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ABC's of Kindergarten
The ABC’S of
Mrs. Vater’s Kindergarten
A
Addresses/Phone Numbers: Please keep the office or myself updated of any address or phone number change that occurs in your family. We NEED to be able to contact you in case of an emergency.
Art Class: The students will have several opportunities throughout the school year to participate in art lessons lead by the district art teacher. Art will also be taught by me in our classroom. Projects are usually tied to a theme or curricular area.
Attendance: Your child’s attendance and arrival time are very important to the success of your child’s school year! I cannot emphasize this enough. Much of your child’s learning takes place in a “hands-on” environment. If they are not in attendance, they cannot always make up the work. I also believe that arriving on time is very important. It gets your child off on the right foot and makes sure they are not missing any important information. Please help to make every effort possible to get your child to school on time.
B
Backpack or Book bag: Please help your child to bring a backpack or book bag to school daily, as it is a great aid in helping your child get home with important notes and papers. Please have your child remove the notes and papers from the backpack to share with you.
Book orders: Throughout the school year I will be sending home Scholastic book orders. You do not have to order books, but if you choose to, books are delivered to the classroom and then sent home with the children. If you want to order for a gift, let me know and I can hold the books and notify you when they come in. These clubs offer wonderful books at reduced prices…what a great way to build your home library. You may send cash or make checks payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.
C
Calendar: We do calendar activities every day to help reinforce a variety of math skills, including ordinal numbers, counting, number recognition, skip counting,
Centers: We use learning centers in the classroom to develop social interactions and independence. Center time is used to create, explore and develop a variety of skills. Literacy and math skills are reinforced at this time.
Clothing: Please dress your child in comfortable clothing for learning. We sit on the floor, play outside and sometimes participate in “messy” activities.
Conferences: We have Parent/Teacher Conferences in October and February. This is a time to discuss your child’s accomplishments, strengths and overall progress.
D
Daily Folders: Children will bring home folders each day with completed work and parent information. Please check these folders daily. Read, complete and return appropriate papers/notes in this folder.
Discipline: My philosophy of discipline is based on the belief that children need affectionate care and firm guidelines within a flexible environment. To establish good order and help the children learn self-control, the children will be guided to respect themselves and their companions through specific directions, positive reinforcement, suggested new activities and responsible actions.
Dismissal: All car riders are dismissed through the K pod doors. Please wait in your car and proceed in the car line until your car is close to the doors. Your child will be allowed to go to your car at that time. Children should enter the car on the side closest to the sidewalk. If you must assist your child by putting on their seatbelt, please pull forward so the line may proceed without delay.
E
Email Address: Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the school year.: My email is vater@usd230.org
F
Fieldtrips: Please be on the lookout for fieldtrip permission notes that may be sent home throughout the school year. We are always looking for parent volunteers to help chaperone our trips! We will go to Gambino’s in the fall and visit the Kansas City Zoo in the spring.
G
Guided Reading: Students will be a part of Guided Reading groups each week. Other teachers come into the classroom to help facilitate these groups. This allows for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students.
Homework: Homework calendars will be sent home monthly. The work should be completed throughout the month and returned at the end of the month with a parent signature. Try to pick 3-4 activities a week to work on. Homework is part of the kindergarten report card.
Home Reading Program: Beginning in January, the children will begin taking one book a night to read at home. This is a wonderful practice to build reading fluency and reinforce the vocabulary words they’ve learned. This is your child’s chance to “show off” their developing reading skills to parents, relatives and friends.
I
Independence: This is important in Kindergarten, it develops self-esteem and self confidence. In our classroom, the children are encouraged to do MANY things on their own. Please work on these skills at home: cutting, tying shoes, zipping, buttoning and snapping.
Illness: The question of when to keep your child home is often a difficult one. It is important to keep your child home when he/she is ill. Children must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school.
J
Journals: One strategy that will be used to help convey that “print conveys meaning” is the frequent use of journal writing. In these journals the kindergarteners combine their emerging writing skills with their drawing skills. As the children are exposed to a variety of phonics and reading experiences, journal entries will move from drawings and phonetic spellings towards more conventional writing.
K
Kindness: Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class as well as others with kindness and respect.
L
Lunch: Students will eat lunch in the school cafeteria. They may purchase a school lunch or bring their own. (Students are encouraged to remember their lunch box at the end of the day, if they bring their lunch.)
Library: We will visit the library each week. Miss Little will read to the students and teach them basic library skills. Please read the book and return so that your child may select another book each week.
M
Money/checks: If there is a need for you to send money to school with your child, please place it in an envelope marked with your child’s name and what it is for (lunch money, bookorder, etc.). Put it in their daily folder so your child can give it to me.
Math: The kindergarten math curriculum provides students with mathematical experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics that will continue through their school career and their lives. We employ a hands-on, problem solving approach.
Music: Mrs. Pink will be teaching the children the basics of music education and will be sharing many wonderful songs. We also incorporate music within the classroom.
N
Newsletters: I will send home weekly class newsletters. Be on the lookout for it, so you are up to date on Kindergarten happenings.
Nurse: We are very fortunate to have Nurse Diane to help us out with injuries and illnesses. Please be sure to send any change of contact numbers in case the nurse needs to get in touch with you.
O
Outside Play: The children will be going out for recess. Please keep this in mind when helping your child to select clothing for the day.
P
Physical Education: Students will participate in P.E. class twice a week. Gym shoes are to be worn on Mondays and Tuesdays
Phone calls: If at anytime you need to contact me by phone, I can be reached at 592-7103. This will go to my voicemail during the school day. If you need to reach me immediately, please call the office at 592-7277.
Parent Involvement: Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school. If you would like to volunteer, please let me know.
Parties: We will have class parties from time to time for occasions such as Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Room Parents usually organize these events and coordinate volunteers as well as donations.
Q
Quiet Time: Students will have the opportunity to relax after lunchtime. They may bring a small stuffed animal from home to relax with. This item needs to fit in their backpack daily.
R
Recess: We will have a one recess after lunch and another one sometime throughout the day (weather permitting). Please be sure children have appropriate attire for outdoor weather. In fall and spring, jackets should be worn for the cooler temperatures. In winter, heavy coats, hats and gloves/mittens. On inclement weather days we will have recess in the classroom.
Restroom Break: We will take restroom breaks as a class during the day. Students are encouraged to go at this time, so they will not miss learning time in the classroom.
S
Snack: We will have a snack break each day. This will include a snack brought in by an assigned student. A snack calendar will be sent home each month to notify families when it is their child’s turn to bring a snack. I will make families aware of any food allergies.
Specials: Students will attend specials each day.
Students will attend P.E., Music, Computer Lab and Destination Success class twice a week and Library class and Literacy Lab once a week.
T
Transportation: If your child has a change in transportation, you must send a written note or call the office to let me know, Do not rely on your child to tell us this information because children often become confused and relay information incorrectly.
U
Unique: Kindergarteners learn that they are special and unique. Kindergarteners have opportunities to describe how they are alike as well as different from others.
Umbrellas: Please have your child wear a jacket or coat with a hood instead of an umbrella on rainy days. Umbrellas can pose a safety concern for others.
V
Volunteers: Volunteers are very important to us! If you can volunteer for our classroom, please let me know. There are opportunities to volunteer both at home and in the classroom!
Visitors: Spring Hill Elementary has a policy that all quests are required to check in at the office and wear a quest badge. It is important to remember that while this may seem inconvenient, it is the responsibility of the school to create a safe learning environment.
W
Wish List: Throughout the year we sometimes need supplies above and beyond our classroom materials. These needs will be posted on our weekly note.
X
XX We have twenty students in our class.
Y
Younger Siblings: It is in your child’s and the program’s best interest to have our parent volunteers available without younger children. This allows your full attention to be focused on the class. Thank you for making childcare arrangements for younger siblings.
Z
ZZZZZ’s Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child. It will help them to be alert and ready to learn each day.