Kindergarten Handbook
Important Information for Parents
Backpacks
Backpacks are very important for little ones to carry. The backpack (or “book bag” as some call it) makes them feel grown up but also serves a purpose. We would like for the backpack to be sent to school every day so that we can send home necessary items. Please send a regular sized backpack that will hold traditional folders, notebooks, etc. There will not be anything too heavy for your child to carry. Also, the smaller character backpacks (turtles, ladybugs, teddy bears, dogs, etc.) do not hold folders and other school items. *******Absolutely no backpacks with wheels.
Homework Folders
Your child will be bringing home a homework folder everyday from school. This will contain any homework or notes that are important. Please check the agenda (calendar) every day and return it the following school day. Encourage your child to take good care of the homework folder and remember to bring it every day. Your child will also have a folder in which to carry papers to and from school. You can look for completed work, special announcements from school, field trip permission slips, etc. Please clean out this folder every night.
Communication/Notes from Home
If you are sending a note to school for me or any other person at school please put the note in your child’s home folder. These folders are checked every morning. If you should every need to talk to me, please call me at school during my planning time (12:30 pm- 1:15 pm). You can also call me after school. The phone number at school is 293-4150 and my extension is 307. If I am unable to come to the phone, please leave a message in the office and I will call you back as soon as I can. ALSO: Feel free to email me at school. My email address is cboyce@sallieb.net I check my email three times during the school day (in the morning, planning time, and after school) and I will respond as soon as I can. You can also check the school website which will include copies of the newsletter and great links for children. The address for Sallie B. Howard School is www.salliebhowardschool.com
Clothing
It is VERY helpful if you LABEL your child’s jackets, sweaters, coats, lunchboxes and anything else that falls under personal belongings in case they get lost. This makes it easier to identify items when looking through the lost and found. NOTE: When children have Fitness and Wellness (PE), they will need to wear tennis shoes or sneakers.
Conferences
I will be meeting with you several times throughout the school year for parent/teacher conferences. We will discuss your child’s progress, strengths, areas in which to improve, and more. If you should feel a conference is necessary at any time, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Snack Time
Your child will be having a snack every day while at school. Snack time typically takes place during classroom activity time so as not to disrupt instructional time. We will have our snack time after our reading first block. Please send a snack with your child to school every day. Light snacks best (pretzels, crackers, Goldfish, Chex Mix, etc.) since we don’t want to spoil appetites before lunch. I try to encourage parents to stay clear of high sugar snacks (no candy please). Due to many spills and messes, we will not have drinks during snack. Children will be allowed to have a drink of water afterwards.
Birthdays
Birthdays are a big deal to little ones! If you would like to send in treats as a special birthday snack to celebrate the big day, please feel free to do so! We just ask that you let us know in advance so we can be prepared. Summer birthdays are usually observed in May. Children enjoy cookies or cupcakes for birthday treats, but feel free to be as creative as you want! We ask that you NOT send in the big cookie cakes or sheet cakes because it’s difficult to cut and serve in a timely manner. We also have to ask that birthday invitations NOT be sent to school. Not only does it cut down on hurt feelings, but due to liability reasons, we cannot pass these out at school. You will have to send them through regular mail. We recognize children’s birthdays by singing, giving sticker and having a special snack (if provided). They also get to be PRINCE or PRINCESS for the day! All birthday parties will take place in the cafeteria and not in the classroom. The cafeteria workers have requested that the parties are planned for 1:30 pm or after.
Lunch and Lunch Money
Your child will be eating lunch from 11:00-11:30. Children that choose to buy their lunch from school can either bring lunch money ($2.00) or have it deducted from their lunch accounts. The beauty in this is that parents can deposit any amount of money into their child’s account at any point during the school year. Once a child goes through the lunch line, money is automatically deducted from the account. You are welcome to come and eat lunch with your child any day! You can easily meet us in the cafeteria when it’s lunchtime! Please remember that it is against school policy to bring fast food and bottled/canned soft drinks for lunch.
Sending Money
If money is being collected for book orders, field trips, lunch, etc., PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send the money in an envelope marked with a) your child’s name, b) dollar amount, and c) what the money is to be used for. By doing this, it cuts down on lost money and confusion. Simply place the envelope in the home folder and we will take care of it. NOTE: Lunch money can be sent this way, but make sure it’s marked “lunch money.”
Homework
When homework is assigned, it will be placed in your child’s homework folder. You can also check my website for homework assignments. Please work with your child, if necessary, to complete the homework and return the work every day. It is a GREAT idea to keep a supply of crayons, scissors, and glue at home for some assignments. I do require all homework to be done in pencil unless otherwise specified.
I know we all have incredibly hectic schedules. If your child is unable to complete an assignment for the following day, simply send me a note and try to get the work in as soon as you can. I do keep track of who does not turn in homework assignments. If a child does not finish an assignment in class, it will be sent home to be completed.
Reading at Home
I encourage parents to read to and with their children every day. By setting aside 10 to 15 minutes per day/night just to read with your child, his or her reading skills will progress more rapidly. Research proves that by reading to your child at home it positively influences their reading success at school. I know how difficult it is to find the time some days, but I promise you, it will be worth it. When homework is assigned, reading 15 minutes is always included. There will also be a reading log to be completed every week.
I also invite you to join our Kindergarten Reading Club. Please take time to read with your child and sign the Reading Log. Please send the books back daily. Your child is encouraged to read 25 books by the end of each quarter. Prizes and rewards will be given to those who complete their goals.
Classroom Management/Behavior System
I use a stop light chart system in my room as a behavior management system. For every rule a child breaks, the child has to move their name tag to a new space on the chart. Everyone starts the day on green. If they make a bad choice, they will get a verbal warning at first. After that they will move from green to yellow and will get time out away from the group in the class and a note will be sent home. If the behavior continues and they move from yellow to red the child will lose 10 minutes of free time and the teacher will call the parents. If the behavior still persists the student will be sent to ISS (In school suspension).
I reward students with extra play time, stickers, notes home, special treats, treasure box, and praise. Every child is issued a punch card at the beginning of the month. Every day they remain on green the whole day their card will be punched. When the card is filled up they are allowed to pick a prize from the treasure box. I work individually with children on behavior as well as the entire class.
My classroom rules are as follows:
1. Listen carefully
2. Follow directions
3. Work quietly. Do not disturb other who are working.
4. Respect others. Be kind with your words and actions.
5. Respect school and personal property.
6. Work and play safely.
These rules have worked very well over the years.
Riding the Bus with Another Child
VERY IMPORTANT: Please contact the main office, if your child will be riding the bus home with another child. There is specific paperwork that must be filled out and signed by the principal for these situations. I have no control over these situations and this needs to be handled through the main office.
Riding Home with Another Child
If your child will be going home with another child by car, please send me a note so that I know exactly where that child will be going after school. I need permission from both parties involved.
Toys from Home
I ask that your children keep all toys, lip gloss, fingernail polish, trading cards, Beanie Babies, etc., at home unless they are being shared with the class at a time designated by me. There have been many things broken and some items have turned up “missing” over the years. Also, they like to bring them to the tables/carpet during inappropriate times. If this happens I will take the toy until the end of the nine weeks. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter!
Student Information
There will be student information cards to be filled out by you and returned as soon as possible. Please fill them out and return them as soon as possible. If any of your child’s information changes, (address, phone, cell phone, contacts, etc.) it is very important to notify me so I can update my records as well as the office. Many times in the past phone numbers change often throughout the yeat and we are not notified. This can be dangerous in emergency situations.
Students arriving late/Tardiness
It is very important for students to be in the classroom by 7:30 a.m. Even being 5 minutes late can disrupt a child’s entire morning or day. We want to keep tardiness at a minimum. If, however, your child arrives after the 7:45 a.m. bell, he/she must go to the front office to get a tardy slip so that the child can be admitted to class.
Dismissal of Students
Children are dismissed at 3:00 p.m. If your child needs to leave early for any reason (doctor’s appointment, dentist, etc.) you are required to check them out from the office. The office will then call down to my room and I will help your child get his/her things together. At that time, I will send them up to the office, ready to go. I cannot, under ANY circumstance, release students from my classroom before 3:00 p.m. unless the office tells me to do so.
Supplies
As we prepare for the months of fun and learning, we need to gather supplies for the work and plan ahead! Thank you for your thoughtfulness and eagerness to donate supplies towards our learning!
Supplies will be shared during the year. If you would like to bring your child’s supplies during the staggered entry please do so! You can check out the supply and wish list throughout the year on the class website if you would like to continue to make donations.
Kindergarten High Expectations
By the time children finish kindergarten, they will be exposed to many topics.
Social Studies
· Meanings of holidays, traditions, and customs
· Understanding and appreciation for other cultures
· Individual roles in family, home, and school
· Relationship with others in a group
· Work and jobs
· Safety rules and symbols
· Basic human needs
· Self-respect/Self-awareness
· Location of home and school
Science
· Observations of everyday, familiar things
· Common animals and plants
· Interrelationships of animals and plants
· Weather and seasons
· Colors
· Senses
· Beginning experimentation
Language Arts
· Reading-readiness activities
· Phonics (letter-sound relationships)
· Phonemics (relationships of individual sounds in words)
· Recognition of short vowel sounds
· Reading of sentences and stories
· Listening to literature, music, and poetry
· Nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fables
· Following and giving directions
· Writing first and last name
Health and Safety
· Personal hygiene
· Good eating habits
· Good grooming
· Physical fitness
Mathematics
· Number recognition and counting 1-100
· Number concepts 1-20
· One to one relationship
· Concepts of more, less, same
· Sequence of events
· Meaning of addition and subtraction
· Sorting
· Estimation
· Elementary geometry
· Calendar and clocks
· Basic chart and graph concepts
· Basic problem-solving strategies
These words are some of the high frequency words students are expected to know at the end of Kindergarten to be ready for First Grade reading:
Is the not he that
Has with and go a
For you of was I
My me she to are
Do we have said
Graduation
This year graduation will be on June 8, 2010 at 1:00 pm. This is a grand event for the Kindergarten team. We take great pride in all we do, rehearsal is required daily. Cap and Gowns are required for this special event. If your child is graduating they will need to purchase a cap and gown if not your child will not march across the stage. We would love for all students to participate in this grand event. Thank you for supporting your child.
Field Trips for the Year
Permission slips are required for all field trips. NO EXCEPTIONS! All money is required before the due date of the trip, or your child will not be able to attend the event. If a child cannot go for any reason i.e. behavior, or for financial reasons, your child will go to a First Grade class until we return from the trip. Chaperones are welcome; please let your teacher know in advance!
Let’s have a great year!!!!
