First Day of School Info!

First Day of School

Welcome to school, your child's place to learn and grow!! This is a marker in your child's life and hopefully will be a pleasant and memorable one. 

This year we are having a Sneak Peak of your child’s class and some information about Smith School. Please watch for the note in the mail to confirm your time and teacher assignment. 

Here are some suggestions of things you may do to prepare for the first day jitters-

1.   Visit the playground and school just to 'check it out'.

2.Let them help you prepare their lunch and snack, pack their bag (no backpacks), and talk about how fun it was when you went to school.

**3.Have your child bring a picture of you to look at when they miss you. They can carry it anywhere they want.

4.Tell them how proud you are that they too are doing their 'job' just like big people.

5.When it comes time to say good bye be happy, let them know you will see them in a bit, then hug, kiss and go.  Walk away, go on… and know they will be safe in my room.

Where do I go -

Your child will be notified by mail their teacher assignment and time for the Sneak Peak.  If you miss this they will be posted the day before school starts on the fences at 17th street, 14th street and in front of the office.

September Sneak a Peak –

All K's and parents will be having a brief informal meet and greet in the classroom. (Back to School Night will have more info about academics, schedules, and school.) This will help your child and you transition into the school day. 

**Parents make sure to sign in and mark how your child will be going home.**

If you are picking them up for 1st day only under parent pickup write 1st day and check how they will be going home the rest of the year. Please write the afternoon bus number if needed. 

The kiddies (with parent help) may –

 1.  Find their cubbies and the bathrooms. 
2. Find where they place their lunch boxes.(shelf next to back door.)

3. Have them find their name tag at a table and work on writing their names and drawing a picture and coloring. They can deliver them to the mailbox at the front door and then draw and color at their table or sit on the floor with a book.

                             

The first day please line up at the front door of K class. All other grades line up on the blacktop where their room number is.

·       When the door opens make sure to sign the paper that lets me know how your child is getting home for the school year if you haven't already. If you are picking them up for 1st day only under parent pickup write 1st day and check the usual way writing the afternoon bus number if needed.

·       Remember to give them a cheerful hug and kiss goodbye when it is time to go. If there are criers, I will hold them while you go out the door, trust me they do stop.

·       After you leave we will say the pledge and sing our patriotic song of the month, listen to a story, go over classroom and playground rules. Have our snack and go to recess. Then we will listen to story and draw a first day picture, get ready for lunch. Learning about our centers and assessments will end our fast and fun first day!

***There is a notebook at the front door for any special notes to me as sometimes it gets quite hectic in the morning.
** When school starts please - make sure names are on lunchboxes and  lunch $  is in zip bags with their name on it. If you have put money on their account please put a note in a zip bag to let me know. Lunch $ is kept in a basket at the front door. Please show them the snack for the day and pack it apart from the lunch. Lunches will go on the lunch shelf and snacks in the snack box that is the same color as their table.

Pick up time is 2:18 - Please  pick up at the front door.

1.   Come to the front door.

2.  I will have the kiddies at their tables.

3.   When I open the door please come on in! I will ask for your child's name and call for them to join you.

4. If you are late the kinder's can be picked up at the front office for safe keeping.

I apologize ahead of time but until I can place faces with students it is safer this way. Thank you for your cooperation with this. I also found it was nice for you to peek at their work that is displayed. Please check back to see if I add information for you. The PTA site is great to visit too!

Ages and Stages: Kindergarten

Ages and Stages: Kindergarten by American School Counselor Association Is your five-year-old on track? Below are some general development milestones to help you understand your child's progress over the school year. Keep in mind that every child is different and may not fit perfectly into this framework. Where They Are The average five-year-old is good, helpful, and conforming. He: Attempts only things he knows he can do. Needs attention, affection, and praise. Is energetic and fidgety. Has a short attention span. May show opposite extremes of behavior. May become less well-behaved as the school year progresses. Where They're Going School isn't just academics: Your child's teachers are also helping her grow socially. At five-years-old, your child is learning to understand herself. You can help by encouraging her as she: Develops a positive, realistic self-image. Learns to respect herself. Begins to understand her own uniqueness. Gains awareness of her feelings. Learns to express feelings. Learns how to participate in groups.

• Begins to learn from her mistakes.

Class Information

Class Information

Scroll down to read about -
Special Days
Lunch
Snacks
Allergies
Homework
Labeling
Change in going home
Rules and consequences
Talk it Out
Birthdays
Volunteers

Classroom Rules

Activities

Note: Planning Days (PD) are all Thursdays

8:20 - 1:18

Special Days

Music –

Computer Lab -

Library -

Our lunch time is 11:30 - 12:15, we start the process at 11:15. You can set up a lunch account with the school. Your child will be given a lunch number, written on a card for his/her convenience. Every day your child purchases lunch, money will be withdrawn from his/her account. When he/she is out of money, the cafeteria will send home reminders to send more money. Lunch calendars are handed out once a month. 

 

Snacks 
Please label and pack the snack in another bag (these may be reused) and show your child what they will be having for snack.

There will be 20 minutes set aside daily for snack/recess.. If you would like to send your child to school with a water bottle, that will be fine. Make sure your child's name is on it. They will be allowed to get their water bottles any time when I am not in the middle of a lesson. If they are using their water bottles in any way that is inappropriate school behavior, I will be sending a note home and your child will not be allowed to have a water bottle at school.

 Allergies

If your child has any allergies, please let the office and me   know as soon as possible.

I send home a homework folder every Monday and it is expected to be returned every Friday in their bag. The homework follows the "letter of the week." The children should be able to do the homework independently, but they may need some guidance. It should be done in 10 - 15 minutes max. Please see me if it needs to be modified.

Please, No Backpacks-

We will be using recyclable shopping bags not backpacks in kindergarten. These may be decorated as long as I can read their names.:o)

Label Everything

Please write your child's last name on everything that comes to school - lunch money, school supplies, lunch boxes, jackets, etc. Things can get very easily misplaced.

   Birthdays

Every child will get to celebrate his/her birthday or ½  birthday in school. They are the queen or king for the day. You may also purchase a birthday book for the library. Write their name, year, and sentiment in the front cover.

Margaret Hillerts  books are perfect and can be found at Amazon! (click on Amazon to go to the site)

Parent Volunteers

I love parent volunteers. If you can spare an hour or so out of your day to help out in your child's classroom, that would be wonderful. I usually assign each volunteer a special day and time to come in once a week. I will send home a sign up sheet during the first month of school. Please do not sign up unless you are available on a regular basis. During holidays and special occasions, I may ask for additional help. If your schedule does not permit you to help out on a regular basis, you may offer to help out for special occasions. I will start parent volunteers after a couple of weeks at school. I would like the children to get accustomed to the school environment before I begin to ask parents to come in.

Class Rules

Discipline Plan Parents, please review this with your child. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. Thank you for your support.

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
2. Treat school and personal property with care.
3. Listen carefully and follow directions.

I use a card system.
- Star burst design - Great day
-Green - verbal warning or 3 count
-Yellow - Time out, running laps, note home, call home
-Red - call home, possible chat with the principal

We use Talk it Out to solve our problems.

Rewards :
A classroom that is having fun learning.
A happy teacher Happy students
Verbal praise Extra free time
Super Surfer note ** Pogs or play money **
**They purchase a variety of items that I buy or are donated by parents

To use talk it out -
Child 1- "Please stop ____, I don't like it when you ___________."
Child 2 - "I'm sorry. I won't ever _______ again " or "Oops, sorry."
Then they may shake hands and say "Let's be friends."

I encourage them to say the first part loudly to solve it on their own. This also allows me to hear the problem and if they say it again then I talk to the offender if needed.

I also encourage them to just walk away.

Class Rules

Class Rules

Discipline Plan Parents, please review this with your child. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. Thank you for your support.

1. Treat others the way you want to be treated. 
2. Treat school and personal property with care. 
3. Listen carefully and follow directions.

I use a 3 color stoplight system.
-Green - verbal warning or 3 count
-Yellow - Time out, running laps, note home, call home
-Red - call home, possible chat with the principal

We use Talk it Out to solve our problems.

Rewards : A classroom that is having fun learning.
A happy teacher Happy students
Verbal praise Extra free time
Super Surfer note ** Pogs or play money ****They purchase a variety of items that I buy or are donated by parents

To use talk it out -
Child 1- "Please stop ____, I don't like it when you ___________."
Child 2 - "I'm sorry. I won't ever _______ again " or "Oops, sorry."
Then they may shake hands and say "Let's be friends."

I encourage them to say the first part loudly to solve it on their own. This also allows me to hear the problem and if they say it again then I talk to the offender if needed.

Kinder Donation Supply List

Donation Supply List

These are the supplies that we will be using this year. We end up sharing these items. 

If you can donate more that is wonderful as these will be placed in a share bin. Also make sure you have crayons, scissors, pencils, glue sticks and paper at home for the homework. 
If anyone can not get these items I will supply them for them as we go. We have chair bags to place these items in so please be aware of sizes.

*1  6 x 4  plastic box with their name on it. Inside please have these items -

- 2 fat pencils or regular size Ticonderoga(with a gripper if they need them, no plastic coated as they ruin the pencil sharpener)

-1 box of 8 crayons, - no more than 24 count basic colors

-1  box of 8 basic colored fat markers,(please please keep them in their boxes and put their name on the box as I will collect these until we start using markers)

-10 gluesticks (no liquid glue) 2 to keep in the box the rest will be put into the community bin to share.

-1 pink/white eraser (no cutesy ones they tend to not work!)

-2 composition notebook to write in(no wire on them as they tangle up)

-2  card stock folders, durable any design for homework folder, name at the top right side, we will be putting stickers on one so plain is great too!! Please no plastic or the really flimsy ones.

-4 or more packages of wipes these are shared (I prefer just the refills, we run out of these fast because this is how we clean our hands after the snack and lunch recesses)
-1 box of tissues
- 1 picture of family if they want

 Boys-

-  colored printer paper(flourescent or pastels)

-1 box Sandwich size ziplock  bags 
Girls- 

-  white printer paper

- 1 box gallon ziplock bags

****Please No Backpacks****

We will be using the cloth bags from the grocery store. You may decorate them anyway you want. Please make sure the child's name is on the top of both sides of the bag in permanent marker.

These bags will be used like backpacks and brought to school daily with reading books and h.w. in it. This is so they do not loose items, if they get in the habit of returning items after working with them then they won't need to 'remember' to bring h.w. or reading books.

Check with your child occasionally to see if they need new supplies. Please note that when we are low on supplies, I will post the donation request on our Star Board. 
Thank you.

Other requested donations -

     *Large bottle of liquid hand sanitizer

• Large bag of Cherios
• Playdough
• Paper cups -please no styrofoam
• Paper plates small and large
• wooden toothpicks
• minature marshmellows
• Cardkstock paper white and neon
• White printer paper
• Colored printer paper
• Seasonal Stickers
• "Prizes" for treasure box((Happy meal prizes, left over party prizes ...)
• Big jar of animal cookies
• Sequins
• Bag of balloons
• Glade plug in air freshner

• Wipes, wipes, wipes

Thank you for your kindness,

Mrs. Miner & Super Stars

A,B,C's for Parents

ABCs for Parents

(Source unkown)

Ask your child about the school day.

Begin your child's day with a nourishing breakfast.

Congratulate you child for doing well.

Discuss homework with your child.

Encourage your child to read.

Find a quiet place for your child to study.

Give your child responsibility.

Hug your child to build self worth.

Include your child in making simple family decisions.

Join a library with your child.

Keep your child on a schedule that includes exercise and sleep.

Limit TV viewing by selecting programs with your child.

Make the time you spend with your child special.

Notice and discuss changes in your child's behavior.

Offer to help your child organize school papers.

Provide your child with good role models.

Question the activities your child shares with friends.

Respect your child's right to have opinions different from yours.

Share an interest or a hobby with your child.

Take time to listen to your child.

Urge your child to say "NO!" to unwanted touching.

Visit places of interest with your child.

Work with your child to set up rules of behavior.

Xerox and save records or articles that benefit your child.

Yield results by encouraging your child to do better.

Zoom through these ABCs again and again!

Show and Tell

  

 

  Show and Tell

Dear Parents,

   I do show and tell in a variety of ways. Please check the homework to see if there is a change. I like to have them share something that is meaningful to them at certain times of the year. Please no toys unless it is relevant to the topic!

   September - All About Me- Please have your child bring in 5 items in a lunch bag that tells about them...favorite book,picture,person,sport,game,animal... Help them prepare by rehearsing at home. These may come in all month.

October - Feely Sock Surprise- Children bring in anything that will fit inside a sock!  Each child will pass the mystery item to three classmates who will either feel the outside or inside and describe what they feel so that we can make a guess. Have fun with this and remember SHHHHHH!!!!! It's a secret

   November -I am Thankful month. 

   December - I made this, or Family Tradition month. Children bring in items made at home. The possibilities are endless: a picture printed out on a computer to a sample of last nights dessert! Or a favorite ornament, activity, song or ??? that you do as a family over the holidays

   

January -This is a Great Book month. A book they made or a favorite. They may read a page from the book.

   

   February -  Love month - an item or a picture of a person, place or thing they love. 

  March - My Collections - Collections they have started such as pencil tops, rocks, insects, cars, marbles, pins, ...

   April -“I know a good joke or I Care about Our Earth month. Tell a good joke or bring in something you recycle or did to help save our earth.

   May -Favorite book month or a favorite writing, drawing, or craft.

   

    June -My favorite share. The kiddies can share any of the previous months formats.

                                  ****Guess, Show, then Tell -- 

    On the other show and tell days please do a guess, show, then tell as it helps guide  your child in oral presentation.

   

   Your child will have to give the class clues to figure out what is in the bag. (Toys of violence, such as toy guns, toy swords, toy knives, etc. are not allowed at school.)     

   Based on the clues that your child gives, the class will guess what is in the bag.    

   Please practice with your child the night before. Please use the guidelines below     when practicing with your child:

  Parent asks Child answers 

   Color? - The color is.... 

   Shape? - The shape is..... 

   Beginning sound? - It begins with the letter sound... 

   Rhyming word? - It rhymes with.... 

   Function/What does it do?- It is a game... It is a toy... It is used in the kitchen... it is    

                     something you.... It is found... 

   Sound? - It sounds like ... make the noise if the object has a sound.

   Please encourage your child not to give hints, show or tell until show and tell time.

   If your child wants they can just share using this format while showing it.

   Please listen to them share to you; public speaking is difficult to some.

Here are some sharing ideas you can try: 

---A favorite book (put a marker in your favorite part.

---Something they have made.

---Something special about themselves (photo, trophy, treasure).

---An item from a unit that we are studying or have studied.