Dear Learning Coach(es) and Student,

 

Welcome to First Grade at Utah Connections Academy! I am so excited to be your student's First Grade teacher this year! Yay! We are going to have an incredible and exciting school year, and it will be great to get started.

 

Important Things to Know

 

3 Legged Stool: Student, Learning Coach, and Teacher Responsibilities

PDF--K-6 UCA Learning Commitment  

(attached to webmail)

 

All of the learning commitments are important, but here are the top 5 that are essential to student success:

 

1. Students will spend 25 - 30 hours per week on school work.  This averages to about 6  

    hours or lessons per school day.

 

2. Students will complete all course work on their planner each day.

 

3. Learning coaches will assist their student with lessons, at least 4 hours per school 

    day.

 

4. Students and learning coaches will participate in monthly phone calls and keep 

     consistent contact with their teacher.

 

5. The teacher will be available to help the student during office hours and scheduled 

     calls.

 

 

Online Lesson Completion

Your student must complete their online lessons everyday. They will need to complete 4-5 online lessons each day. The workbooks are used in combination with the online lessons, and are not to be used exclusively. Students must complete their online lessons in their individual Student Connexus Account, not the Learning Coach Connexus Account. 

 

Video-- How to Access Planner and Complete Lessons

1 minute 32 seconds

 

Daily Attendance Hours

Your student must complete 5-6 hours of schoolwork everyday. If your student completes all of their scheduled online lessons for that day in less time, please feel free to mark them completing six hours for attendance. Attendance must be completed each day through the Learning Coach Connexus Account. 

 

Video-- How to Record Attendance Hours Daily

1 minute 11 seconds

 

LiveLessons

Your student has many opportunities to engage with other students and myself each week. These LiveLessons are fun, engaging, and the students love them. Please look at your student's planner to find the required day and time for each LiveLesson.

 

  -Daily LiveLessons: I teach a Phonemic Awareness or Math Skills LiveLesson every morning from 9:00-10:00am. On Fridays we also do something super fun together! 

 

  -Reading and Math Groups: Your student will be placed in a targeted group for reading and math. These LiveLesson will be once a week.

 

  -Monthly Literacy Meeting and Check In: Your student will meet with me once every month. We will work together on Heart Words, Reading Fluency, Number Things, and answer any questions that you may have!!

 

Lexia

The school has purchased a reading program called Lexia. Your student is expected to participate in the Lexia program every day. You will receive a separate email from myself with a username and password to log into Lexia. So many students love this program, and I am sure your child will as well.  

 

Your student is required to work in Lexia for a minimum of 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes each time.

 

Imagine Math

Imagine Math is another fun program where the students are able to learn math skills that are on their math level. This program is in addition to the regular Connexus math lessons. 

 

Your student is required to work in Imagine Math for a minimum of 3 times a week for 15-20 minutes each time.

 

PE Minutes

Students are required to complete 225 physical education minutes each week. These minutes can look like anything (riding a bike, going for a walk, playing with a pet, dancing in the kitchen, playing a sport, dance class, and more). 

 

Learning Coach(es), you will need to record the physical activity and the number of minutes your student completes each week. Some learning coaches do the following to record the minutes: print off a calendar and write the activity and minutes in each space, create an Excel Sheet or Google Doc to record the activity and minutes, or simply write down the activity and minutes on a piece of paper. 

 

At the end of each PE Unit, the student will be asked to upload their physical activity sheet. So, please keep a running record of the PE activities and minutes, as it will be uploaded every 4-5 weeks. 

 

Class Website

I have created a Class Website, and you will find a ton of useful information on there!! I have Heart Word Flashcards (high frequency words), Reading Fluency Passages, Language Arts and Science Portfolio Helps, Practice Math Pages, and so much more!! 

 

(I want my class website to be a resource Learning Coaches and Students can use. So, if you have an idea or suggestion of something to add to make it better, PLEASE let me know!! I want to make my website something that will be useful to many!!) 

 

WELCOME AGAIN

We have some new families joining us at UCA this year, so here is a BIG WELCOME! We also have some families returning from a fabulous Kindergarten Year at UCA, so here is a BIG WELCOME! I am looking forward to a terrific year, and meeting you all in a few weeks.  :)

 

If you have any questions about how the online school platform works, please reach out!! I can help answer most questions. However, if you have any technical issues, you will need to contact School Support at 1-800-382-6010. 

 

I want everyone to feel successful this year! I am looking forward to a fabulous year!

 

With gratitude,

Mrs. Parr