Welcome to First Grade!
I am so excited to have you in my class! Are you all ready to join the magical world of learning? We have a few things we need to take care of before the year begins. We all need to be ready, on a daily basis, to do our best work, and help others too. It is my goal to help make each student feel like this is their home away from home, where acceptance, learning and understanding are felt every single day. You, your parents and I will be working
together to help you be the best you can be!
Here’s to a GREAT YEAR!
Mr. Nathan
Included here is helpful information that will make our year run smoothly. If at any time you have questions, please feel free to give me a call, or send me an e-mail. If you call during class time, please leave a message and I will get back to you within 24 hours. Please note that I do not check my messages until after school. If you need to get a message to your child, please call the office and leave it with them. Responses will be made between 8 and 4.
Classroom Rules
In addition to the school wide rules, we will be adding the following classroom rules:
1) Stay on task and be prepared
2) Keep hands, feet, mouth and objects to yourself
3) Respect everyone and everything
4) Make wise choices
5) Have fun learning!
Classroom Discipline
I believe that children need to learn to manage themselves and make choices. Some of the choices we make have consequences. I also believe that public humiliation is not the way to build children into responsible adults. I follow the Love and Logic Philosophy and believe that with clear and concise expectations and procedures students can be successful. They will have choices that are followed by natural consequences. If we have a recurring problem that we need parent help with, I will contact you so we can work out the problem and the consequences together.
Absence
Please limit your child’s absences. In first grade, so much of the curriculum is presented orally and is hard to replicate for an absent student. If they are sick, please keep them home.
I will help your child complete any work they miss if they are absent. If they are going to be absent for several days, please contact me so I can give you a few things to help them stay caught up on the work they miss. It is difficult to send work with you, as I plan according to what the students need and adjust my plans for the week on a day to day basis. It is much easier to help them make up missed work or concepts during tutoring.
Homework
The only homework your child needs is 20 minutes of reading every night. This can be your child reading to you, you reading to your child, or a combination of your child picking out the words they know in a book you are sharing
together. Please take the opportunity to listen to your child read. This is important for fluency as well as comprehension.
As the year progresses, I will be sharing fun websites with your child, and they are more than welcome to visit them at home. Please be assured I will not have your child using websites that sell 3rd party information.
Birthdays
In following the school’s No Food policy, please do not send edible treats for your child’s birthday. We will celebrate with them all day! If your child has a summer birthday, please plan on celebrating their special day on their ½ birthday. If you would like to send a nonfood treat for the other children, that is great. I will be posting how many students we have in our class.
Uniform Policy
See the Quest Academy Parent Handbook for the policy. Please ensure that your student is in compliance with the school uniform policy.
Curriculum
As required by state law, I will be using the Utah State Standards for all subjects when planning your child’s learning map. I will also be using Quest’s Technology Standards. Please familiarize yourself with these standards. We will be learning a variety of programs, keyboarding, and publishing.
Library
Our library day is Monday afternoon. I do not allow students to call home for forgotten library books. So please remember to have your student bring them after the weekend.
Communication
I will be using the blog quacblogs.org/nathan.goldsberry as a means of communication and for celebrating the learning that is
happening in our classroom. I also use Bloomz.net which is a text service that allows me to send mass texts. I do not send out a ton of texts, but will remind you of upcoming events, talking points to start conversations with your child about things that happen in class, parent teacher sign ups, volunteer opportunities and several other items. Please subscribe to both the blog and Bloomz.( Info on how to subscribe will be coming soon)
Mastery Grading
Quest is a Mastery Grading school. Grades are not determined by a certain number of points, but rather
I hope this year will be an exciting and rewarding experience for your child. Feel free to contact me by phone at (801) 731-9859 or by email ngoldsberry@questac.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Please sign the google form to acknowledge that you read through this disclosure and permission to post your child’s picture (without names) on the blog, seesaw, and the Quest Facebook page.
Thank you,
Nathan Goldsberry
