I am looking forward to working with your child this year. Whether this is your first child beginning school or your last coming through, you are probably experiencing some mixed emotions concerning school right now. I realize this and hope this information will help you and your child have an easy transition into Kindergarten. My assistant, Mrs. Kretschmar (Mrs. K), and I are very excited to have the opportunity to work with you and your child. Ms. Burns, a UNH intern also joins us this year! We are here for you whenever you need us and we’re looking forward to a fabulous year!
A Absences:Please make sure that your child makes every effort to attend school every day except in cases of illness or emergency. If your child will not be in school please call the office at 692-2435. Please do not email me to let me know of an absence, as I do not check my email during school hours when I am teaching.
B Birthdays:Birthdays may be celebrated at school. I have found that it works best to have birthday celebrations during our snack time. Please let me know in advance if you want to send in a special birthday snack.
Book orders(Scholastic):Several times throughout the year your child will bring home a Scholastic book order form. There are some excellent, inexpensive books that your child will treasure. The return date will be on the
form. Checks should be made out to Scholastic Book Clubs. For every dollar you spend, we receive bonus points to purchase books and materials for our classroom.
Breakfast:It is helpful if your child eats a good breakfast before coming to school. If a child asks for breakfast we get it for them. We are required to feed them if they ask for a meal. Breakfast is available at a cost of $1.35.
Buses: Any changes in the bus that your child is assigned to needs to be approved through the First Student bus company. The number to call to change where your child is picked up or dropped off is 692-4406. Please let us know as well if a change has been made so that we put your child on the correct bus.
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Check-Out Procedures:If you need to check your child out of school early please stop by the office to sign your child out. If you know your child is being picked up early please send us a note so we can have him/her ready when you arrive. D
Discipline: As a PBIS school, we encourage and expect students to follow the 3B’s (Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible). These are followed all throughout the school district. Our class also uses the Pyramid Model to have a strong focus on explicitly teaching social and emotional skills. We use the Kagan Model to teach collaborative learning and team building skills. This combination provides fantastic, developmentally appropriate teaching and learning opportunities for our young students. We will send information and suggestions home throughout the year to help your child and family work through age appropriate behaviors and academic, social and emotional development. Young children learn about our world through curiosity, testing limits, trial and error, hands-on experiences and expanding comfort zones.
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E-mail:[email protected] This is an excellent way to communicate with me. I check my email before and after school. If you have information that I need to know during the school day, please send a text on the Remind App, a note in your child’s folder or call the school so you can leave me a voice mail or have the office give me a message.
F Folders: Your child will have a blue folder that will be sent home Fridays containing work they have completed, papers from the office, notes from me, newsletters, etc. This is also where I will look for notes from you, signed reports or field trip permission slips, snack drink money, etc. as well. There may be notes from the office during the week so please check your child’s backpack daily.
G GREAT YEAR!It is my personal goal to make sure that your child has a great year and an unforgettable first year experience. I am looking forward to a great year with your child! H Homework:Your child’s primary homework is to read and be read to. Occasionally there will be Family Homework. This may not look like traditional homework. It may be an idea of a story for you to tell your child or a nature walk. Our goal is to promote and embrace quality time with your child J. We also ask that you read to/with your child on a nightly basis and record it on the monthly reading log sent home at the beginning of each month. I
Injury/Sickness at School:If your child is injured or becomes sick at school, I will contact you or the person you listed on your emergency form. AN EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER MUST BE ON FILE.If the number(s) we have on file changes, please let me know as soon as possible. J Just a heads up: Just give us a heads up if you have any cultural and/or religious beliefs that you want us to be aware of when working with your child.In addition, changes at home that you think might affect your child at school are also helpful for us to know. K
Kindergarten Newsletter:A newsletter will be sent home in your child’s blue folder typically twice a month. Please be sure to read thiscarefully and look for information such as our topics of study, upcoming events, important dates, etc.
L Lunch:Please fill out the free/ reduced lunch form sent home by the school if appropriate. Let us know if your child is supposed to be getting a lunch. Kids will often order lunch just because they want to ;). We are required to feed them if they ask for a meal.
M Monthly School Calendar:At the beginning of each month a school calendar will be sent home so that you are always aware of the events going on at Idlehurst. The lunch menu is on the back of the calendar.
Money:When sending money to school with your child, please send it in a sealed envelopewith the following information written on it: -Your child’s name - Teacher’s name - Purpose of money
Medication:Any medication to be given at school mustbe brought to the school by a parent/guardian. Please do not send it to school in your child’s backpack. Parents or guardians will need to speak with the school nurse before medication can be administered.
N Names:Please be sure to write your child’s name on his/her belongings that arebrought to school: lunchboxes, backpacks, coats, change of clothes, etc. This is reallyimportant as sometimes children don’t recognize their own stuff! J
Nurse:We do have a registered nurse here at the school. If your child has any health issues please make her and I aware of these.
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Other helpful staff members:
Mrs. Hersey-Principal Ms. Cocco-Assistant Principal Mrs. Olsen-Guidance Counselor Ms. Gove-Guidance Counselor Ms. May-School Nurse P
Parent/Teacher Relationship: I feel that we must work together as a team to best meet the needs of your child and help him or her reach their maximum potential. Please feel free to contact meby the Remind App,note, e-mail, phone or conference at any time. I am more than happy to discuss any concerns or questions you may have at any time during the school year! Q Quality instruction time: We beginour classroom routine and instruction as soon as our little ones enter the room. If you bring your child to the classroom, please understand that we are not being rude by not chatting with you but trying to provide your child with the quality attention and instruction he/she deserves.
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Recess: We will have an outdoor recess each day when the weather allows. Please be sure your child wears shoes that tie or Velcro for his/her safety on the climbing structures.
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Skills at Home:Your child not only learns at school, but also at home. Please work with your child on the following: nightly reading, recognizing letters, numbers, and the kindergarten sight words. Language building is also extremely important in children’s development. Limiting screen time and having meaningful conversations with children can contribute greatly to their academic growth.
Snack:We will have a snack time. Students can bring in their own snack drink or purchase juice or milk at school for 50 centsa day. Our school also serves a free fruit or vegetable daily.
Specials Our Specials schedule is on a 6-day rotation. Day 1- Computer, Day 2- Health Day 3- Gym, Day 4- Music Day 5- Art, Day 6- Library.
T Transportation:Transportation to and from school on the bus is available to allkindergarten students. If your child is a parent pick-up, please enter the side parking lot by the gym. We dismiss parent pick-ups at the gym door. Parents are asked to park their car and come to the door. Teachers will be their with the children.
Toys: Children may bring a stuffed animal for our 10-minute Quiet Time. Other toys should be kept at home. This is our policy because there are plenty of things to play with in the classroom and sometimes toys from home get lost or broken much to the dismay of the child. U Unique:The special ages of four, five and six are a unique time of curiosity, energy beyond belief, and rapid learning. It is a time when the child receives his or her first impression of school. At this age, children soak up information like little sponges, and are being introduced to many new concepts and ideas. We acknowledge children’s strengths and embrace their curiosity and wonder. Their ideas and questions will guide some of the experiences that we have this year! V Volunteers:Please let me know if you are interested in helping in the classroom. To help your child adjust to the transition away from home, classroom volunteers will not begin until October. All volunteers must have a background check done before volunteering in the classroom or attending a field trip with the class. To have a background check done please go to the SAU 56 building at 51 West High Street. The SAU covers the cost to have this done. Please note that siblings are not allowed to accompany you in the classroom or on a field trip if you are volunteering.If you are unable to volunteer in the classroom you can greatly help us by sending in needed items, making/preparing things at home, and attending special classroom and or school activities and celebrations. Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school. W Writing:We will be writing in the classroom every day. It is also very important for your child to practice writing their name, letters, and numbers at home. Students will use inventive spelling; please don’t discourage your child for misspelled words. This is an important part of the learning process.
X Extra Clothes:Please send an extra pair of clothes, including underwear and socks with your child to leave in his/her backpack. We at times have various accidents (bathroom, sickness, playground, spilled drinks etc.) at school. If we have a set of clothes available, your child can change quickly in the classroom bathroom. Please keep the extra clothing in a bag or baggie with your child’s name on the bag. Y
Yearly Calendar:The 2018-2019 calendar is posted and can be found on the district website at www.sau56.org
Z ZZZZZ’s:Making sure your child gets plenty of rest helps him/her to be ready and focused at school which increases his/her potential to be successful at school.