Welcome!
Hello, and welcome to Mrs. Maricevic's classroom page! This is where Parents and students can come to find updates happening within the classroom, expectations within our classroom, different websites we will be using in school, along with how to get ahold of me!
Our classroom will be a fun, engaging environment where everyone will feel safe and included. Everyone has a voice within my classroom, and will be heard. I genuinely want your child to feel like my classroom is a second home to them, and treat their classmates like family.
Any art, or photos taken with our class will be posted to this site!
What to Expect?
We will have a set set of procedures within the classroom. We will start each day putting our personal belongings up in the assigned spots, and heading straight to our desks to start our morning work. This will consist of a question on the board to answer, or a quick worksheet for the students to complete. Once this is completed, all students will meet at our community rug for our morning meetings. Our daily meetings will include what is happening each day, what extra curricular classes we will be going to such as Spanish, or physical education. Every Monday each student will be asked if they would like to share something positive that happened over the weekend, and on Fridays we will talk about if they have anything fun planned for the weekend ahead. From there we will begin our daily lessons which will include English, Mathematics, handwriting, Science, Technology and Social Studies throughout the day. A weekly email will also go out about what specifically we will be doing for that particular week. Students will be graded on these subjects with daily worksheets, weekly examinations as well as with daily participation points
Throughout the year, we will be changing the classroom and seating arrangments around to encourage continuous student engagement. This will keep our students engaged throughout the year by sitting next to new friends, as well as learning new techniques and learning styles that your child may find work better for them!
Your child will ONLY come home with homework if they were unable to complete their work in class or if they were absent. The only required homework will be studying spelling words for our test every Friday, and reading for twenty minutes five nights a week. I want my class to have quality time with their families, and lengthy homework assignments are not what I personally consider quality time together. Enjoy the outdoors, or dinner at the table together!
Our Classroom Rules:
While the classroom as a whole will come up with a few additional rules, the three main classroom rules will be as follows:
- Be a Buddy NOT a Bully– This rule is to get students to learn the value of friendship and treating others with respect. Do not put someone down for something they did wrong, instead bring them up by creating a positive comment or treating them with respect. Treat others how you want to be treated.
- Listen and Pay Attention– This rule is specifically for lesson time and group work. When someone is speaking, our voices are off and our ears are on while our eyes are watching the speaker.
- Everyone gets a chance to Speak– This rule is to ensure everyone gets their voices heard. Raise your hands during lesson time, do not shout over one another. Everyone will get a chance to be heard in the class.
We will also create two to three additional rules as a class with what the kiddos think should happen in the classroom. The same will go for consequences for not following our classroom rules.
Rewards and Consequences:
Our class will have a color card system created by a consequence ladder. This will consist of seven colors. Every student will start the day out with green. Should a student not follow the class rules or procedures, the student will turn their card to yellow as a first warning. Should they continue to misbehave, they will turn their card to orange, minutes will be taken off of all recesses or an entire recess will be taken away. Should a student need to change their card to red, they will make a phone call home to parents the first time, and the second a trip to the principal to explain what they were not following in class. If students start to exceed expectations they can also turn their cards from green up to blue showing excellent effort, then from blue to purple showing they are a super student (Kraft, n.d.)!
Students will be rewarded for going above and beyond such as helping a student without being asked, having very organized workstations, completing work early and finding something productive such a silent reading to do until the next classroom task. Students who have a green, card at the end of the day will receive one additional ticket, blue cards will receive two tickets, and purple cards will receive five additional tickets to spend at the reward store (Think Monopoly money as reward tickets).
Links
Your children will have access to technical applications on both IPads and computers. While we do not allow "surfing" to take place in first grade, your student will undergo a safety course in digital citizenship. This safety course will show them what is safe and unsafe to do while online, as well as what sites they are allowed to visit as first graders. The main computer programs we will be using in first grade will be:
Ready, Set, Learn!
Now that all the general information has been provided, please feel free to contact me at anytime via email. If it is urgent, my direct number is in the contact information tab at the top of the screen. Let's make this year a great one!