August/September 2021

 Dear Parents,

 Welcome to First Grade at Bethany Christian School!  I am so glad that God has placed your child in my class for the upcoming school year!  

 

My name is Jackie McClure, and I am a 2001 graduate of Pensacola Christian College in Florida.  I have a daughter, Cadence,  who is in eighth grade at BCS this year.

This will be my seventeenth year teaching first grade at BCS, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to teach your child.

Our initial time together in first grade will be spent getting to know each other, and helping your child become familiar with the new environment, as well as the routines and rules that he/she will be expected to follow throughout the year.  I will also be completing some informal evaluations in order to determine reading levels for each child. 

 

I will be sending information to those who volunteered as homeroom parents/party helpers, as soon as I can get all of the necessary contact information together.  If you did not get to sign up at Open House, but are interested in serving as a Homeroom Parent or Helper, please let me know so that I can include your contact information on the list.  Thanks!

 

I would like each child to keep one silent reading book in his/her desk at all times. Please send a silent reading book to school for your child as soon as possible.  Thank you.

        

Each day, your child will be participating in a special class.  Our schedule for the year is as follows:

Monday – Music

Tuesday – Gym (Please dress your child appropriately, in comfortable clothing and sneakers.  No jeans, please.)

Wednesday – Technology

Thursday – Gym

Friday - Art

 

I will let you know if the schedule changes at all during the course of the year.

Every Wednesday, your child will be attending a Chapel service..  It is our goal to teach your child more about God and His love and plan for them. Each year, there is a theme verse for all of the students at Bethany.  This year, our theme verse is Romans 15:13 - “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”   All Bethany students will be expected to commit this verse to memory.  I will test the students on the theme verse on Friday, September 17. 

In addition to weekly Chapel services, our class will have a daily Bible lesson in the classroom.  As a part of Bible class, children will be given Bible memory work throughout the year.  Our first Bible verse for the year is our theme verse, as mentioned above. This will be sent home in Bible memory books on Tuesday, August 31, and will be due to return back to school for recitation on Friday, September 17.  Please be sure to send Bible memory books back to school on the due date throughout the year. 

 

         We will celebrate one birthday in our class in September:
Charlie - September 21

Happy birthday, Charlie!

                    

Save the Date!

 

Grandparents Day is scheduled for Friday, October 8.  This is also a half-day of school.  Children will need to bring a snack to school, but no lunch.  Please watch for more information about Grandparents Day to be sent home this month.

If you would like for your child to wear a mask during school, please be sure to let me know so that I can help to make this happen while your child is with me. Please also send an extra mask (or two) in your child’s backpack, just in case.

I ask that each first-grade student keep a seasonal-appropriate full change of clothes in his/her backpack. Accidents happen, not only bathroom accidents, but also sitting-in-a-puddle at recess accidents or spilling-my-water-bottle-all-over-my lap accidents.  Thank you for your help with this. 

 

If you do not have access to the internet, please let me know before the second week of school, if you have not already done so.  In the future, parent letters will be posted on our class blog.  Please check our blog often for more class information. You can find the blog here: https://jmcclurebcs.blogspot.com/

When you visit the blog for the first time, you can choose to follow by email by entering your email address in the space on the right side of the blog. This will notify you when the blog is updated with new information. Those families without internet access will receive a hard copy of each month’s parent letter in their child’s white folder on the first Tuesday of the month.

Also, please be sure to join our Class Dojo ASAP so that you are able to keep up with what we are doing throughout the day. Class Dojo is also a great way for us to communicate via their messaging option. I can get messages very quickly and easily throughout the day.  If we need to switch to remote learning at any time this year, having all families already connected to Class Dojo will help with a smooth transition. If you need your code again, send me an email and I will get that to you.

You received a Scholastic Book Club letter with your Open House information. Orders will be due by September 14. You may order online at scholastic.com. Our class code for online ordering is GYCG9. Scholastic is a great way to get books for your budding reader while supporting our classroom. 

 

Once again, welcome to our first-grade class!  If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, you may contact me by calling the school office, at (610) 998-0877, and I will return your call at my earliest possible convenience.  You may also send a note with your child, and I will contact you in the way that best suits your schedule.

If you prefer to email, my email address is jmcclure@bethanychristian.org.

You can also send a private message through Class Dojo, which is a great way to contact me during the day. I get notifications on both my phone and my computer, and I’ll be able to respond at my next break. 

 

I am very much looking forward to getting to know your child this year, as they grow and learn in a Christ-centered environment.

 

In Christ,

Jackie McClure