This document provides information for parents about their child's 1st grade teachers and classroom expectations. It introduces the five teachers - two who teach bilingual/dual language classes. It outlines the agenda for a parent meeting, including expectations for student behavior, homework, supplies, dress code, and volunteering. It also summarizes the focus areas for language arts and math, and explains the dual language program and classroom placements.

1. Welcome Parents!Welcome Parents!

2. Your Teachers Are:
• Ms. Blanco—Team Leader/Bilingual
Dual Language
• Ms. Baca-Bilingual/Dual Language
• Mrs. Broome-ESL/Dual Language
• Mrs. Cadena – ESL/General Ed.
• Mrs. Fluitt – ESL/General Ed.

3. Agenda
• Introduction
• Expectations
• Supplies
• Dress Code
• Behavior
• Homework
• Volunteering
• Language Arts
• Math
• Dual Language

4. What are our
expectations?
• If we want our children to be successful,
we must work together!
• In 1st
grade, we want to see students:
– Reading every day!
– Writing every day!
– Becoming individual and responsible people!
– Who are EXCITED to come to school and learn!

5. Supplies
• Please replenish your child’s school
supplies when needed.

6. Dress Code
• No spaghetti straps, tank tops, or halter
tops.
• No flip flops. (Sandals with a strap in back
are safer and preferred.)
• When wearing a skirt/dress, be sure to
wear shorts under it.
• No violence related themes.
• Tennis shoes on P.E. days. Check with your
child’s Dual Language teacher for P.E. days.

7. Behavior
• Purple = GREAT DAY!!
• Blue = warning
• Green = detention
• Yellow = loss of a privilege
• Orange = contact the parents
• Red= OFFICE
• In extreme cases, an office referral will be given.
Please check your child’s folder each
night and SIGN IT! It is important that
we stay in communication. Unsigned
folders will result in a card change!

8. I Will Smile…
• S—stay on task.
• M—make sure to follow directions.
• I—I will keep my hands, feet, and
objects to myself.
• L—leave my loud voice outside.
• E—I am Expected to bring my folder
and materials every day to school.

9. Homework
• There will be a homework sheet in your
child’s folder every week, starting the
fourth week of school. It will list what is
to be done each night.
• Your child will be responsible for bringing
the appropriate materials home to do their
work.

10. Volunteering
• If you would like to do volunteer work for
the school, you MUST do the following.
– Complete a criminal background check for
GPISD
– Go to www.gpisd.org to the parent’s page for
more information.
– This is necessary if you would like to join our
class on field trip days.

11. Language Arts

12. DRA
• Developmental Reading Assessment
• Your child needs to be reading on a level
16 at the end of 1st
grade. He/she must
also be reading 60 words per minute
(fluency). Comprehension skills are also a
key factor in determining your child’s
academic reading level.

13. DRA Levels
• A
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4—where your child
should be at the start
of 1st
grade.
• 6
• 8
• 10
• 12
• 14
• 16—where your child
should be at the end
of 1st
grade.

14. Reading with Strategies
• Look at the picture
• Does it make sense?
• Get your mouth ready.
• Does it look right?
• Reread
• Does it sounds right?
• Look for chunks.

15. Look at the Pictures
• Look for your child doing the following:
– Looking at the picture for clues before reading
when stuck on a tricky word.
– Pointing under each word with index finger
while reading.
– Reading from left to right along the line.
– Moving from the top to the bottom of the
page.

16. Does It Make Sense?
• Look for your child doing the following:
– Looking at the pictures for clues before
reading.
– Looking at the picture to self-monitor while
reading.
Foster independence by asking:
Does it make sense?
Does the picture match what you read?

17. Get Your Mouth Ready
• Look for child doing the following:
– Self-monitoring by asking, “Does it make
sense?”
– “Getting your mouth ready” to help predict a
tricky word
Foster independence by asking:
Did you look at the picture?
Did you “get your mouth ready?”
Can you think of a word that would make sense with
that letter?

18. Does It Look Right?
• Look for child doing the following:
– Self-monitoring by asking, “Does it make
sense?”
– “Getting your mouth ready for the first sound”
to help predict a tricky word
– Self monitoring by asking,” Does it look right?”
Foster independence by asking:
Does what you read make sense?
Does that word look right?

19. Reread
• Look for child doing the following:
– Go back and read through the line again
to see if the word makes sense.

20. Does It Sound Right?
• Look for child doing the following:
– Looking at picture
– Getting mouth ready
– Rereading
– Asking, “Does it make sense, look right,
and sound right?”

21. Look for Chunks
• Look for child doing the following:
– Look for chunks (ex. -am, th, sh)
– Look for similar words
– Using strategies
– Asking, “Do I know any part of this word
that could help me sound it out?”

22. Math

23. Focuses for 1st
Grade
Math
• Patterns
• Numbers to 100
• Graphing
• Shapes
• Time
• Money
• Fractions
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Problem Solving

24. Problem Solving
• Understand the problem
– Read the problem & find important facts
• Plan of action
– Decide on a plan (draw, graph, tally, pattern,
etc.)
• Solve the problem
– Carry out your plan
• Look back
– Don’t forget to answer the question!

25. Dual Language
• Your child was placed into an appropriate
classroom based on their participation in the
program from Kindergarten.
• Dual Language Partner Teachers:
– Mrs. Broome (ESL) and Ms. Blanco (Bilingual)
• Your child receives Language Arts
(reading/writing) in his/her dominant language in
the morning.
• In the afternoon, your child will receive Math
from Mrs. Broome in English. Science and Social
Studies are presented in Spanish by Ms. Blanco

26. MISCELLANEOUS
• Lunch is at 11:30. Please be sure your child
eats breakfast in the morning.
• Please make sure your child has
appropriate funding in his/her lunch
account.
• Please notify in writing any changes in your
child’s transportation, including first and
last names.
• Box Tops- We need them!

27. QUESTIONS?

28. A million thanks for all
you do!!!
Contact Information:
Brenda.Cadena@gpisd.org
Sarah.Broome@gpisd.org
Dawn.Fluitt@gpisd.org
Ph: 972-522-7100