AAYF- Please see AAYF schedule if you would like to volunteer to help out during those art lessons. Our AAYF is Friday afternoon 12:30-2:00 or so depending on the lesson.
Absences – Illness and medical appointments are excused absences. Almost everything else is an unexcused absence. Each unexcused absence reduces our funding and results in your child missing an educational experience. It is challenging to “make up” work in kindergarten as much of our learning is done with manipulatives rather than with texts or workbooks. If an excuse is unavoidable, please send a written note or an email with your child when they return.
If you know that your child will be out for 5 days or more please let us know one week in advance so an Independent Study packet can be prepared.
Antique Roadshow– The Antique Roadshow is our way of doing Show-and-Tell. Your child can bring in items (up to 3) that were made before s/he was born. When it is your child’s turn, a note will go home with a list of questions that should be answered about each item and returned on the assigned date, along with the antique items. Students will share- What is your object? How old is your object? What does your object teach us about the past?
Arrival - Please remain outside the gate until the teacher on duty arrives at 8:15am. Once the gate is open and a teacher is on duty, you may drop off your child. Before you leave, have your child hang up his or her backpack. PLEASE be prompt! Academic instruction begins right at 8:30am. Late arrivals are very disruptive. If your child is 15 minutes late, it is likely they will miss an entire lesson.
Birthdays – I celebrate each child’s birthday with a birthday walk. For this, I ask the parents to bring me 1 photo from each year of your child’s life. You can also write a few short notes about momentous things that happened during each year, i.e. learning to walk, ride a bike, a move, a sibling was born. Instead of bringing sugary treats, each child is encouraged to donate a book to our class library inscribed with their name and birthday. Small items, like pencils or erasers, may be placed in cubbies as a celebration of your child’s birthday. Summer birthdays will be celebrated with an “Unbirthday” prior to the end of the year. When two or more children share the same birthday, arrangements will be made so that each child gets his or her special day at school.
Book orders – A book order form will be sent home each month. Placing an order is completely optional! If you do see books you would like, please place your order online at www.scholastic.com, or send the order form with a check to class. Book orders can be an easy, inexpensive way to supplement your child’s library. In addition, our class will earn “bonus points” for each book purchased. The bonus points will be used to add new books to our classroom library throughout the year. (Something for which I am desperate.) Our Classroom Activation Code is P4V8R . I try to recommend books we will be reading, or have read, in class. It is fun for the children to practice reading these same books at home.
Cafeteria – Kindergarteners can order a hot lunch from the cafeteria. This service is offered beginning in late September/October. You will get a lunch order grid each month. A link to the lunch menu is always available on Edline. You need to check off each day your child will be ordering a lunch and return the grid to me by the due date. Make a copy or record the dates for which you ordered lunch. Please make sure there is money in your child’s lunch account! (You can make deposits to the account online-it’s very easy!) I will make sure your child gets to the cafeteria and gets a lunch on the day(s) marked on the grid.
Classroom consumables- Our class will be using a lot of tissues, hand soap , gallon and quart size Ziploc bags and glue sticks this year. If you are out shopping and think your child would enjoy replenishing our supply, it would be greatly appreciated. From time to time additional supplies are needed. I will let you know any special supply requests. Thank you in advance for all you do for our classroom!
Classroom volunteers – We love helpers in kindergarten!! You enable us to do projects we otherwise would not be able to do. You can access the Volunteer sign-up thru my Sign Up Genius link on edlio. We have need for parents to help in classroom small groups, prepping materials for projects, library mystery readers, and AAYF helpers. If you are not able to be in the classroom when you are scheduled, please try to find a replacement. Once you have found a replacement, please let me know who it is. If you can’t find a replacement, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly. All classroom volunteers must sign in at the Main Office before coming to the classroom. Thank you!!!
Clothing – Independence is an important part of growing up. Please assist your child in learning to work the buttons, zippers, and snaps on their clothes. In addition, please teach your child to tie his or her shoes when you see he or she is ready. PLEASE write your child’s name on any item of clothing that may be removed at school. Don’t forget to put your child’s name on his or her jacket, lunch box and back pack! Be sure your child understands it is his or her responsibility to bring home everything they brought to school each day. Open toe shoes, dress shoes, backless shoes, crocs, or heelies are not appropriate for school. On any given day, we may work with glue, glitter, crayons, markers and/or paint. Please dress your child in sturdy clothes meant for running, painting and playing.
Contacting me – Most of the time, I will return your phone call or email the same day I receive it. If there is an emergency, please do not leave a message! Instead, call the Main Office (x221) and they will find me. My email address is: [email protected]
Dismissal- Dismissal on Mondays is at 1:10 PM at Flaming Arrow Gate. Tuesdays-Fridays, dismissal is at 2:05 PM at the front Kindergarten gate. On minimum days, dismissal is at 12 noon at Flaming Arrow gate.
Estimation Jar-The estimation jar goes home with one child on Friday and is brought back to school on Monday filled with 25 or more like items…anything that fits! We will spend the week trying to estimate the exact number of objects in the jar. Depending what fits, place between 25-200 items in the jar. Please do not send food or candy!
Homework – I am of the persuasion that our children are 5 and 6 years old and are in school for nearly 6 hours a day! They should play, socialize and relax every day. Occasionally, I will send an assignment that goes with a current unit of study. I will also send a list of activities that your child can do if s/he enjoys doing independent follow up to things we are learning in class. Sometimes a student may need extra practice or does not finish assigned class work. On these occasions, homework might be assigned. Making connections at home to things we learned in school is always helpful for the students. And of course, READING every night is the best predictor of future academic success, and it’s just plain fun! So, please read to your child or have him/her read to someone every night.
Minimum Days – Dismissal is at 12:00. We do not eat lunch at school on a minimum day. Please send a snack for your child. J Pick up is at Flaming Arrow gate.
Letter Guess – If the Letter Guess is assigned to your child, it is to be returned on the date stated. Your child needs to place one thing that begins with that letter in a bag and come up with three clues about it.
Mystery Reader – I like to have a Mystery Reader in library each Thursday at 1:30 – 2:00 PM . You can sign up for a Mystery Reader on the Sign Up Genius link on edlio. I don’t send reminders about Mystery Readers, so please manage your calendars! If you are the Mystery Reader, you should bring two books to read to the class. It is helpful if you have practiced reading the book before you come to class. Try to keep your Mystery Reader visit a secret from your child. It is a wonderful surprise to have mom or dad (or Grammie or Papa) in the library waiting to read.
Parent Conferences - Please sign up for your parent conference at back to school night. There will be a second conference day in March, only for some students. Other than these two formal conferences, if you wish to discuss your child’s performance, please contact me via email and we can arrange a time to meet.
Physical Education – Your child will have P.E. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 AM. ( Hooray!!) PLEASE make sure your child is wearing tennis shoes on those days. We will be walking, running, throwing, catching, and practicing a variety of other skills using the SPARK program. In addition, if your child likes to wear skirts or dresses, please make sure she has a pair of shorts on under the skirt or dress.
Recess – Our morning recess is from 10:10-10:30 AM daily. Please send a healthy snack for your child to eat during this time.
Security and safety – Any adult on campus must visit the Main Office to check in. All adult visitors must wear an I.D. sticker or volunteer badge. Please make sure you leave enough time to do this before beginning your duties as a classroom volunteer! If you need to pick your child up early, please do so through the Main Office. Do not come directly to the classroom to pick up your child. If someone other than you (or a regular care provider) will be picking your child up, please let me know that morning who your child will be going home with.
Star of the Week- Star of the Week is designed to give each child a chance to share a bit more about themselves and feel extra special. A bulletin board is reserved to display pictures of family, pets, friends, etc. A poster will go home that your child can color and fill in. You will be reminded the week prior to your child’s week. Each day that week your child can share one item from home that helps us know them better.
Traveling Mooster- Mooster is a small stuffed moose that one child takes home on a Friday and returns to school the following Wednesday. Inside the backpack, you will find a journal to chronicle your weekend adventures. Your child will only have one weekend to enjoy Mooster, so make the weekend memorable. PLEASE take good care of Mooster! He is irreplaceable! He may go anywhere you go, but we need him back! The journal does not have to be returned until Wednesday, which gives you time to print photos, etc.