an enjoyable activity for both children and adults.

Illness
It is important when your child is ill that they stay home. This ensures that they are able to rest
and recover while also preventing other students in the class from falling ill. Please do not
send your child to school if they have had fever, diarrhea or have vomited in the last 24
hours.

Library
Children in grade one will have the opportunity to visit the library once during the six-day
rotation. During this time, your child will have the opportunity to browse the books in the
library and check out one book. Should your child wish to return their library book and check
out a new one before their scheduled library day, they may do so during recess or with a
parent after school. Parents may also visit the library and are able check out up to ten books
at a time.

Lunch and Snack
Eurest provides students with a snack and lunch at school. Parents can opt to pay for their
child to receive school snack and lunch. In the event you do not wish for your child to have
the meals provided by Eurest, you may send a packed snack and lunch to school with your
child.



Newsletter
A newsletter will be sent to you electronically twice during a unit of inquiry; once at the
beginning of the unit and once in the middle of the unit. This means you will receive a
newsletter every 2-3 weeks. The purpose of these newsletters is to share with you what your
child will be learning in each unit and how you can support their learning.

Recess
Your child will have a 20 minute recess in the morning and a 30 minute recess after lunch.
During this time children play outdoors under adult supervision. Please ensure your child is
dressed appropriately for the weather. In the event of rainy conditions your child may have
indoor recess.

We do not keep students inside for recess due to illness unless we are provided with a
doctors note. Recess and playtime are important parts of your childs day at school. If your
child is too sick to play, then they are too sick to learn and a day at home is more
appropriate.

Six-Day Rotation Cycle
AISB operates on a six-day rotational cycle. Please check AISBs Early Childhood calendar to
determine the days of the rotation.

Schedule
Your childs teacher will send home a copy of their class schedule. Please keep this in a safe
place as you will need to refer to it throughout the year.

Shoes
Children are asked to bring two pairs of shoes to school; one pair to be worn as outdoor
shoes and one pair to be worn as P.E./indoor shoes. For safety reasons we ask that you do
not send slippers as indoor shoes. As we have limited space for storing student shoes we ask
that you do not send more than two pairs of shoes to school.

Please note that in an effort to promote independence, we do not tie shoelaces for
students. If your child wears shoes with shoelaces, they are responsible for tying them
themselves.

Toys
No toys are permitted at school unless a teacher has requested students share them for
learning purposes.

Water Bottle
Every child will need a labeled, reusable water bottle. These water bottles will stay at school
throughout the week and will be refilled as needed. They will be sent home at the end of
each week for cleaning.
Volunteers
At times throughout the year, we may require parent volunteers to help us in the classroom
or on trips outside of the school. Your teacher or room parent will contact you in advance
when volunteers are needed.

Zzzzzzs
Making sure that your child gets plenty of rest will help them be ready to learn at school. You
can help your child get the rest they need by setting and keeping a regular bedtime each
night.















Adapted from the ABCs of First Grade by Shelly Coreno Aspec