To the parents of Charlie,

Welcome to first grade! I am so excited to begin this journey with your

child. We are going to have a great year full of learning and growing.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Amanda James. I am student teaching

under Ms Conant this semester. I am excited to be graduating from California State
University Dominguez Hills in December. I live locally and have two children that also
attend this school. I am a firm believer in a growth mindset. I see learning as a process
and do not expect perfection from the students. The process of learning is as important
as the end result. With that in mind I plan on creating engaging activities that help the
students learn the content through many modalities. I like to incorporate peer work into
every content area, and because of this have some ground rules we have already been
practicing. During group work I expect all students to respect one another’s ideas. I also
expect students to stay on task—a skill that is learned with practice!
I am also a firm believer in positive discipline. I employ a token economy in the
classroom that rewards the behaviors I want to see in the students, instead of pointing
out and disciplining unwanted behaviors. I find this system works better with young
students and helps them identify the behaviors that are acceptable inside the
classroom.
Charlie is settling into our daily routines. She is doing a great job at dropping her
backpack off in the correct spot in the morning and walking to the blacktop for morning
exercises. Starting next week I will begin sending home a folder that will contain a
homework packet and any other paperwork that is important. The homework is meant
as reinforcement of the content we are practicing and learning in the classroom. The
packet will go home on Monday and will be collected on Friday. The folder will go
between school and home daily, and because of this is a great way to communicate. If
you have any questions on the homework please leave a note in Charlie’s folder and I
will respond.
Speaking of communication I want to remind you of the many electronic ways to
keep in contact with our class. We have a class site on the app Dojo. This is a great site
that allows me to upload pictures and set reminders of upcoming events. Our classroom
mom, Mrs. Daniels, has began a student page where I can upload Charlie’s work for
you to see. Through Dojo I can also communicate directly and confidentially with you. I
will be demonstrating the navigation of this site at our Back to School night next week.
In addition to Dojo you can reach me at my email address: mrsjames@abc.com.
At the beginning of the year I sit down with each student and discuss an
academic goal they want to set for themselves to accomplish before winter break. I help
them chose an attainable goal where they can monitor and track their progress. After
Charlie chose her goal she wrote it on the inside of her journal. Charlie chose the goal
of writing neatly and using spaces in her writing. After writing this in her journal I added
a list of supports she can use at anytime to help her. These include highlighted lined
paper for her to distinguish the lines, and the use of a Spaceman. A Spaceman is a tool
made from a popsicle stick. It will help Charlie create the right amount of space between
her words. She can keep one in her desk to use when she needs it. We will keep track
of this goal as the semester progresses. I will send you updates on this goal through
work samples and written reports. Please let me know what platform you would like to
receive them on, Dojo, through email, or as hand written note in Charlie’s folder. Having
Charlie involved in the goal making process helps her take accountability for her growth.
Charlie is a wonderful student, she is kind and attentive in class. She is liked by
her peers and is eager to participate in discussions and activities.
I am excited to begin the school year with Charlie in our classroom! Please feel
free to contact me anytime, I look forward to work with you this semester.

Kind Regards,

Mrs. Amanda James

mrsjames@abc.com