Welcome, students and parents! I hope all of you enjoyed your summer. I am so excited to spend this next year with you. We have so many fun things to learn!
Let me start out with a little about myself. My name is Amy Milam. I have lived in Autauga County since 1991. I graduated from Auburn University Montgomery. I am married and have two wonderful children. Jackson turned seven this year, and Jacob just celebrated his second birthday!
Again, I am so excited about this year. If I can ever be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. I welcome your suggestions, and I hope that you will feel that you can discuss with me any issues that may arise. I appreciate your help in getting this school year off to a great start and look forward to working with you and your child this year.
Mrs. Milam
Classroom Schedule We will have all components of Language Arts in the morning. Math, Science, and Social Studies will be in the afternoon. After the first week or so of school, I will post a detailed schedule on our class blog. Information on how to access our class blog follows.
Internet
You may obtain weekly information about our class on the blog. I will make every effort to update it weekly. You may access this information at www.milamsclassroomconnection.blogspot.com.
Language Arts
I will teach all language arts components to your child. These include spelling, language, reading, and writing.
Math
In instructing math, I will be working to achieve these goals:
· Students will become problem solvers.
· Students will learn to communicate mathematically.
· Students will learn to reason mathematically.
· Students will value mathematics.
· Students will become confident in their own ability.
In our classroom, I will promote interaction and provide challenges ina secure environment through problem-solving, communicating, estimating, connecting, journaling, and reasoning.
Science/Social Studies
We will learn about each other and our world through themes that are interesting to young children based on our curriculum guides. Resources for science and social studies will include hands-on activities, textbooks, workbooks, and projects. Your child will receive a letter grade (S: satisfactory, N: needs improvement, U: unsatisfactory) rather than a numerical grade for science and social studies.
O.C.E.A.N. Binder
Your child will carry an O.C.E.A.N. Binder to and from school daily. This is where you will find things such as graded papers, permission slips, spelling and vocabulary lists, a place to correspond with the teacher, lunch menus, behavior sheets, and homework sheets. You will find an overview of this binder inside of it.
Weekly Homework
Weekly homework will be sent home as explained in the following. Any sheets that are sent home can be found in the homework divider of your child’s O.C.E.A.N. binder. Your child will also have a homework notebook. This is where all spelling homework should be completed. Your child will need to find the spelling words and patterns in his or her O.C.E.A.N. binder and sort them by pattern on a sheet in the homework notebook.
Monday
Read Story
Tuesday
Grammar (will come home in homework divider on Tuesday and is due by Thursday)
Math Homework (will come home in homework divider on Tuesday and is due by Friday) Wednesday
Read Story
Study/Review for Story Test
Study/Review for Grammar Test
Thursday
Story Test Today
Grammar Test Today
Grammar Homework Due (Homework is part of the Language Arts grade.)
Spelling Homework –Sort by Patterns
*Spelling Words and Patterns Noted on Spelling List in O.C.E.A.N. Binder Friday
Spelling Homework Due (complete in spiral notebook)
Math Homework Due (Homework is part of the Math grade.)
*Additional homework may come home in O.C.E.A.N. binder, depending on skills.
Tuesday Papers
Your child’s papers will be graded as he or she turns them in. I will then file the papers in your child’s folder. On Tuesday, these papers will be sent home in your child’s O.C.E.A.N. binder. If a paper has a numerical grade such as “95,” please know that a grade was recorded in the grade book. Occasionally, if the majority of the class did poorly on a specific lesson sheet, I will drop the grade. If a grade has been dropped, there will be an “X” over the original score. If a child fails to complete assignments in class, then a grade will be taken and all incomplete work will be marked incorrect. I will then send the work home for homework. The score may or may not be adjusted. This will allow you to know what your child is doing in class each week. You will sometimes see on your child’s paper where I have marked problems incorrect, yet there is no grade. Please know that this is a way for me to assess individual comprehension of skills and any skills that need to be revisited. As well as the papers that will come on Tuesday, I will also record your child’s behavior on the behavior divider in your child’s O.C.E.A.N. binder. Please praise your child’s efforts or discuss ways to improve on misbehavior. Please look at the graded papers and behavior sheet each Tuesday. You may remove the graded papers. Then, sign the behavior sheet and return it the following Wednesday.
Attendance
Attendance is obviously very important to your child’s success in school. Our school day is structured very carefully to maximize learning time, and each day builds upon the next. Illnesses will always occur, and I will make every effort to help your child understand the concepts that he or she missed and allow them to make up missed assignments. However, please help by making sure that your child attends school regularly and on time. Your child will be marked tardy if he or she is not in class by 8:00 a.m. Please refer to the school handbook for information pertaining to absences and the procedure for sending in a note to obtain an excused absence.
Birthdays
If you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday at school, you may by sending in a special snack for your child to share. If you wish to bring cupcakes or some other treat, please plan to share with the class during snack time. Also, please let me know in advance, as our schedule sometimes changes.
Conferences
I feel that open parent-teacher communication is a must. You may contact me by phone at 358-2658, by email at amy.milam@acboe.net, or you may wish to set up a conference during my planning time between 1:30 and 2:15. I will be glad to meet with you to discuss any issues that may arise.
Snack
Please either provide your child with a juice and snack from home each day or send money so that your child may purchase one from school. The cost for each juice or snack is $0.50. Please be sure to send the money as stated in the Money section on the next page.
Book Orders
I will be sending home book order forms throughout the year. These allow you to purchase books for your child. After receiving an order form, please look it over with your child and mark any books you wish to purchase on the back. Send it in by the due date, and I will place the order. You may pay with either cash or check. All checks need to be made out to Pine Level Elementary School. All order forms and payments should be placed in an envelope or zip-lock bag, labeled correctly, and sent in your child’s money pouch that is found in the O.C.E.A.N. binder.
Money
In the event that it is necessary for you to send money to school, please follow these guidelines:
1. Put the money in an envelope or zip-lock baggie.
2. Be sure to label the envelope or zip-lock bag with your child’s name, my name, the monetary amount, and what the money is intended to be used for. In the event that the money is misplaced, there will be a better chance of it being returned.
3. Please separate money in its own envelope for different purposes (lunch, snack, field trips, etc.).
4. Place the envelope or bag inside the money pouch that is found in the O.C.E.A.N. binder.
Starfish of the Week
You should have received a list showing your child’s name and the week he or she is “starfish” of the week. Each day of that week, your child will bring in something. The following explains what is to be brought each day:
Monday—poster about your child
Tuesday—your child’s favorite small toy
Wednesday—special snack for class (enough for everyone)
Thursday—Come eat lunch with your child today!
Treasure Box
I have a “treasure box” that is used for positive behavior reinforcement. If you would like to contribute any items, I would greatly appreciate them. Examples of items include stickers, pencils, erasers, small toy items, bookmarks, etc.
Lunch with Your Child
Students love to have visitors for lunch. If you would like to have lunch with your child, you are more than welcome. You will need to sign in at the front office, obtain a visitor’s tag, and then wait for us at the end of the hall outside the lunchroom. Please do not come down to our classroom, as we will be working until we leave for lunch and the students may become off-task. As we leave the lunchroom, it is best to say goodbyes there, so your child can get ready to focus and be on track once we are back in the classroom.
Mrs. Milam’s Schedule
7:45-8:15 Daily Writing/Announcements
8:15-8:20 Share Time
8:20-8:30 Daily Message
8:30-8:45 Reading Whole Group/Word Study
8:45-9:00 Restroom Break
9:00-10:30 Small Group/Stations
10:30-11:10 Calendar/Math Whole Group
11:15-11:40 Lunch
11:40-12:00 Restroom Break
12:00-12:50 Math Small Groups
12:50-1:25 Science/Social Studies
1:25-1:40 Juice and Snack
1:45-2:40 Physical Education/Snack
2:40-2:50 Pack Up
2:50-3:00 Announcements/Dismissal
Free Break Friday: Fridays from 1:20-1:40
