MORE UPDATES

June 16, 2009
Dear Parents,
OK! We are on for most of the field trip which is now on Thursday (the museum cancelled our trip on Wednesday due to the Lakers parade). I need to find out if the parents I had said could come with us on Wednesday are available to come on Thursday instead. I also need to know if parents who were not coming on Wednesday can come on Thursday if other people cannot change their schedules. I would also like to know your plans for the rest of this week. PLEASE fill out the bottom portion below to let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions please e-mail me at afrie1@lausd.net.
Sincerely (and truly very sorry for all of the last minute craziness),
Mrs. Rowe
---------------------------------------------------------------
My Child’s Name _________Phone number ( ) ________

__I will send my child with lunch for our trip Thursday. (12:40 Dismissal)
__I was supposed to help on Wednesday but CANNOT help on Thursday.
__I am available and would like to help on the field trip THURSDAY to the Natural History Museum from 8:15am-12:40pm if the ones originally selected cannot.

__I will have my child come in pajamas on Wednesday (12:40 Dismissal)
__I will not have my child come in pajamas on Wednesday (12:40 Dismissal).
__It is not OK for my child to watch the movie Bedtime Stories with the class on Wednesday since it is Rated PG.

__I have sent the requested item for the surprise projects on Friday.
__I will not be able to send the item requested for the surprise projects on Thursday.

__My child will not be at school on Wednesday.
__My child will not be at school on Thursday.
__My child will not be at school on Friday.

Welcome to Mrs. Rowe's Blog

I have created this blog to share fun websites and books for kids! I am going to try hard to keep this updated with homework assignments and a tentative calendar for my classroom. This blog is a new endeavor for me, so please be patient with it (and with me).

Spelling Bee Winners!!!!



CONGRATULATIONS TO
Spelling Buddies:
Natalia and TJ
Allan and Yuriko
Giselle, Mayra, and Andres

Also, individuals with scores greater than 94%:
Carlos E.
Carlos B.
Tasnia

My bunny Mandy

My bunny Mandy

Dewey the Guinea Pig

Dewey the Guinea Pig
Dewey snuggled in his pouch

and guinea pig Dewey

and guinea pig Dewey

Classroom Calendar

Welcome to First Grade

Welcome To First Grade

HI!! My name is Aliza Friedenberg Rowe and I am thrilled to introduce myself as your child’s first grade teacher! This will be a very special year in your child’s education, and I am proud to share it with your family! It will be a year of great academic and social growth. I hope you are as excited as I!!

Arrival/Dismissal
Please make sure your child is at school before 7:51am. This will give him/her plenty of time to get situated, go to the bathroom and get drinks before the bell rings. If your child arrives at school after 7:51am three times in one month a warning note will be sent home. The fourth tardy will result in lunch duty for each additional tardy that month. Class is dismissed at 2:11pm daily except Tuesday when we usually dismiss at 1:09. If for any reason you need to pick up your child before these times please make sure to get a note from the office permitting me to release him/her early. PLEASE schedule appointments after school hours whenever possible.

Absences
On the first day back after an absence please send a note explaining the reason. For absences five days or longer a doctor’s note is required by the school nurse.

Classroom Rules
To provide a safe and optimum learning environment we have four main rules in our class.
1. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS THE FIRST TIME THEY ARE GIVEN.
2. RESPECT YOURSELF, YOUR CLASSMATES, THE TEACHER AND THE MATERIALS.
3. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST BECAUSE YOU ARE AT SCHOOL TO LEARN.
4. HELP YOUR CLASSMATES DO THEIR BEST.

Behavior
Each child will be given a face chart first thing every morning. Faces will be circled three times daily, before recess, before lunch and before going home according to how well students followed the class rules listed above. A rubber stamp or decorative hole punch will be put on the chart of each child who receives all Great faces. Great and Good happy faces often result in rewards and privileges, including but not limited to watching part of a video or being given treats. OK and Sad faces often result in not receiving rewards and privileges. If a child receives an OK or Sad face the chart must be signed and returned to school the next day or consequences might occur until the parent signed chart has been returned


First Grade Educational Standards
The following is a brief overview of the lessons we will be covering this year:

WRITTEN AND ORAL LANGUAGE: Match oral words to printed words; identify letters, words and sentences; long and short vowel sounds; rhyming words; consonant blends; blend two to four phonemes (sounds) to make a word; read common and irregular sight words (ex: the, have, said, of); compound words and contractions; read with fluency; respond to who, what, when, where and how questions; print legibly and space letters, words and sentences appropriately as well as basic punctuation.

MATHEMATICS: Count, read and write whole numbers up to 100; learn the meaning of and how to use more than, less than and equality symbols; Represent equivalent forms of the same number (ex: 8= 4+4 and 5+3); count and group objects in ones and tens, as well as to similar attributes; addition facts up to 20; inverse relationship between addition and subtraction; count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s to 100; tell time to the nearest half hour; understand the meaning of +, -, and =.

SCIENCE: Weather, Matter (liquids and solids), and Life Science.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Community, Cultures, Holidays, and Geography.

Art, Music, Nutrition, and Physical Education (PE) will also be involved in the year’s curriculum.


Classwork Rubric

GRADES ENTERED IN GRADE BOOK
4 Fantastic work! All directions were followed and it was nice and neat.
3 Good work! All/most directions were followed; Could have been neater.
2 Nice try; Not all directions were followed.
1 Little to no work completed; few if any directions followed.

NOT ENTERED IN GRADE BOOK
J Tried hard and did a very nice job following directions.

Corrected; Please review circled answers which were fixed by teacher after a mistake
had been made or after it had been left blank.

Work not completed in class might be sent home for homework.

Test Rubric
4= 90-100% of work is correct.
3=89-70% of work is correct.
2=69-60% of work is correct.
1= Below 50% of work is correct.

Homework Policy
Homework will normally be sent home in a special folder every Monday. It will be due the following Friday morning unless noted otherwise. All homework is a review or an extension of activities that have been covered in class. I may also be sending home work that your child missed in an absence.

Reading will be assigned as a family project. Whether s/he reads to you or you read to him/her will be your choice. The reading assignment must last for at least 15 minutes each night, Monday through Thursday. The 15 minute reading time may be in any language. There is often a sense of cultural pride for speakers of languages other than English to hear and share stories in their native tongue. Each night after the reading period, an adult must sign the provided chart (if one is not provided for please create your own providing the information on the regular chart). Your cooperation in this matter is vital in the process of your child learning to read.

A paper book at your child’s reading level may be sent home for practice as part of the homework assignment. It is to be returned with the homework folder and will be read one on one with me hopefully that same day. This should not be where the 15 minutes of homework reading are spent. I want to encourage reading for enjoyment and not just as studying.

Homework will be graded on a 1-4 system (just like the report cards) where 4 means it was all completed and 1 means it was mostly incomplete or not turned in at all. A grade of 2 or 1 will require a parent signature and must be returned to me promptly. Unless prior arrangements have been made, late homework automatically earns a score of 2 or lower depending on the amount of work completed. Once in a while there will be an opportunity for extra credit.

Grades will be issued as to the amount of work completed, not the number of errors as long as directions were attempted to have been followed. For example, a completed homework writing assignments will not be graded down for spelling or grammatical errors.

As long as you speak/write to me BEFORE Friday morning I will be happy to help and answer questions about your child’s homework. This includes questions about how to do a particular assignment or if you believe something to be missing.

Homework is a VERY important part of the educational experience. Please make sure it gets the time and energy necessary to be completed to the best of your child’s ability. Please try your best to provide assistance s/he needs (whether by you, an older sibling, a babysitter, etc.). There is often a great and obvious difference in academic performance between students who complete their homework on a regular basis and students who do not. Lastly, please make sure to review your child’s corrected homework to understand the corrections! If the work was turned in on time, it is usually returned the same day.

Homework Rubric

- All four parts of homework were complete and it was on time.

-Three parts of homework were complete. It was on time.

-Two parts of the homework were complete and /or it was
late. Parent signature required and return to school.

-Only one part of the homework was complete or no
homework was turned in. Parent signature required
and return to school.

Holidays
Birthdays are a special time for children and will be celebrated by the entire class. Each child will receive a card, a little gift, and be sung to on his/her special day. If you would like to celebrate with us, please notify me at least a week ahead of time. Single serve treats (like cupcakes or cookies) are strongly recommended and must be store bought. Please let me know if your child has any allergies!

I believe strongly in multi-cultural education and therefore will discuss celebrations from different cultures throughout the year. If you have something special from your culture that you would like to share with the class please let me know!

Please also let me know ahead of time if you do not want your child to participate in birthday or holiday celebrations.


Volunteers
Of course I always welcome an extra pair of hands in the classroom. Your time would be most appreciated in assisting me to assemble homework, staple paper books, cut out laminating, and of course working with the students.

If you have access to a copy machine I would GREATLY appreciate assistance in copying class sets of assignments and projects!

As your child’s first teacher, your continued involvement in his/her academic and social development is essential. By working together we can make this a wonderful learning experience. I look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night.


Sincerely,


Mrs. Aliza Friedenberg Rowe
Room 38








Bienvenidos al Primer Grado!

Bienvenidos al Primer Grado!

¡¡¡Hola!!! ¡Mi nombre es Aliza Friedenberg Rowe y estoy muy feliz de presentarme como la maestra del primer grado de su hijo/a! Este será un año muy especial para la educación de su hijo/a, y estoy muy orgullosa de poder compartirlo con su familia! Este será un año de grande desarrollo académico y social. ¡Espero que Ud. este tan entusiasmado como yo lo estoy!


Llegada/ Salida
Por favor asegurarse de que su niño/a este en la escuela antes de las 7:51 am. Esto le dará tiempo suficiente para alistarse, ir al baño y beber agua si tiene que hacerlo antes de que suene la campana. Si su niño/a en un mes llega a la escuela tres veces después de las 7:51, se enviará a casa una nota de “lunch duty” posible si llega tarde una vez más. La cuarta vez tarde resultará en “lunch duty” (va tener que limpiar y recoger basura después de que coma). Si es un problema que ocurra muchas veces, su niño/a recibirá detención después de la escuela. La clase termina a las 2:11pm. Si por cualquiera razón Ud. necesita recoger a su hijo antes de las 2:11pm, necesitará pedir una nota de permiso de la oficina antes de pasar a la clase. Por favor, trate de no recoger su niño/a temprano.


Ausencias
Cuando su hijo/a vuelve de una ausencia, favor de enviar una nota indicando la razón por la ausencia. Si su hijo va faltar 5 días o mas, la enfermera de la escuela va requerir que Ud. traiga una nota del doctor.

Reglas del Salón de Clase
Para proveer un ambiente seguro y eficaz del aprendizaje, en nuestra clase nosotros tenemos cuatro reglas principales.
1. Seguir las direcciones de la maestra la primera vez se les dan.
2. Respetarse a si mismo y respetar sus compañeros, la maestra, y los materiales.
3. Dedicarse a aprender, porque estamos en la escuela para aprender.
4. Ayudar a sus compañeros a hacer lo mejor que puedan.
Comportamiento
Cada mañana el alumno va recibir una carta que tiene tres caras. Antes de salir al recreo, antes de salir al almuerzo y antes de ir a casa, voy a determinar si el alumno se haya portado bien. Si se ha portado bien, entonces le voy a poner un círculo alrededor de una cara para significar que si se porto bien. Si al salir a la casa ya tiene todas de las caras con círculo, entonces voy a marcar la carta con una estampilla de goma. Si no lo marco con estampilla de goma, entonces voy a marcarlo con "OK" o con una cara triste - y en estos casos, el alumno tendrá que llevar la carta a casa y devolverlo el día siguiente con la firma del padre de familia. Advertencias se darán a los alumnos con comportamiento menos que satisfactorio. Las dos primeras caras contentas en la carta resultan en recompensas y privilegios, como ver parte de una película o sorpresas. La cara OK y la cara triste resultan en consecuencias. El alumno tendrá que regresar la carta firmada por el padre y la consecuencia puede seguir hasta que la carta con la firma del padre sea recibida.

El Estándar Educativo del Primer Grado
Las siguientes son un sobrepaso de las lecciones que estaremos cubriendo en este año escolar.

LENGUAGE ESCRITO Y ORAL: Distinguir las palabras oral y escritas; identificar las letras, y frases; reconocer las vocales, palabras rimas, consonantes. Combinar dos a cuatro letras para crear palabras; leer palabras comunes y contrarias; leer con fluidez, responder a signos de pregunta. Poder escribir claro y con espacios palabras o frases con puntuación correcta.

MATEMATICAS: Contar; escribir y contar números enteros hasta 100; aprender los símbolos de mas, menos y igualar. Representar formas equivalentes formas del mismo número (ejemplo: 8=4+4 y 5+3); agrupar objetos para contar en dos, cinco y diez, entender la hora y los signos de contabilidad.

CIENCIA: El estado de tiempo, conocer las materias como sólidos y líquidos, y la ciencia vida.

ESTUDIOS SOCIALES: Comunidad, Cultura, las Festividades y Geografía, Arte, Música, Nutrición y Educación Física, también estaremos envueltos en las actividades del año.

Calificaciones del trabajo en Clase

Grados registrados en el libro de Calificaciones
4 Fantastico! Siguio todas las instrucciones y el trabajo estaba limpio y ordenado.
3 Buen Trabajo! Siguio la mayoria de las instrucciones; pero su trabajo pudo haber sido mas ordenado.
2 Bien! No siguio todas las instrucciones.
1 No complete el trabajo y no siguio las intrucciones.

No escritos en el libro de Calificacion
-Se esforzo e hizo un buen trabajo; siguio todas las instrucciones.

-Fue Correjido; Porfavor revise las respuestas que fueron revisadas por la maestra despues de errores o fueron dejadas en blanco.

El trabajo incompleto en clase puede ser dejado de tarea.


Calificacion de Examen

4= 90-100%
3=89-70%
2=69-60%
1= Below 50%

Pólíza de Tarea
Normalmente la tarea será enviada en un folder especial cada lunes. Será regresada el siguiente viernes. Toda la tarea será un repaso o extensión de actividades que ya han sido presentados en la clase. Posiblemente, yo voy a enviar tarea que su hijo no haya hecho por que estuvo ausente o trabajo que no terminó durante el tiempo de clase.

La lectura será asignada como un proyecto familiar. Usted puede escoger las selecciónes para leerle a su hijo/a y vice versa. Lo que se sugiere es que reserven por lo menos 15 minutos cada noche, lunes a jueves, para compartir esta parte de la tarea con su hijo/a. Él o Ella puede elegir en leerle a usted o viceversa, deberan leer por 15 minutos todas las noches de lunes a jueves en cualquier lenguaje esta bien. Cada noche después del período de lectura, un adulto deberá firmar la hoja de lectura que se les proveerá. Su cooperación en esta causa es sumamente importante para mantener el progreso de la lectura de su hijo.

Es posible que un libro de papel de acuerdo con el nivel de lectura de su hijo será mandado a casa para que su hijo/a lo repase como parte de la tarea Este libro tendrá que ser leído por el estudiante, con un adulto. Idealmente, este libro se debe leer el mismo día en que el estudiante lo llevó a casa. Esto no cuenta como los 15 minutos de lectura sino leer de gusto.

La tarea será marcada de 1-4 con el sistema (igual de sus reportes del progreso): Un “4” quiere decir que todo está completo y un “1” quiere decir que la mayoría está incompleto o que el estudiante no lo trajo de vuelta a la clase. Una nota de “2” ó “1” requerirá la firma de los padres y se debe devolver lo más pronto posible. Por favor, toma el tiempo para revisar el papel que será enviado a casa el lunes con la primera tarea. Solamente si arreglos previos son hechos, la tarea que se entrega tarde automáticamente baja el grado a 2 o menos dependiendo si la tarea fue completada. De vez en cuando habrá oportunidad de hacer crédito extra.

Grados serán dados por cuanta tarea ha sido completada y no por los errores, siempre y cuando se sigan las instrucciones. Por ejemplo la tarea escrita que este completa pero tiene faltas de ortografía y gramática será aceptada.

La tarea es un elemento muy importante de la experiencia académica. Favor de asegurar que su hijo/a se dedique a hacerlo con tiempo y esfuerzo, completándolo lo mejor que pueda. Trate de ayudarlo a hacer la tarea o encuentre alguien que pudiera (por ejemplo, un hermano mayor, una niñera, etc.) Muchas veces hay una diferencia obvia y grande entre los alumnos que suelen hacer la tarea regularmente y los que no lo hacen.

Finalmente, trate de revisar la tarea corregida para que su hijo/a entienda por que tuvo los errores que tuvo. Cuando la tarea se entrega diariamente, por lo general lo corrijo y lo devuelvo el mismo día.


Calificación de Tarea

-Cuatro partes de la tarea fueron completas y se entrego a tiempo.

-Tres partes de la tarea fueron completas y se entrego a tiempo.

-Dos partes de la tarea fueron completas o fue entregado tarde. La firma del padre es requerida y la nota debe ser regresada a clase.

-Solo una parte de la tarea fue completa o nada fue entregado. La firma del padre es requerida y la nota
debe ser regresada a clase.

Cumpleaños
Los cumpleaños son una fecha especial y serán celebrados por toda la clase. Cada niño/a recibirá una tarjeta y un pequeño regalo en ese día especial. Un diario especial será enviado a casa para que su hijo/a lo pueda rellenar en casa, y luego devolverlo a la clase para que los otros estudiantes puedan saber cómo es que se celebró el día especial de su hijo/a. Si Ud. Desea compartir con nosotros, por favor notifíqueme con una semana de anticipación a la fecha. Recomiendo que, si gusten traer un pastel ó golosinas a la clase, que los pastelitos individuales o unas galletas son preferibles porque se pueden guardar más fácilmente y hay menos basura que recoger después). Por favor déjeme saber si su hijo tiene alguna alergia.

Yo creo mucho en la educación Multicultural y estarán hablando de de diferentes culturas en el año. Si usted tiene algo especial que de su cultura que desea compartir con la clase por favor hágamelo saber.

Por favor avíseme con anticipación si no desea que su hijo participe de cumpleaños y celebraciones.

Voluntarios
Por supuesto siempre está bienvenido un par de manos extra al salón de clase. Su tiempo será muy apreciado en la ayuda de organizar los paquetes de tarea, engrapar los libros de papel, cortar las laminaciones, escribir fechas en las formas “Scholastic” y en muchas otras actividades. Si Ud. tiene acceso a una máquina copiadora y podría hacer copias para la clase, esto también sería muy apreciado.

Finalmente, quiero acordarle que Usted, como padre, sigue siendo el primer maestro de su hijo/a. Su involucración es esencial para que su hijo/a siga desarrollando sus habilidades académicas y sociales. Trabajando juntos, podramos asegurarnos de que su hijo/a siga triunfando en su experiencia escolar.


Trabajando juntos, haremos de este año una maravillosa experiencia académica. ¡Espero verle en la Noche de Regreso a la Escuela!

Atentamente,
Mrs. Aliza Friedenberg Rowe
Salón 38






Explanation of Homework Assignments

After the first month or so of school I have two different homework assignments. I feel this helps me better meet the needs of my students based on thier abilities. The main difference is that one group has paper books in thier homework and the other group does not. I will TRY to post each week's homework assignments here as I create them. All you have to do is scroll to find the assignment that matches the one I normally send for your child. :-)

I am hoping this will be helpful in case the cover sheet on your child's homework is misplaced.

This blog was originally created as a project for my Master's Program in Library Science. I have lots of links for use in many different areas. Now that I am sharing this with our class, I will try hard to add more parent links for you. Please take advantage of the other links in the teacher's and maybe even the librarian's sections. The contain information for kids of all ages and the people in thier lives.

My husband Greg and Me

My husband Greg and Me

Book Orders

September, 2008
Dear Parent/Guardian,

This year your child will be undertaking one of the most important challenges in his/her education, becoming a proud and confident reader. As teachers and parents, we must work together to support your child and provide whatever is necessary for him/her to succeed. That’s why I am often sending home book orders. You are sure to find something to interest your child, such as picture
books, beginning reader books, short chapter books, nonfiction, and more.

Please review the selections with your child. If anything interests you, complete the order form and return it to class. The books should arrive approximately two to three weeks after the order is placed.

Your order not only provides your child with a variety of great books, it also helps us earn bonus points, which are used to get additional free books and other educational materials for our classroom.

It is my hope that you will take advantage of this great opportunity.

Wishing you and your child a year of happy reading experiences!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rowe

Monday, March 17, 2008

PE on Mondays

March, 2008
Dear Parents,

We have the wonderful opportunity to have P.E. lessons from USC soccer star Ashley Nick on Monday afternoons. Please make sure to have your child dressed for active physical education lessons every Monday. This should include running shoes and long pants. Hats and water bottle are also recommended.

There will be times where we will be going over to USC so we can play on grassy areas. I have the three mile trip slips that you signed at the beginning of the year.

Children who have had difficulty behaving or working in the classroom might not be accompanying the class out to these special events. They will stay at school in another classroom. This will be to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for the entire group.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rowe

March, 2008
Estimados Padres,

Tenemos la gran oportunidad de tener clases de Educacion Fisica de una estrella de futbol de USC Ashley Nick los Lunes despues de medio dia. Porfavor asegurese que su hijo venga vestido apropiado para Educacion Fisica cada Lunes. La vestimenta debe incluir Tennis, pantalones largos. Cachucha y botella de agua tambien son recomendables.

Habran dias que iremos a USC para jugar en areas con pasto. Tengo los permisos que firmaron de la carrera de las tres millas del principio del ano.

Estudiantes que tengan dificultades de comportamiento o haciendo el trabajo de clase no estaran acompanando a la clase durante estos eventos especiales. Se quedaran en la escuela en otro salon de clase. Esto sera para asegurar una experiencia segura y comfortable para todo el grupo.

Sinceramente,
Mrs. Rowe
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Yoga Ed.

March, 2008
Dear Parents,

We have been working hard this year to learn educational strategies or choices to learn which ways we as individuals learn best. Some of us learn best by being able to touch and move objects around; some learn best when they can see demonstrations and/or make pictures while listening to a description or music.

We have also been learning strategies in which to improve social relationships. We have discussed different people having different needs and how this relates to fairness. Lately we have had a lot of discussion about treating people based on the things that they say and do, not on the way they look. The strategies we have learned include treating others respectfully, expecting others to treat us respectfully, recognizing our feelings, and choices about how to deal with these feelings such as standing up for ourselves and/or walking (not running) away.

When we get stressed or frustrated learning and being socially responsible becomes more difficult. This is where we have been learning to take a deep breath to relax, clear our minds, and hopefully make decisions which are best for us and other people in our environment.

This past weekend I, Mrs. Rowe (1st grade) and 2nd grade teacher Ms. Jaughn attended a ‘Yoga Ed: Tools for Education Teacher Training’ class. The training was piloted and implemented at an inner city school called The Accelerated School, just a few blocks from here. The students there now have very high physical fitness scores after implementing this program. We found it quite inspiring as a tool to help teach both ourselves and our students.

The workshop has taught us how to further teach breathing and stretching strategies to relieve stress and “life tools in the classroom for focus, learning readiness, health, and responsible behavior…. When kids can identify how much better they feel, think, and behave when they take care of themselves by exercising and eating well, they are naturally motivated to continue these positive behaviors,” (Yoga Ed, 2004).

Attached is a page from one of the ‘Tools’ booklets to further state the importance of stress reduction and also a page that says you are aware that your child is being taught relaxation and stress reduction strategies as part of our social and physical education curriculum and that you will be given an opportunity to rate your feelings about the program at the end of they school year.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask us!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rowe (1st grade) and Ms. Jaughn (2nd grade)
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easter field trip

March, 2008

Easter Party

Dear Parents,

We have been invited to an Easter party at USC on Friday, March 28th. Lunch will be at school as usual and then USC students will take us to a sorority at USC from 12:50 until the end of the school day.

I would like to invite parents to join us to help supervise the children.

Children who have had difficulty behaving or working in the classroom might not be accompanying the group on the trip. They will stay at school in another classroom. This will be to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for the entire group. You will be notified beforehand if your child will not be attending due to behavior difficulties.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Rowe

Please return the portion below to let me know you know about and/or will be able to join our trip.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____ I will be able to join the class on the trip.
____ Sorry, I can’t join the class at this time.

Your name_______________________________________________

Your Child’s name__________________

Phone number ( ) ________________
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