1/2 Day kindergarten handbook 2011-12
Dear Parents,
One of the biggest days in your child’s life has arrived. His/her experiences in kindergarten will affect his/her attitudes during the rest of his school years. Together, you and I will make this a successful year. A happy and secure child is eager to learn and he/she will have many learning experiences during this year.
The activities of the kindergarten class are many and varied. We plan to meet the needs and interests of each child.
We begin the year very slowly, with the exception of the alphabet introduction. Many parents are surprised that a lot of the work that comes home initially is review work for their child. We do this for many reasons. This gives me a chance to determine the academic strengths and weaknesses of the group as well as individual children. More importantly it gives the children a chance to feel comfortable and learn the ways of the classroom. It would be unfair to begin teaching at a level that they are not comfortable with at the start of the year. This beginning time gives us a chance to introduce classroom vocabulary, rules and the general sense of the class. Please do not be alarmed at the pace we are using at the start of the year. I know that most children are familiar with the work, but it is giving them a sense of everything before we begin harder and more challenging work.
READING
The reading series is McGraw Hill. This series introduces the alphabet from a-z and the recognition of each letter. This is done the first few weeks of school. If your child is not familiar with all of the letters, this would be a good time to either buy or make a set of flashcards of all the letters. Each letter should be on a separate flashcard. I do recommend flash cards as opposed to just memorizing the letters in order. We fly through the alphabet the first few weeks of school. This is a fast paced reading series initially. It does slow down after the letters are reviewed, but if your child is not sure of the letters, it would be a good idea to begin to practice them each evening. We will be doing both capital/ and lowercase and each day a new letter is introduced. There are several games that can be done with the flashcards. One to start the year would be concentration, only using a few of the capital and a few lower case letters. After the letters are introduced, we will begin to practice the sounds of each letter. This series begins initially with some sight words and then moves onto phonetic reading with sight words. There is often homework in reading. The page will come home circled, please make sure that you return the book the next day.
SMALL GROUPS FOR READING
In Septembr, I usually break the group into small groups for reading. I base these groups on ability level at that time. There is a wide range of ability levels in kindergarten. It can range from strong readers to the child that does not know letters. These are all acceptable ranges. I do not want to stress out the child that is learning letters, but I do not want to hold the child back that needs additional challenges. Thus we have groups in kindergarten. I change the groups often during the year. They are extremely flexible. I do not put any stress on these groups. I do not make a big deal of the groups either. Each child learns at different paces for different subjects. Please do not make a big deal about the groups with your child. This is not a competitive area. I will let you know what group your child is starting out in. There are usually three groups. I usually meet with each group 2-3 times a week depending on the week.
MATH
Our math series is McGraw-Hill. We will be using concrete materials frequently. The math program will cover counting to 100, counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We will learn the months of the year, and the days of the week. We also cover fractions, measurements, estimating, time, addition and subtraction and patterns.
The math papers will come home frequently. There are many suggestions on the papers for additional work at home. If you would like to do this work with your child that would be great and it is a great reinforcement of the skills that are being covered.
At the beginning of each unit, I will send home an introduction to that unit. This will come home in the Friday folders. The work that is suggested on this information sheet does not need to be done, or need to be returned. This is a communication paper to let you know what we will be working on. There may be times that you feel that your child could use some help in the skill that is being introduced, there may be times that you feel that your child does not need help. These pages DO NOT need to be returned. I appreciate any help that you do with them on these pages.
I will let you know through the newsletters what skills we are working on at that time, and also the math pages will indicate the skills that we are practicing.
RELIGION
The Religion series is Sadlier. Through the book, music and many other activities, the children’s sense of wonder is expanded. They will discover God’s goodness, their uniqueness and God’s presence all around them.
Most weeks there will be a short homework assignment in religion. It will come home in their folder. The homework is titled SHARING FAITH with my family. The pages will be circled. Please return this signed the next day. There will be other Religion pages coming home. These will be what we have done on that day. They do not need signed or returned. You may want to talk about what is covered with your child.
Kindergarten will attend liturgies primarily only on Holy Days of Obligation. The rest of the school attends Mass on a regular schedule. Kindergarten is not included in that schedule. This is a time that you as parents may begin to get your child ready for attending liturgies. This would be a good time to eliminate toys and food if they are still being used and also not being in the crying room unless there is a younger sibling that needs that room. Try to get your child to participate with standing and kneeling and sitting at appropriate times. We will be talking a lot about church and church behavior. We go often for classroom visits, and we talk about the correct way to enter and sit in the church. Next year in first grade they will be attending more than this year. There will be prayer services that we will attend during the year.
SOCIAL STUDIES /SCIENCE
Social studies and science will be introduced through our reading series and through mini units throughout the year. We will cover holidays, important people, dinosaurs, seasons and citizenship.
SPECIALS
Because of time issues with the whole day/half day, the half day class will not be having specials outside of the classroom. We have movement, music and story time in the room daily. This is a normal part of the kindergarten curriculum. After looking at some other districts that have both classes together, it is far better to emphasize the academics and not lose the time for the specials.
The children may dress in the gym uniform on gym day, but they do not have to do this.
SNACK
We do have a snack time daily. The children will eat their snack in the cafeteria, while the All day class is starting their lunch. This is a time for socializing and a way of learning healthy habits. Children should bring a plastic cup or glass (no lids please). They will keep this in their locker to use in case they do not want milk on any given day. Each ½ day child is eligible to receive free milk daily. Their choices are: chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, skim, 2% or whole. I will assume that you want 2% if your child requests white milk. If you do not want this for your child, and prefer either whole or skim, please let me know and I will arrange this for the year. If your child is allergic to milk, they must have a doctor’s note saying this, and they are then eligible for orange juice.
Each child should bring a small snack daily for himself/herself. Some good examples are: vegetables, a few crackers, fruit snacks, a small piece of fruit, or a few cookies. Please do not send in a whole lunch or a lunchable. This is a very short time, and there is not time to eat something this large. Please send the snack in a marked container or a lunch box is also fine! Please make sure their name is on it.
BIRTHDAYS
Many of the children’s birthdays will be celebrated during the school year. If you would like, you may send in a treat. Even those children whose birthdays occur in the summer may celebrate a special day (a half birthday is a suggestion) Please let me know before any birthday so that I can make sure that it is not a day that someone else is celebrating. You do not have to celebrate a birthday.
Invitations:
The school handbook lists how invitations are handled so that there are no hurt feelings in the class. We go along with this policy in kindergarten. If you are inviting all of the same sex, or all of the children in the class, I will gladly pass out the invitations. The best way to do this is for me to put them in the Friday folders that come home weekly. Unfortunately if you are not inviting in either of these ways, I will not be able to pass out the invitations. I would suggest that you mailed them so that there are not any hurt feelings. Even at this age, feelings can be really hurt, and I hate to see that happen.
HOMEWORK
Homework is given at times during the year. Usually it is a small assignment that should be able to be completed in ten minutes. If homework if assigned, it is usually to be returned the next day unless it is noted differently. If for some reason it is not completed, and it is in the Religion or Reading book, please send in the book and a note. Normally we use the books daily, and we would need it that day. ALL HOMEWORK MUST BE SIGNED BY AN ADULT. This is a policy for the primary department. It sometimes helps to go through a folder and book bag with your child daily. Let them tell you if there is any homework that day. Usually a blank page or a book taken home with a page circled indicates homework. It is often best to have your child complete the homework, you sign it and it goes right back into the book bag. This trains the children to be organized and also helps to eliminate forgetting it at home. As hard as this may be, this activity usually works well for everything, including Friday folders. Your child does not have to sit while you go through all that information though. If your child brings home a paper that says PLEASE FIX, please have your child fix it and return it the next day.
SICKNESS
If your child is sick at night, please keep him/her at home. When your child is absent you will need to call the school office 412-793-0555 by 8:30 am and leave a message. Please leave this with the office, not on my voice mail. I often don’t get the voice mail until the afternoon, and this is needed in the am. It is also necessary to send in an excuse the next day. Your child should always have an excuse when they are absent, even though you have called the office. Please let me know if possible what was wrong, fever, cold, stomach etc. This helps me the day they return to know if I need to be on the look out for anything.
While it is important to keep your child home if they are sick, it is equally important that they develop the habit of coming to school. Please send your child if they have the sniffles or a slight cough. Usually we are all experiencing the same symptoms. If there are any unusual health conditions or allergies that exist, please let me know. If any would come up during the year, just drop me a note.
We do have a school nurse. The children will see the nurse for vision and hearing tests, weight and height measurements. You will not hear from the nurse concerning these, unless there is a problem. They may also go to the nurse if they are not feeling well. While some children would rather walk across hot coals before they would go to the nurse, there are others that begin to develop the habit of always seeing the nurse for any and all ailments. If you feel that your child is becoming a frequent visitor, you may want to discuss it with them. Remind them that the nurse is for emergency visits only. I will usually contact you if I think that they are visiting too often. By too often, it would mean a weekly visit or more. This can really develop into a habit, and I don’t like to second guess a child that says they are sick, but when it happens frequently, I usually think that they are in love with the nurse, or just like to visit the office. If I have any doubt in my mind at all, I usually will send them. I always go on the side of caution.
If there are any changes happening in your life, I would appreciate it if you could just mention it. A child picks up so many signals at home and can often reflect these in school. I am better able to deal with these changes in your child if I have an idea what is happening in their life. It is not a matter of prying. All information would be confidential.
REPORT CARDS
In order that you may know how your child is doing, we will be having Parent-Teacher conferences in November. The first report cards will be issued in January. If there is a problem at any time, you will hear from me through a note or a phone call. I send home notes frequently for behavior problems, or if your child is experiencing a problem with any concept.
TRANSPORTATION
The nametag that the children received at orientation is extremely important. It must be worn the first ten days (approximately) of school. I will keep the nametags when the time frame is up and they will go in their memory books that they will get at the end of the year. You and your child should take time to discuss bus behavior and the importance of it. Riding a bus is a privilege and can be taken away. It is a good idea to check with the bus drivers often to see how your child is doing on the bus. If there is a change in transportation home from school: another person picking your child up, or your child is a car rider and is usually a bus rider, I must have a note. If it comes up suddenly, please call the office and let them know to let me know. Please let me know if you know ahead of time, there have been situations where parents have just told their child that they would be a car rider, and arrived after dismissal and I am in a tough spot what to do. Please let me know by note if at all possible. This doesn’t mean that if you are coming by the school, you can’t get your child, it just means in most situations, please let me know. Please do not leave this information on my voice mail; I do not always get the voicemail in a timely fashion that coincides with dismissals. If this is a regular situation, for example every Wednesday your child will not ride a bus, you need to write only one note, and I would make a note of it. Plum does not provide bus transportation home! All students living in Plum must be car riders.
ARRIVAL
Please have your child arrive to school on time. For all day kindergarten it would be an 8:30 arrival.. We have a playtime when the children arrive and we begin class at 8:40.. This is a very important time for both playing and getting organized. When a child arrives late, it is very hard for them to begin their day, and it can really disrupt the schedule. This is really important not only for this year, but also for all years. It is very much appreciated.
AM Arrival
When the children come in, they are arriving with the older children and especially the first few days the older children will help them get to the room. Bus riders in the am will come in the side bottom door and walk up the starts to the room. Car riders will be dropped off in the parking lot. Cones will be set up where you should come through and drop your child off. Please do not drive up in the parking lot near the front doors. The buses are letting off children and they will not do this if there are any cars around. You must come through the cones at all times after 8 am. It is a danger to both your child and the children getting off the buses if you do not come through the cones. The children walk down the sidewalk and come in the front doors. If you would like to walk your child in the first day or two, please park in the lot by the preschool or in the back lower lot.
The children may begin arriving at 8am. All of the early arrivals (8AM-8:20) go to the kindergarten room. There is day care before school and after school that is available for a fee. You will need to make arrangements for that through the school office.
½ DAY DISMISSAL
½ day dismissal will be at 11:25. There is a change where you should park if you have had half day students before this year. Please park in the preschool parking lot. The children will walk down the sidewalk and you should leave your car and meet your child by the rectory driveway. We are changing this due to the later dismissal and the older children will be coming out for recess. Please do not pull out of the parking lot until all of the children are in their cars. Either I or another teacher will be walking the children out daily. Please try to be on time.
STUDENT HANDBOOKS
Each family will receive a student handbook describing the rules of the school. Please go over it with your child, and return the paper that is with it. Children including kindergarten will need to sign their name to show that the handbook was gone over. I would suggest that you talk to your child about the gun area. We do as all schools do, consider play guns and squirt guns to be “weapons”. Please let your child know that they are not permitted on the bus or in school for any reason. Also included in this would be knives (real or play) play axes, etc. This is an area that is not easily understood by kindergarten, so please discuss it with them.
FRIDAY FOLDERS
Every Friday, or the last school day of the week, a folder will come home with any and all material that you need to see from the school. School calendars, upcoming information and letters from me, etc., etc., etc. . Please look at the information, sign the sheet in the folder and please, please return it on Monday. I usually send letters home detailing the activities that we have done and what is coming up in the next week. I do send home a newsletter weekly, unless it is a short week.
CHANGING FROM ½ DAY TO ALL-DAY
If at any time during the year you feel that you would like to change to the all day class that is fine. This change must be a permanent change. It is not possible during the year to choose days and request times that your child stay for the all day session. This would be really hard to schedule and arrange activities around this. Please feel free though if you would like to make a permanent change to just let me know, and we can easily arrange this.
COMMUNICATION
I try very hard to let all parents know how their child is doing, and what we as a group are doing. I think that this is very important, so that you as parents can be very involved in your child’s education. At any time a question comes up, or if you feel that your child is having a problem in any area, please contact me. You may do this in one of three ways. The first way is usually the way to get the fastest response, and that would be to send in a note via your child. Please just tell them to give it to me, or tape it to the front of their folder. The second way is to call me and leave a message on the voice mail. The number is 412-793-0555. My mailbox is 332. I try to get back to all parents on the same day, but this depends on the time of day the message is left and what day that it is. The third way is to email me. My email at school is wiehagen@stjohnthebaptistschool.org, I try to answer email every day too, but sometimes I just can’t get to it on the same day. If it is something urgent, please call the office and leave a message that you need called back on that day. I really emphasize that you should not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns. If this is your first child, you may have questions or concerns, please remember that I do not mind and I am more than willing to discuss them with you. Please don’t think that it is silly or minor, we are partners with you and our concerns are also for your child.
These are some of the things that we will be doing this year. The program is planned with the knowledge that a five/six year old needs to be able to find his/her place in small groups, to be a contributing member, to be accepted by other children and to extend his/her interests beyond his/her home. As we work together, a happy growth is assured. important
One of the biggest days in your child’s life has arrived. His/her experiences in kindergarten will affect his/her attitudes during the rest of his school years. Together, you and I will make this a successful year. A happy and secure child is eager to learn and he/she will have many learning experiences during this year.
The activities of the kindergarten class are many and varied. We plan to meet the needs and interests of each child.
We begin the year very slowly, with the exception of the alphabet introduction. Many parents are surprised that a lot of the work that comes home initially is review work for their child. We do this for many reasons. This gives me a chance to determine the academic strengths and weaknesses of the group as well as individual children. More importantly it gives the children a chance to feel comfortable and learn the ways of the classroom. It would be unfair to begin teaching at a level that they are not comfortable with at the start of the year. This beginning time gives us a chance to introduce classroom vocabulary, rules and the general sense of the class. Please do not be alarmed at the pace we are using at the start of the year. I know that most children are familiar with the work, but it is giving them a sense of everything before we begin harder and more challenging work.
READING
The reading series is McGraw Hill. This series introduces the alphabet from a-z and the recognition of each letter. This is done the first few weeks of school. If your child is not familiar with all of the letters, this would be a good time to either buy or make a set of flashcards of all the letters. Each letter should be on a separate flashcard. I do recommend flash cards as opposed to just memorizing the letters in order. We fly through the alphabet the first few weeks of school. This is a fast paced reading series initially. It does slow down after the letters are reviewed, but if your child is not sure of the letters, it would be a good idea to begin to practice them each evening. We will be doing both capital/ and lowercase and each day a new letter is introduced. There are several games that can be done with the flashcards. One to start the year would be concentration, only using a few of the capital and a few lower case letters. After the letters are introduced, we will begin to practice the sounds of each letter. This series begins initially with some sight words and then moves onto phonetic reading with sight words. There is often homework in reading. The page will come home circled, please make sure that you return the book the next day.
SMALL GROUPS FOR READING
In Septembr, I usually break the group into small groups for reading. I base these groups on ability level at that time. There is a wide range of ability levels in kindergarten. It can range from strong readers to the child that does not know letters. These are all acceptable ranges. I do not want to stress out the child that is learning letters, but I do not want to hold the child back that needs additional challenges. Thus we have groups in kindergarten. I change the groups often during the year. They are extremely flexible. I do not put any stress on these groups. I do not make a big deal of the groups either. Each child learns at different paces for different subjects. Please do not make a big deal about the groups with your child. This is not a competitive area. I will let you know what group your child is starting out in. There are usually three groups. I usually meet with each group 2-3 times a week depending on the week.
MATH
Our math series is McGraw-Hill. We will be using concrete materials frequently. The math program will cover counting to 100, counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We will learn the months of the year, and the days of the week. We also cover fractions, measurements, estimating, time, addition and subtraction and patterns.
The math papers will come home frequently. There are many suggestions on the papers for additional work at home. If you would like to do this work with your child that would be great and it is a great reinforcement of the skills that are being covered.
At the beginning of each unit, I will send home an introduction to that unit. This will come home in the Friday folders. The work that is suggested on this information sheet does not need to be done, or need to be returned. This is a communication paper to let you know what we will be working on. There may be times that you feel that your child could use some help in the skill that is being introduced, there may be times that you feel that your child does not need help. These pages DO NOT need to be returned. I appreciate any help that you do with them on these pages.
I will let you know through the newsletters what skills we are working on at that time, and also the math pages will indicate the skills that we are practicing.
RELIGION
The Religion series is Sadlier. Through the book, music and many other activities, the children’s sense of wonder is expanded. They will discover God’s goodness, their uniqueness and God’s presence all around them.
Most weeks there will be a short homework assignment in religion. It will come home in their folder. The homework is titled SHARING FAITH with my family. The pages will be circled. Please return this signed the next day. There will be other Religion pages coming home. These will be what we have done on that day. They do not need signed or returned. You may want to talk about what is covered with your child.
Kindergarten will attend liturgies primarily only on Holy Days of Obligation. The rest of the school attends Mass on a regular schedule. Kindergarten is not included in that schedule. This is a time that you as parents may begin to get your child ready for attending liturgies. This would be a good time to eliminate toys and food if they are still being used and also not being in the crying room unless there is a younger sibling that needs that room. Try to get your child to participate with standing and kneeling and sitting at appropriate times. We will be talking a lot about church and church behavior. We go often for classroom visits, and we talk about the correct way to enter and sit in the church. Next year in first grade they will be attending more than this year. There will be prayer services that we will attend during the year.
SOCIAL STUDIES /SCIENCE
Social studies and science will be introduced through our reading series and through mini units throughout the year. We will cover holidays, important people, dinosaurs, seasons and citizenship.
SPECIALS
Because of time issues with the whole day/half day, the half day class will not be having specials outside of the classroom. We have movement, music and story time in the room daily. This is a normal part of the kindergarten curriculum. After looking at some other districts that have both classes together, it is far better to emphasize the academics and not lose the time for the specials.
The children may dress in the gym uniform on gym day, but they do not have to do this.
SNACK
We do have a snack time daily. The children will eat their snack in the cafeteria, while the All day class is starting their lunch. This is a time for socializing and a way of learning healthy habits. Children should bring a plastic cup or glass (no lids please). They will keep this in their locker to use in case they do not want milk on any given day. Each ½ day child is eligible to receive free milk daily. Their choices are: chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, skim, 2% or whole. I will assume that you want 2% if your child requests white milk. If you do not want this for your child, and prefer either whole or skim, please let me know and I will arrange this for the year. If your child is allergic to milk, they must have a doctor’s note saying this, and they are then eligible for orange juice.
Each child should bring a small snack daily for himself/herself. Some good examples are: vegetables, a few crackers, fruit snacks, a small piece of fruit, or a few cookies. Please do not send in a whole lunch or a lunchable. This is a very short time, and there is not time to eat something this large. Please send the snack in a marked container or a lunch box is also fine! Please make sure their name is on it.
BIRTHDAYS
Many of the children’s birthdays will be celebrated during the school year. If you would like, you may send in a treat. Even those children whose birthdays occur in the summer may celebrate a special day (a half birthday is a suggestion) Please let me know before any birthday so that I can make sure that it is not a day that someone else is celebrating. You do not have to celebrate a birthday.
Invitations:
The school handbook lists how invitations are handled so that there are no hurt feelings in the class. We go along with this policy in kindergarten. If you are inviting all of the same sex, or all of the children in the class, I will gladly pass out the invitations. The best way to do this is for me to put them in the Friday folders that come home weekly. Unfortunately if you are not inviting in either of these ways, I will not be able to pass out the invitations. I would suggest that you mailed them so that there are not any hurt feelings. Even at this age, feelings can be really hurt, and I hate to see that happen.
HOMEWORK
Homework is given at times during the year. Usually it is a small assignment that should be able to be completed in ten minutes. If homework if assigned, it is usually to be returned the next day unless it is noted differently. If for some reason it is not completed, and it is in the Religion or Reading book, please send in the book and a note. Normally we use the books daily, and we would need it that day. ALL HOMEWORK MUST BE SIGNED BY AN ADULT. This is a policy for the primary department. It sometimes helps to go through a folder and book bag with your child daily. Let them tell you if there is any homework that day. Usually a blank page or a book taken home with a page circled indicates homework. It is often best to have your child complete the homework, you sign it and it goes right back into the book bag. This trains the children to be organized and also helps to eliminate forgetting it at home. As hard as this may be, this activity usually works well for everything, including Friday folders. Your child does not have to sit while you go through all that information though. If your child brings home a paper that says PLEASE FIX, please have your child fix it and return it the next day.
SICKNESS
If your child is sick at night, please keep him/her at home. When your child is absent you will need to call the school office 412-793-0555 by 8:30 am and leave a message. Please leave this with the office, not on my voice mail. I often don’t get the voice mail until the afternoon, and this is needed in the am. It is also necessary to send in an excuse the next day. Your child should always have an excuse when they are absent, even though you have called the office. Please let me know if possible what was wrong, fever, cold, stomach etc. This helps me the day they return to know if I need to be on the look out for anything.
While it is important to keep your child home if they are sick, it is equally important that they develop the habit of coming to school. Please send your child if they have the sniffles or a slight cough. Usually we are all experiencing the same symptoms. If there are any unusual health conditions or allergies that exist, please let me know. If any would come up during the year, just drop me a note.
We do have a school nurse. The children will see the nurse for vision and hearing tests, weight and height measurements. You will not hear from the nurse concerning these, unless there is a problem. They may also go to the nurse if they are not feeling well. While some children would rather walk across hot coals before they would go to the nurse, there are others that begin to develop the habit of always seeing the nurse for any and all ailments. If you feel that your child is becoming a frequent visitor, you may want to discuss it with them. Remind them that the nurse is for emergency visits only. I will usually contact you if I think that they are visiting too often. By too often, it would mean a weekly visit or more. This can really develop into a habit, and I don’t like to second guess a child that says they are sick, but when it happens frequently, I usually think that they are in love with the nurse, or just like to visit the office. If I have any doubt in my mind at all, I usually will send them. I always go on the side of caution.
If there are any changes happening in your life, I would appreciate it if you could just mention it. A child picks up so many signals at home and can often reflect these in school. I am better able to deal with these changes in your child if I have an idea what is happening in their life. It is not a matter of prying. All information would be confidential.
REPORT CARDS
In order that you may know how your child is doing, we will be having Parent-Teacher conferences in November. The first report cards will be issued in January. If there is a problem at any time, you will hear from me through a note or a phone call. I send home notes frequently for behavior problems, or if your child is experiencing a problem with any concept.
TRANSPORTATION
The nametag that the children received at orientation is extremely important. It must be worn the first ten days (approximately) of school. I will keep the nametags when the time frame is up and they will go in their memory books that they will get at the end of the year. You and your child should take time to discuss bus behavior and the importance of it. Riding a bus is a privilege and can be taken away. It is a good idea to check with the bus drivers often to see how your child is doing on the bus. If there is a change in transportation home from school: another person picking your child up, or your child is a car rider and is usually a bus rider, I must have a note. If it comes up suddenly, please call the office and let them know to let me know. Please let me know if you know ahead of time, there have been situations where parents have just told their child that they would be a car rider, and arrived after dismissal and I am in a tough spot what to do. Please let me know by note if at all possible. This doesn’t mean that if you are coming by the school, you can’t get your child, it just means in most situations, please let me know. Please do not leave this information on my voice mail; I do not always get the voicemail in a timely fashion that coincides with dismissals. If this is a regular situation, for example every Wednesday your child will not ride a bus, you need to write only one note, and I would make a note of it. Plum does not provide bus transportation home! All students living in Plum must be car riders.
ARRIVAL
Please have your child arrive to school on time. For all day kindergarten it would be an 8:30 arrival.. We have a playtime when the children arrive and we begin class at 8:40.. This is a very important time for both playing and getting organized. When a child arrives late, it is very hard for them to begin their day, and it can really disrupt the schedule. This is really important not only for this year, but also for all years. It is very much appreciated.
AM Arrival
When the children come in, they are arriving with the older children and especially the first few days the older children will help them get to the room. Bus riders in the am will come in the side bottom door and walk up the starts to the room. Car riders will be dropped off in the parking lot. Cones will be set up where you should come through and drop your child off. Please do not drive up in the parking lot near the front doors. The buses are letting off children and they will not do this if there are any cars around. You must come through the cones at all times after 8 am. It is a danger to both your child and the children getting off the buses if you do not come through the cones. The children walk down the sidewalk and come in the front doors. If you would like to walk your child in the first day or two, please park in the lot by the preschool or in the back lower lot.
The children may begin arriving at 8am. All of the early arrivals (8AM-8:20) go to the kindergarten room. There is day care before school and after school that is available for a fee. You will need to make arrangements for that through the school office.
½ DAY DISMISSAL
½ day dismissal will be at 11:25. There is a change where you should park if you have had half day students before this year. Please park in the preschool parking lot. The children will walk down the sidewalk and you should leave your car and meet your child by the rectory driveway. We are changing this due to the later dismissal and the older children will be coming out for recess. Please do not pull out of the parking lot until all of the children are in their cars. Either I or another teacher will be walking the children out daily. Please try to be on time.
STUDENT HANDBOOKS
Each family will receive a student handbook describing the rules of the school. Please go over it with your child, and return the paper that is with it. Children including kindergarten will need to sign their name to show that the handbook was gone over. I would suggest that you talk to your child about the gun area. We do as all schools do, consider play guns and squirt guns to be “weapons”. Please let your child know that they are not permitted on the bus or in school for any reason. Also included in this would be knives (real or play) play axes, etc. This is an area that is not easily understood by kindergarten, so please discuss it with them.
FRIDAY FOLDERS
Every Friday, or the last school day of the week, a folder will come home with any and all material that you need to see from the school. School calendars, upcoming information and letters from me, etc., etc., etc. . Please look at the information, sign the sheet in the folder and please, please return it on Monday. I usually send letters home detailing the activities that we have done and what is coming up in the next week. I do send home a newsletter weekly, unless it is a short week.
CHANGING FROM ½ DAY TO ALL-DAY
If at any time during the year you feel that you would like to change to the all day class that is fine. This change must be a permanent change. It is not possible during the year to choose days and request times that your child stay for the all day session. This would be really hard to schedule and arrange activities around this. Please feel free though if you would like to make a permanent change to just let me know, and we can easily arrange this.
COMMUNICATION
I try very hard to let all parents know how their child is doing, and what we as a group are doing. I think that this is very important, so that you as parents can be very involved in your child’s education. At any time a question comes up, or if you feel that your child is having a problem in any area, please contact me. You may do this in one of three ways. The first way is usually the way to get the fastest response, and that would be to send in a note via your child. Please just tell them to give it to me, or tape it to the front of their folder. The second way is to call me and leave a message on the voice mail. The number is 412-793-0555. My mailbox is 332. I try to get back to all parents on the same day, but this depends on the time of day the message is left and what day that it is. The third way is to email me. My email at school is wiehagen@stjohnthebaptistschool.org, I try to answer email every day too, but sometimes I just can’t get to it on the same day. If it is something urgent, please call the office and leave a message that you need called back on that day. I really emphasize that you should not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns. If this is your first child, you may have questions or concerns, please remember that I do not mind and I am more than willing to discuss them with you. Please don’t think that it is silly or minor, we are partners with you and our concerns are also for your child.
These are some of the things that we will be doing this year. The program is planned with the knowledge that a five/six year old needs to be able to find his/her place in small groups, to be a contributing member, to be accepted by other children and to extend his/her interests beyond his/her home. As we work together, a happy growth is assured. important
posted by Mrs. Wiehagen @ 1:21 PM
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