Early Release Days will take place on August 31, September 15, October 13, January 26 and March

8. On Early Release Days, students will eat lunch in the classroom and then be dismissed at 11:30 am.

If your child is absent, please call the office at (561) 598-7000. A note stating the reason for the absence must be brought to school as soon as possible to avoid an unexcused absence. If your child has an allergy, please let me know. Students should NOT arrive at school before 7:30 am, since there is no supervision. Students will not be allowed to enter the classroom until 7:45 am. The tardy bell will ring at 8:00 am. Any student arriving after 8:00 am must return to the front office to receive a late pass. Students will attend art class with Ms. Rabin.

Information about field trips will come home in the take home folder and will be detailed in the field trip permission slip. If you would like to volunteer on a field trip please be sure to register as a volunteer in the office at least two weeks in advance.

Our class will participate in gym class with Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Allahar. The children are asked to wear athletic shoes on gym days. Our class will participate in guidance class with Ms. Sladky.

If you would like to send a birthday treat with your child on or near his/her birthday, please feel free to do so. Due to possible allergies, NO homemade treats are allowed! You are encouraged to bring store bought treats. These treats will be eaten during our lunch time. We will recognize summer birthdays at the end of the school year. I will send home Scholastic book order forms for you and your child to look over every month. Book clubs offer books at reduced prices. It's a great way to build your childs home library! Seminole Trails offers a FREE breakfast program to all students. Students may go to the cafeteria at 7:30 am to receive their breakfast.

Students will have weekly homework in first grade. A homework packet will be sent home in the take home folder the first day of each week. Please make sure that all homework is completed and in the take home folder each Friday .

Independence is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and selfconfidence. First graders are very capable of doing many things on their own and I encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. It is important to keep your child home if he/she is ill. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy.

Communication is important. Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment, or concern. You can reach me most quickly by email (ashley.rubenstein@palmbeachschools.org ) or by phone (561) 5987000, Extension 73311, in person, or by note. Parent-Teacher conferences will be held throughout the school year. Please watch for information and reply accordingly. Students will attend computer class with Ms. Ivory. As cooler weather approaches, please consider writing your childs name on the inside of their jacket. This will help us easily locate your childs jacket if it is misplaced.

Our classroom is a small community where teamwork and good relationships are expected. We will spend time learning class procedures and practicing them. Each student is expected to act within our standards of behavior, otherwise discipline steps are taken. Please see the discipline handout for specific expectations and discipline procedures.

Keep updated by reading the classroom newsletter every month and checking the take home folder every day for other notes and information. Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class, as well as others, with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying and interrupting learning will not be permitted.

Our class will visit the library with Ms. Potts and Ms. Johnson. Sometimes your child may check out a book when we visit the library. The book should be returned by the following library visit. During literacy centers, children practice reading and writing skills while the teacher works with individual children or small guided reading groups. The center activities are designed to strengthen reading and writing skills, listening skills, oral language expression and cooperation. Our class will be eating lunch in the cafeteria at_____. Please help your child memorize their PIN number. School Food Service has applications for Free and Reduced lunch online at

The focus of the kindergarten science curriculum is on developing an awareness of the world in which we live. The kindergarten social studies curriculum focuses on the students and how they relate to others in their families, classroom, school, and community. Each week your child will be learning new sight words. These are words that are most frequently read in books. Please make it part of your childs daily homework routine to practice these words. Your child will be using Starfall in the classroom. This is a website which enhances pre-reading skills. If you would like to access this website at home, you may visit the website through www.starfall.com

http://www.palmbeachschools.org/sfs/MealApplicationInformation.asp.
You may also complete a paper application form and return it to school.

The children will have music class with Ms. Pender. If money is sent to school, please send it in the take home folder. There is a clear pouch that is located in the front of the folder. The first grade math curriculum provides students with mathematical experiences that will help them develop number sense, patterning, weight and measurement and a positive attitude towards mathematics.

TAKE HOME FOLDERS help keep us organized. The three-prong folder houses weekly homework a behavior calendar, and other items that assist with communication between home and school. If your child has any changes in their transportation please let me know in writing. Bringing toys to school is NOT permitted because they distract the children from learning. If a toy is accidentally lost or broken, feelings will be hurt.

A newsletter will be sent home once a month to keep you informed about what is happening at Seminole Trails Elementary. There will be no school on the following days: September 5,

September 29, October 21, November 11, November 23-25, December 23-January 9, January 16, February 20, February 26, March 19- 26, April 6 and May 28.

All Seminole Trails Elementary students are expected to wear uniforms. Please see the school handbook for specific dress code requirements or visit https://www.edline.net/DocView.page.

Volunteers and visitors must register in the office and pick up a badge prior to entering the classroom or attending field trips. Open House will take place on _________, from ________.

When picking up your child, please have an ID available. You must also provide written documentation to inform me of ANY changes during dismissal. If someone new is picking up your child please inform them to also have identification available. Your childs safety is our number one priority!

Students will be participating in writers workshop daily. This provides your child with the opportunity to develop pre-writing skills. During this time, we will be promoting kid writing. Therefore, the students are encouraged to record all of the sounds they hear in a word. Please show interest in your childs work. The students invest a lot of time in developing and recording their thoughts.

Questions? Please feel free to call, stop in, email, or send a note.

I believe that each child is eXtra special. Therefore, I will provide instruction based on each students individual needs.

Report cards will be sent home 3 times during the year. Reading is a valuable gift that you can provide your child. Please read to your child for 15 minutes each day.

and
Zzzzzzz - Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child. It will help them to be alert and ready to learn each day.