Ms.

Courtney Pindjak’s
First Grade class of 2020-2021
Rules and Procedures Manual
 Dear parent/guardian,
I am so overwhelmed with joy to be teaching your student this academic year! My name is
Courtney Pindjak and I am a graduate of Stetson University in Deland, Florida. Along with studying
Elementary Education, I also received a minor in Environmental Studies. Teaching has been a passion of
mine since I’ve been in 3 rd grade. A couple major things you should know about me are: I love reading
Dr. Seuss stories, watching Disney movies (old and new), and enjoying the outdoors!
I cannot wait to see your student grow this year in first grade! In order to meet the needs of every
child in my classroom, I will be attaching our rules and procedures in this packet. If we all continue to
follow our rules and procedures, our class will receive rewards. However, if we are struggling with
following our classroom rules and procedures there will be consequences. These guidelines are essential
in classrooms because we want all of our students to have equal opportunities and learning experiences. I
have no doubt we will be rock stars in following our classroom guidelines!
I am so thankful to have your student in my class for my first year of teaching! This year, I will
be implementing a couple reward systems. I will be handing out ‘tickets’ to students who demonstrate
kindness to one another and who follow our classroom rules. These will be handed out multiple times a
day, every day of the week. On Fridays, our morning meeting time will be designated for the treasure
box. The treasure box holds everything a student could ever want- squishes, stuffed animals, pencils, and
little fun toys. These treasure box items can be purchased at the store on Fridays. Students will be able to
practice their addition and subtraction skills while buying items at the store. I am also planning on
implementing the bug jar for each table group. Once students fill up their bug jar, they are able to pick a
magical mystery card for a reward. The rewards could be anything from: having lunch bunch in the
classroom, receiving 10 bonus tickets, extra time at recess, etc. I will also be asking the students what
kinds of rewards they want in the mystery cards. The table who cleans up the fastest receives a fake bug
to put in their jar.
Along with rewards, we also have consequences. When an individual student is having a rough
day and is misbehaving in the classroom, I will be sending him/her to the ‘cool down corner’. This corner
is designated for students to sit at a table. It has a bin of squishy toys they can get their anger out on. This
is a quiet space where students can calm down and then join us when they feel up to it. This is by no
means a shaming corner. We all have times where we need to relax, and this is the perfect place to do it! I
will also be taking away tickets and bugs as consequences. When students are talking out of turn, or
interrupting the lesson, I will simply ask them to lay a ticket out on their desk and I will be by to collect it.
For a table group that is misbehaving, I will ask them to pull a bug from their jar as well.
These are a few behavioral management methods I will be trying in my classroom. If anyone
wants to email me or call me about any special requests to meet the needs of your student, please do not
hesitate to do so. I cannot wait to meet every single one of you! Best Wishes!
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
Sincerely,
Ms. Pindjak
 Rewards and Consequences

Bug Jar
Our class has been overcome by bugs!! We will be having four table groups in
our classroom. Each table has their own bug jar that is hanging on the white board. When a given
table is following directions, rules, procedures, or being kind to one another, they will receive a
bug to place in their jar. Once a table fills up their jar- they receive a magical mystery card. This
mystery card can be anything from lunch bunch to bonus tickets. Once one table fills up their
bug jar and gets a reward, all tables must empty their bug jars and we begin again!

Treasure Box
Oh dear! Quick! The pirates left their loot! This treasure box is given to myself by the
ocean pirates every Friday. The box holds anything from pencils to squishes to stuffed animals!
Every student receives tickets for the treasure box throughout the week. A student may get a
ticket for showing kindness, helping, or following rules and procedures. Students may purchase
items at the treasure box from the pirates but they need to add up all of their tickets to make sure
they have enough for the items that they want.

The Cool Down Corner

This corner is specifically for students who have been misbehaving during instruction.
The corner is designed for students to calm down and then revisit the rest of the group when they
are ready. The corner is equipped with squishy items that the students can use to take their anger
out on. This corner is only for students who need the time to relax and wind down for learning.
 Classroom Rules
1. Be respectful of classmates, teachers, and
property.
- Use kind words (such as please and thank you)
to your classmates and teachers, use gentle
hands when handling any item that is not yours.
2. Be prepared to learn by bringing materials
- Turn those brains on and get excited!
3. Listen to the speaker
- Turn your ears on, turn your head to face the
speaker, place your hands in your lap, and zip
your mouth shut.
4. Use your hand signals
- Crossed fingers= bathroom;
- two fingers= question/comment;
- one finger= drink or pencil sharpen
 Classroom Procedures
How we enter the room: In the mornings we will be lining up
outside of the classroom in the hallway. Once I open the door, the only way
to get into the room is with a high five, a hug, a handshake, or the secret
password (we will decide on this at the beginning of the year).

Attendance time: During this time, we will be sitting in a circle

on the carpet by alphabetical order. When I go down the list, the person
whom I call must grab the hand of the person next to them on their right and
say, “here” (This word may change). If a student is not there that day, when I
call that name the person who usually grabs their hand must say ‘cloud’.
Then that person holds the hand of the ‘cloud’.

Tardiness: If you are tardy, you must come in quietly, place your
tardy pass in your cubby, and either ask a table partner what we are doing or
just come to your spot on the carpet.

No materials: If you come into class without your homework

complete, or without your folders then you owe me one ticket. I will be
picking a random day each week to distribute tickets to those of you who
have completed homework and who have all of their materials for class.

After absence: If you were sick or went on vacation and missed

a couple days of school, you must put your folder in the absent bin. I will
provide you with all of the papers you have missed in your folder and you are
expected to complete them at home and hand them back to me. (timeline
depends on how much work is given)

End of day: to end our day together, we come to the carpet in

our circle and have some kind of discussion. Whether that be about what we
learned today, what we are excited about, etc. During this time a ball will be
passed around so that each student has an opportunity to speak who wants
to. Only the person who holds the ball may speak. If the speaker is finished
talking, they may pass it to someone who has their hands placed on their
head. Once everyone talks, the teacher is given the ball and ends the day.

Dismissal: After our end of day circle chat, I will ask everyone to
follow their numbers.
 One’s pencils: If a student is given the number one this week, they are
in charge of collecting pencils and placing them in their bins.
Two’s stack your chairs: If a student is given the number two this
week, they are in charge of stacking everyone’s chairs.
Three’s trash: If a student is given the number three this week, they
are in charge of collecting any trash they see on the floor.
Four’s cubbies first: If a student is given the number four this week,
they are to first go to their cubbies to collect their mail and pack up.
Once students finish their jobs, they are to help everyone else until we
are all lined up at the door. In order to leave the classroom, I expect a hug,
handshake, or high five.
 Classroom Layout

Description: I chose this as my classroom layout because I like the idea of being
able to easily walk around in between the tables of my students. I also will have
fun chairs in my library, as well as a rug. Along with my large library corner, I
definitely want a lot of space in the front of my room for the carpet area so we can
have restorative practice activities as needed. I like the idea of having cubbies for
my students, so I placed three shelf units on the side wall of my classroom. My
table will have a kidney table around it so it is easier access when doing small
group instruction. I also hope to have a place for technology, which is why I placed
the computer tables on the side of the classroom. The round table in the corner is
where I would most likely place my ‘cool down corner’. By placing my teacher
desk facing the students, I am able to watch them while they work. I aspire to have
a classroom that is laid out in a way that promotes learning.