Mr. Douglas' Class Notes
Dear Parents, Fall 2010
Welcome to Mr. Douglas’ first grade class! I am very excited about this year at Alabama Gulf Coast Christian Academy! First off, I would like to thank you for wanting to better your child’s education through sending your student to a private school based on Christian morals and ethics. Secondly, I am ecstatic about teaching first grade this year.
I graduated from Faulkner University in May 2009 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. My wife and I reside in Fairhope where I was born and raised. I graduated from Fairhope High School in 2004 and moved to Montgomery to pursue an education degree. After graduating from Faulkner I prayed hard for an opportunity to move back to Baldwin County and teach. Little did I know, God had AGCCA in my plans! Last year was my first year at AGCCA, but I feel blessed to be a part of something so great. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching 5th and 6th grade last year, but was honored to take the opportunity of teaching a lower grade.
Our goal this year was to start the process of working towards accreditation. Part of that process is having a teacher for each grade level. We felt that separating kindergarten and first grade was a vital step and should be the first step towards our future goals. We also moved the sixth grade to our middle school. I hope and pray that these steps will be one of many as we work towards bettering our school and your child’s education.
I hope that you can look around and see the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff this summer. Mr. Smith has worked incredibly hard to make some changes to the school and to better the learning environment. We especially thank our parents and sponsors for their support and belief in our school. Without you there would be no AGCCA.
This year is going to be a year of growth! It is my goal as the teacher to make your child comfortable with learning and challenge them in knowledge and in truth. I think learning is fun and hope that I can make this year an enjoyable experience for you and your child.
I also believe in team work. There is no ‘I’ in teamwork! I cannot do it all, you cannot do it all, and your child cannot do it all! It will take us all to make this year a huge success, but I know we can do it and will!
I am very much into the arts and love art, music, and theatre. I hope to incorporate these three subjects into our curriculum as much as possible. I think that the arts help children thrive and develop into well rounded individuals. If you ever have extra materials around the house we will gladly accept any donations! Your help will make your child’s experience the best it can be!
If you ever have any questions or suggestions please feel free to ask, call, or email! Communication is the key in helping our relationship grow and your child to be able to learn. School can be hard and your child will be challenged, but it is my job to help them understand, grow, and learn! Again, I am honored to teach your child this year! Let’s pray hard, work together, learn, and grow!
Thank you and God Bless,
Mr. Douglas
Mr. Douglas’ Classroom Mission Statement
The mission of our classroom is to learn, grow, and thrive in knowledge, the Bible, and socially. As a class we will let our Christian lights shine as we work together as one, build caring relationships, and be Christ-like in our words and deeds. Together we will work, pray, play, and succeed.
AGCCA Mission Statement
Our mission at Gulf Coast Christian Academy is to provide a quality Christian education, which is accomplished through individualized instruction, a low student/teacher ratio, and a solid Christian education based on the teachings found in the Bible. Our wish is to be a city on a hill, not only setting a Christ-like example in the lives of our students, but also in the lives of the people in the surrounding communities, the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Mr. Douglas’ Class Rules
All rules and regulations that are included in the AGCCA 2009-2010 handbook will be upheld. Students are expected to be at school on time, follow the uniform policy, and follow the code of conduct. Students who break school rules will be disciplined according to school polices.
- · Follow all school rules of AGCCA
- · Listen
- · Keep your hands to yourself
- · Walk in line
- · Walk don’t run
- · Be a friend
- · Share
- · Wait your turn
- · Raise your hand
- · Help clean up
Students who misbehave in class will follow a plan of action:
- · First Offense – Verbal Warning
- · Second Offense – Move name to yellow on light – conduct check in folder and time out
- · Third Offense – Move name to red light – conduct check, silent lunch, and note home
- · Fourth Offense – Office Referral, conduct check, note home
Homework/Classwork
Homework is very important and allows for the teacher to make sure the material has been mastered. Homework will be given on a daily basis and will be expected to be turned in on time. There will not be a homework assignment due on Thursday that has not been given a few days in advance. Homework will not be given on the weekends except in the case of working on long term projects, make-up work, or extra practice given.
Classwork is meant to be done and finished in class. Students will be given ample amount of time to finish assignments while in class. Assignments not finished in class will be expected to be completed for homework and must be signed by a parent.
Absences/Attendance/Make-Up Work
The policy of the handbook will be followed. Students must bring a note that explains the absence. A note will allow students to complete missed work, tests, etc. Attendance is very important! Students that miss a lot of school may fall behind and miss crucial building blocks in the educational process.
Grading Scale
Grades will be determined in each subject by daily assignments, homework, participation, quizzes, projects, tests, mid-terms, and a final exam. The following grade scale has been determined by AGCCA:
A = 90 – 100
B = 80 – 89
C = 70 – 79
D = 60 – 69
F = 0 – 59
AGCCA’s promotion of students is based on the English grade, math grade, and social/emotional maturity of the students. Students will not be promoted if they fail:
A Little Help
Some students never show a need for help or a struggling side while in class. If you ever see your child struggling or a need for extra help, please let me know as soon as possible. We can work on a problem and find a solution before it is too late. Material covered needs to be mastered! I am always available through email, notes, phone calls, and visits. Again, communication is key! I can always work harder with a struggling student, stay after school, or provide extra practice!
Field Trips
I would love to plan a few field trips for each semester this year. If you have any suggestions or would like to go, please let me know! I think that field trips can help enhance the learning process and be beneficial and fun.
Service Projects
Part of our Christ-like duties is service. We will complete at least 3 service projects a semester. Projects will include making cards and art, raising money, school projects, helping others, etc. If you have any ideas or would like to head up a project, please let me know! I would like to head up another food drive this year and raise money for a charity or a school cause.
Weekly Communication
A weekly newsletter will go home every Friday for the following week. It will include daily homework assignments, spelling words, themes for the week, goals, notes, tests, upcoming events, etc.
Website
If you visit the schools website you can find a link to my class webpage. The webpage includes upcoming events, helpful sites, email, and more. I will also be using Engrade again this year to keep up with grades. As soon as something is graded the grade will go directly into Engrade. At the click of a button you have access to grades and reports. This is a great system and allows parents to see how their child is doing and what areas they may need to approve in.
First Grade Syllabus of Core Subjects
Bible
AGCCA teaches exactly what the Bible states and teaches. We uphold the Bible as the truth and the only truth. We will use extra Christian based materials that have been written and published for children by fellow Christians to help in the daily studies. Students will be expected to learn Bible verses, read, and study the Bible. Through teaching the Bible, students will gain a better understanding of the Bible and Christianity. It is our goal to teach the Bible as is and not add to it or take away! For majority of our lessons a children’s Bible will be used to teach and convey the Biblical stories. We will cover a story every week begging in Genesis and working throughout the Bible in chronological order.
Our class Bible verse and theme for this year is Matthew 5:16 - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven”
Language Arts
Reading, English, spelling, and handwriting will be covered daily. We will spend time on working on each students handwriting skills and perfect their writing to prepare them for cursive in second grade. Students will receive their spelling words on Friday for the following week, along with their spelling assignments. Spelling words will be pulled from reading and classroom activities.
Reading is the cornerstone of education. It is imperative that students learn to read and enjoy reading. We will be using the Treasures reading kit along with the school and classroom library. Students will be expected to read daily in class and at home. Students will keep a reading log, read in and out of class, be tested on the reading materials, learn new words and vocabulary, go to reading centers, projects, etc.
Each day in reading we will read in small groups, read one on one with the teacher and fellow peers, work in centers, work on letters and phonics, reading comprehension, listening skills, fluency, grammar, writing, vocabulary, etc. Reading lessons will be taught to be mastered and then we will continue to the next lesson and so on.
Treasures – First Grade, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill (2007)
Unit 1 – All About Us
Unit 2 – Outside My Door
Unit 3 – Being Friends
Unit 4 – Nature Watch
Unit 5 – Adventures All Around
Science and Social Studies
Science and Social Studies will be taught in correlation with each other. We will not have both subjects every day. We will be conducting science experiments and doing lots of hands-on activities. In social studies we will do projects and talk about who we are and discover things about us.
We will be using a set of five social studies books called Timelinks. Each book covers a section of social study concepts that relate to the understanding of who we are, where we live, and what we do. The books will correlate into reading activities and cross-curriculum activities.
All Together – Macmillan/McGraw-Hill – Timelinks (2009)
Book 1 – Culture
Book 2 – History
Book 3 – Citizenship
Book 4 – Economics
Book 5 – Citizenship
Science – First Grade, Harcourt School Publishers (2006)
Chapter 1 – Ready, Set, Science
Chapter 2 – All About Animals
Chapter 3 – All About Plants
Chapter 3 – Environments for Living Things
Chapter 4 – Places to Live
Chapter 5 – Our Earth
Chapter 6 – Natural Resources
Chapter 7 – Measuring Weather
Chapter 8 – Seasons
Chapter 9 – Objects in the Sky
Chapter 10 – All About Matters
Chapter 11 – Heat, Light, and Sound
Chapter 12 – Motion
Math
Math is so important in everyday life. Especially in making sure that students know the basics. By the end of first grade, your student should be able to tell time, count money, add two digit numbers, count to 100 or more, and be confident in colors, numbers, shapes, and more. We will be using the Alabama Course of Study, Alabama Mathematics – Pearson math book, supplemental math workbooks, different manipulatives, daily math folders, and more.
Each day in math we will review numbers, months, days, counting, weather, and more during our daily math folder time. Then we will cover a lesson or review the previous day. I feel strongly about mastering the material completely before moving on. Students will have math homework, tests, quizzes, centers, projects, etc.
Alabama Mathematics – First Grade, Pearson - Scott Foresman and Addison Wesley (2004)
Chapter 1 – Patterns and Readiness for Addition and Subtraction
Chapter 2 – Understanding Addition and Subtraction
Chapter 3 – Strategies for Addition Facts to 12
Chapter 4 – Strategies for Subtraction to 12
Chapter 5 – Geometry and Fractions
Chapter 6 – Time
Chapter 7 – Counting to 100
Chapter 8 – Place Value, Data, and Graphs
Chapter 9 – Money
Chapter 10 – Measurement and Probability
Chapter 11 – Addition and Subtraction to 18
Chapter 12 – Two –Digit Addition and Subtraction