Welcome to First Grade Letter

​Welcome to First Grade! I have been anxiously waiting for the new school year and it is finally here. A lot happens quickly at the beginning of the year so please do not hesitate to ask me any questions or voice any concerns you might have. If you need to meet with me, I am available before and after school or you can contact the office and we can schedule a time to meet that is convenient for the both of us. If we work together I think that this is going to be a very successful and fun school year.
        If you do not know me, my name is Amber Scheurich. This is going to be my eleventh year teaching and my third year teaching at OLM. Previously I taught within Merced City School District and McSwain Elementary School District.
        On a more personal note, I am married to my husband David and we have two children. David is a firefighter with CAL FIRE. Our daughter Kaylin is eight and our son Trent is six. I graduated from OLM and my children are the fourth generation from my family to attend this school. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be an educator and a parent at OLM.
        I look forward to meeting you all in the days ahead.
God Bless,                                                                        
 
Mrs. Amber Scheurich (Share-ic)
       
 
First Grade Information
Communications
We have five main means of communication in First Grade:  The blog, your child’s homework folder, your child’s planner, and an App named Remind101. Please read your child’s planner every night and sign it. I will put any notes about lunch and milk tickets and anything you need to know that occurred during the day.  The classroom blog can be found at olmlancers.com, scroll down to class blogs and click on Mrs. Scheurich’s 1st Grade. The blog is updated weekly. The homework folder will go home every Monday. The Remind101
Homework
Your child will be assigned weekly homework. This will go home on Monday and needs to be completed and returned by Friday. We will not have homework the first two weeks of school, but plan for homework on Monday the 21st.  Most of the homework will consist of spelling, reading and practicing math facts. Homework may contain any classwork that was not completed during school. This work I will put in the planner with a note and it will need to be completed that night and returned the next day.
Classroom Management
I will be using a behavior chart in class. All of the students will start each day in the “Ready to Learn” position. Students will have the opportunity to move up and down the chart as the day goes on according to their behavior. If students do end up in the bottom position, which is parent contact, you will be notified by a note in the planner,  a phone call or I will try to talk to you after school. In addition to the behavior chart the students will have opportunities to receive group points according to the groups they are sitting in. The group with the most points at the end of the week will receive a reward…a pencil, eraser, free time, dismissed to recess first, etc. Individually students can also earn tickets toward a drawing at the end of each week for prizes. Prizes vary from being the line leader to class helper or something I find at Target. J
Volunteers
Field trip drivers, chaperones and classroom helpers are needed. If you would like to help in any of these areas please complete and return the necessary forms (see Lisa Saling in the office for details). Anyone interested in helping must have completed the Safe Environment Training and be fingerprinted.  If anyone is interested in helping with some things that can be completed at home please let me know.
Birthdays
I have no problem with us celebrating your child’s birthday at school. Please let me know a couple days in advance if you will be bringing a treat in. I usually use the last twenty minutes of school to celebrate. Please don’t forget napkins if you bring a treat.
Bathroom Policy
For the first week of school I allow the students to go to the bathroom whenever they wish to go. The second week of school I let them go, but I am letting them know they really need to be going at recess and at lunch. Starting the third week of school students will lose five minutes of recess if they have to use the bathroom during class time. They are always allowed to go, but they will have a penalty.
Remind101
If you are interested in being a part of Remind101- please return this paper with an email or a cellphone number that you would like to receive texts or messages through. This allows me to send out a generic message to everyone. For example….Mass tomorrow-boys need to wear uniform pants and girls need to wear their jumpers……If you do wish to be a part of this I promise I will not be sending messages every ten minutes. You are also able to send me a text message back. The rest of the group does not see your message.
 
Name:_________________
Number or email:__________________
 
Name:________________­­­­­­­­­_
Number or email:__________________
 
 
 
 
Please return this form to me as soon as possible.
 
 
First Grade Information/Good to Know
Programs We Are In:
Fall Program: 11/15/17
Spring Program: 4/18/18
 
Stations of The Cross:
We perform a living Stations of the Cross with the 8th Grade
OLM School, Pacifica and Hampshire: 3/9/18
Mission and Park Merced: 3/14/18
 
Masses That We Are in Charge:
Ash Wednesday: February 14th
Grandparent’s Day Mass: May 4th
 
First Communion is April 14th- we are responsible for refreshments after the mass. Refreshments consist of 7up and cookies.
We will also go on a few field trips…I will let you know these dates as soon as I do.