Dear Parents/Guardians, 

Welcome to another wonderful new school year! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be your child’s teacher. This will be my first year at Usher Collier. I have taught Interrelated & autism students for over twelve years now. I received my bachelors degree from New York University in Nutrition Sciences in 1995 and masters degrees in Early Childhood Education from Mercy College in 1998. I also received my Educational Specialists degree from Lincoln Memorial University in 2004. Family is my number one priority, but I also greatly enjoy traveling, reading, football, and riding my motorcycle.

 The educational experience you child has in the classroom is very important to me.

My number one goal is to help your child become successful in the classroom as well as in society as a whole by teaching them to be responsible for their own actions. I also strongly believe that student success is directly related to open lines of communication between teachers and parents. Please help me in my commitment to your child’s quality education by reading to him or her nightly, reviewing assignments & homework, and setting high goals for them achieve. Our positive attitudes towards school will make quite an impression on the academic success of your child.

 I am truly looking forward to working with your child and making this a positive

year for everyone. Thank you in advance for your help & support! Sincerely, Mrs. Opal McNeal, ABD Ed.S

Mrs. Jeanette Culbreth Para-Educator

Greetings!

What a joy it is to be investing another wonderful year with the students of Atlanta Public Schools.I have been a Para Educator for over 12 years. I hold a Bachelors of Science in Human Service Management from University of Phoenix 2009. I am excited to say that I am currently pursuing a Masters in Special Education at Grand Canyon University. I feel confident that this will be the year that we see amazing things from the student in the Autism Program and am looking forward to being a part of their success. Thank you for allowing me to serve you and your child this 2012-2013 school year!

Classroom Rules & Expectations Below you will find our classroom rules & expectations. You will also receive a copy at Open House.  Mrs. McNeal’s Discipline Plan

1.     Classroom rules and expectations are based on the PCE Panther Creed which is listed below.

a.      I will always do my best.b.     I will not bully because I respect myself and others. c.     I will keep my hands, feet, and objects to myself.d.     I will take responsibility for my actions. e.     I will allow the teacher to teach and others to learn.f.      I will always do my best to be my best.

 2.     Students will be expected to uphold the “Daily Pledge” in the classroom as well as

around the school. I am a firm believer in promoting personal responsibility and I feel that it is a skill that needs to be encouraged early in a child’s educational career.  

3.     When students model positive behavior, they will be rewarded. The goal of these rewards is to encourage students to keep up the good work and promote the idea that good behavior is the “cool thing to do.” Rewards include:

 a.      Positive Privilege Couponsb.     Positive Note/Email/Phone Call Home c.     Lunch or Ice Cream with Teacherd.     Additional Surprises

 4.     If students have difficulty with classroom expectations, they will be made

accountable for their actions with the following consequences:a.      Verbal Warningsb.     Loss of classroom privilege (time off recess, free time)c.     Note/Email to Parentd.     Phone Call during the School Day for a parent “pep talk”e.     Office Visit

 5.     Student behavior will be indicated in the daily behavior report that will be sent

home in WOW books. If needed, I will write daily notes in a student’s agenda to inform parents a specific situation.

a.      Please sign or initial to indicate you have seen any notes. If you have any questions or concerns, please respond in the agenda or through email and I will get back with you as soon as possible.

Mrs. McNeal’s Homework Information

Homework is a great way for students to review classroom material. It also gives parents a glimpse into what students are learning. Students will complete most of their homework assignments in their HW journal unless a worksheet is in their homework folder or another activity is listed in their agenda. At the beginning of each month, students will receive a Homework Calendar. It will contain a series of homework tasks to be completed on specific nights. Tasks will vary each month.

o Reading Log Instructions:o Students will be given a weekly reading log with a series of activities to complete. These are to be filled out and are collected each Friday. o Math Word Problem Instructions: o Students will copy the word problem(s) from their HW calendar into their journals and then solve and show their work underneath the problem. Please label the page with the date. o Additional Worksheets and Tasks:o Throughout the year, other math related and reading comprehension worksheets, as well as science and social studies tasks will be assigned. These will also be collected on Fridays unless otherwise noted in the student agenda. o Journal Response Instructions: o Students will be assigned a journal topic each week that can be found on their homework calendar. They should compose their response in their HW Journal with the date on the top line. Please make sure that students use the front and back of each notebook page so that we can make their journal last as long as possible. Please make sure that when your child is completing these prompts that they focus on:

1. Responses must be at least a half page or 3-5 sentences long at the beginning of the year to ensure a detailed response.

2. All sentences must include at least 7 words and all sentences cannot begin with the same word for example (I can, I want, I like ... )

3. Use of proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, & punctuation rules is encouraged. 4. Students are also encouraged to use neat and legible handwriting.

Each Friday, students are expected to turn in all of the assignments listed on their calendars for the week. If students do not complete homework, they will be expected to complete assignments during free time.

As a single parent, I understand that as parents you have a lot on your plate that is why I give students the whole week to work on homework. Of course there will be times when students are unable to complete assignments, when this occurs, please just send me a note in your child’s agenda or through email. However, PLEASE encourage students to complete all homework. I am really trying to promote personal responsibility and prepare them for the many fourth grade expectations.