Dear Parents and Guardians,

 Welcome to a new school year. My name is Pat Ozenna-LeMay. My students call me Mrs. O. I am eager to start my 26^th in education. My first 13 years of teaching were in northwest Alaskan remote villages. I was a substitute teacher for one year in the Salem-Keizer School District. During that time I went to many schools and was at Cummings frequently. I am privileged to have been asked to work here permanently. There is a great community spirit here at the staff, student and parent levels. This will be my 12th year at Cummings.

I am married and have two daughters. My eldest daughter is a sophomore in college.  My youngest daughter is in ninth grade. They are both former Cummings students.

Some of my hobbies are decorating cakes, making quilts and of course, reading. I have created many power points on the computer that are made specifically for our curriculums. I am also learning to do camp cooking in a dutch oven. 

There are many things to discuss as the year gets started. Some of the items are the parent/teacher communication book, called the F.I.S.H. Book, classroom expectations for behavior, homework, assessments and volunteering in the classroom. Other topics will be covered in “The ABC’s of First Grade” that can be found in the F.I.S.H. Book.    

                                The F.I.S.H. Book

I value parent and teacher communication. To help make sure we stay in contact, your child will be bringing home daily a folder called the F.I.S.H. Book.  “F.I.S.H.” stands for Family Involvement Starts Here.  There are sections for important notes from me and from the office, a monthly newsletter, calendar, completed work from your child, a homework section and a resource called “The ABC’s of First Grade.” It is important that your check you the book daily for new information.  The students are learning to be responsible and organized by using the F.I.S.H. Book. We will be modeling the same skills by doing our part. The success of students depends on the supportive role models of parents and teachers.

                                                       Behavior Expectations

Our classroom functions much like a large family. There are three rules that help us be successful. The rules are: be kind, be safe, and be a learner. I find that behavior problems can be taken care of by modeling the positive behavior that is expected of them. I will talk with your child about logical consequences for problems that may come up.  For example, they may be asked to problem solve with another student, miss some recess or have some “time out” in the classroom. If there is a problem that continues, I will be calling you for some help. When students know that we talk, it usually results in a behavior change. It may be necessary to send home a form called a “notice of concern” when suggestions haven’t worked. It is a formal way of letting you what is going on. For behavior that is extreme or repetitive, there is a form called a “referral.” Mrs. Sundseth, our principal, is involved in writing the referral, deciding the consequences and will contact you to discuss the problem.  By teaching children to make good choices, behaviors can be changed in a positive way before they can get out of hand. When students are given clear expectations of what they should and should not be doing, they are able to stay safe, be kind and be a learner.

Homework

Homework is given in the area of reading and spelling practice. A reading log is and spelling word list is sent home on Monday. Only the reading log is to be returned on Friday. If there is no school on a Friday, then the work will be turned in the following Monday.  Students should spend about 15 minutes a day involved in reading.  The reading homework is that you, or your child, read for 15 minutes a day. It is ok that the same book is read repeatedly.  Rereading is one way students develop the connection between the spoken word and the print on a page. After reading, please write the name of the book on the reading log. There are many ways to study spelling words.  You will be given a resource page for ideas on different ways to study words. No spelling homework practice will be turned in.

Assessments

Students are assessed (tested) for their beginning reading ability on the first Friday they are here. They are reassessed frequently to check for growth. They are also given a math test to check for their understanding of numbers and math concepts. There are assessments built into the schedule so we can tell what they have achieved or need to work on. Writing is the third area that is assessed in the first week of school. They are asked to write a sentence that is dictated to them. The other assessment is the writing sample they do on the first day of school.  You will be receiving a sample of their writing each month. Of course, you can always come in to view progress in any of the areas. We don’t want any surprises when it comes to grading time and conferences in November and March.

                                                                  Volunteering

I appreciate parents who volunteer and respect reasons why some can not. There are several ways to volunteer; you don’t even have to be at school to do your volunteer work! I have work that can be done at home.  The bulk of the work needed is in preparing materials. I need papers cut, books made, bulletin boards made and more.  I would also like volunteers to read to students.  We hope to take one field trip and will need help with that. In some situations, the presence of a parent can be a distracting factor to the son/daughter and/or the entire class. We will need to visit if a problem occurs.  Please be looking for the date of the volunteer orientation meeting that volunteers are required to attend. You will also need to complete a criminal background check. The beginning of October is when we start having our volunteers come in.  I have one volunteer who is coming back for her eighth year with me!

Other topics

There are many other topics that are covered in “The ABC’S of First Grade” that is located in the F.I.S.H. Book.  The resource should be able to answer questions you may have.  Additional resource pages will give you ideas on how to help your child with reading, writing and spelling. They will be handed out at Open House on Sept. 17^th.

Please keep in touch with me either by phone, email or by coming in. Contact by phone is better at the end of the day so we can have more time to talk. Email is an excellent way to contact me.  I check it in the morning and afternoons. 

I look forward to seeing the positive growth the students will make as we get our school year started.

Thank you for your support.

Your partner in education,

Pat Ozenna-LeMay, “Mrs. O.”503-399-3141,

 ozenna_pat@salkeiz.k12.or.us