The ABC's of Kindergarten
Everything You Need to Know
Attendance- much of our learning will take place together in class. We do lots of hands-on activities and group work. Please plan to attend school every day, except in cases of illness or emergency! If you do miss school, please send in a note on your first day back.
Book orders- just about once a month, a book order form will come home from Scholastic. This is a great way to purchase books inexpensively and continue to have your child’s home library grow, while helping our class earn points towards other items!
Communication- please feel free to contact me by e-mail [email protected] or call me at school 557-2770 with questions or concerns at any time. You can also send a note in your child's OTIS.
Dismissal- school ends at 3:40. We are learning up until the bell rings so please limit early pick ups. Also, it is very important to send a note to school if your child is to go home a different way than his/her normal schedule!
Emergencies- please make sure we have the correct emergency information on file for your child. If phone numbers change, you can call or send a note so your child's file can be updated!
Field trips- If you would like to chaperone our field trip, please sign up to be a volunteer! The library computer is set up for you to use to register. Remember, you must register each year!
Good Behavior-Is expected! During the first few weeks we will create our classroom rules. The students will be an integral part in determining what rules will be most important in our classroom. If a students breaks a rule they will be given a reminder of the rule and why it is important. If the behavior continues they will be asked to "move their clip". (See the behavior page for more information)
Homework- your child will have homework Monday through Thursday. It should take about 10-15 minutes. These activities should be completed by your child, even the writing assignments! Homework will go home in their OTIS folder on Friday and will need to be returned the following Friday. Please let me know if homework is taking longer than 20 minutes to complete.
Important information- if you have any important papers that need to come to school, please send them in your child's OTIS, as they are checked daily!
Journals-We will be writing daily during our Daily 5. Students will begin working on letter formation and begin to move into the writing process as the year progresses. You will be amazed at what they will be writing by the end of the year!
Kindness- we will learn about being kind to others and ourselves every day. We have a “Bucket Filler” board which students get to fill in a star on their bucket when they are being kind in the classroom, hallway, specials, etc. (See the behavior page for more information.)
Lunch- Please make sure to pack your child a nutritious lunch (not a lunch bag full of snack items). Also, we love to have parents come and eat lunch with their child. They really enjoy it! The tables for you are along the back wall of the cafeteria and on pretty days you are more than welcome to sit at the picnic tables outside. This is a special time for you and your child so please do not ask other students to join you. Our lunch time is 1:10-1:40
Money- when sending money to school, please put it in a sealed and labeled envelope inside your child’s OTIS. Folders are checked daily to ensure the money makes it to the right place.
Newsletters-newsletters will go home every Friday as well as posed on the website with updates.
Oh Please!-Help us with our wish list! There will be items throughout the year that we will ask for that we will need for activities or projects in the room. Please check our wish lists for those items when they come up.
Parties-if you would like to send in a little goodie on your child’s birthday that is more than fine. Please just keep in mind that ALL items MUST be store bought!
Quick and Quiet Hellos- as you volunteer in our classroom or our building, I will urge your child to acknowledge you with a "quick and quite" hug and hello but get right back to work. It is important for them to greet you, but remain involved in class activities.
Reading- students are expected to read at home every night, as part of their nightly homework. Encourage them to bring their library books home to read. Part of their homework will be to read their book-in-a-folder each week.
Snazzy Stories- each student will be a "Star of the Week" and on your child's week I will ask for a parent/grandparent/older sibling to come in read your child's favorite book to the class that Friday. More specific information will go home about this when your child is the Star Student.
Tardies- students should be at school by 9:20. Arriving after this time causes students to lose instructional time. If they are tardy they will need to check in with the office, with you accompanying them, before coming down to the classroom.
Understanding-your kindergarten reader: Our kindergarten readers need to read as often as possible to fine-tune and strengthen sight vocabulary, decoding skills, comprehension, and fluency. We suggest 5 to 15 minutes 4 to 5 times a week. This time frame is just a guideline and you may need to adjust it to your child’s individual needs.
Volunteers- we love volunteers! Moms, dads, grandparents... you can volunteer in class. Please let me know if you'd like to help and we can find a classroom job for you! You must be a green star volunteer before you can work in the classroom so please sign up in the library!
Wardrobe-Your child will need a complete change of clothes that will be kept at school. We will send them home periodically to make sure they are weather appropriate.
Winter weather wear- please write your child's name insider their winter gear!
Winter weather wear- please write your child's name insider their winter gear!