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Parental Support
It
is very important that the parents and teachers support each other. You
can show your support by:
• reading to your child EVERY
NIGHT!
• emptying your child’s book
bag EVERY NIGHT
• returning folders EVERY DAY
• returning all forms and
permission slips to school promptly
• sharing the excitement of
learning
• attending scheduled events on
time
• staying in touch with the
school anytime you
have
questions or concerns
• attending parent/teacher
conferences
• reading the newsletters
• promoting The Six Pillars of
Character
• reading to your child EVERY
NIGHT!
Things to Know
Put your child’s first and last names on ALL articles of clothing that might be left at school. This would include sweaters, coats, hats, both gloves, boots, etc.
Send your child to school wearing
appropriate clothing so they can participate fully in all the activities—coats
on cool days, boots on snowy days, etc.
Students should wear gym shoes to
school everyday. If they choose to wear sandals, boots, etc. please send
their gym shoes in their book bag with them as the student will need them for
gym class.
The kindergarten team has provided a
chart listing expectations per quarter for your child in the areas of reading
and math.
Supplies
Please remember to
put your child’s name on anything that is brought to school!
box of Kleenex
book bag (no wheels)
one 10-pack of Crayola CLASSIC washable markers
two 16-pack of Crayola CLASSIC crayons
one 7oz. bottle Elmer’s washable glue
6 large Elmer’s glue sticks
one large pink eraser
one Fiskars scissors (blunt point)
2 plastic 3-prong folders
one 8-color watercolors
one 12-pack colored pencils
1 yellow highlighter
1 small pencil sharpener
1 box Ziploc sandwich size bags
one 2-pack of black dry erase markers
Parents
will also want to purchase a permanent marker to mark your child’s coats, snow
pants, boots, etc. You will need a box of small envelopes that will be
used to send money to school. Please keep the permanent marker and box of
envelopes at home.
Book Bags
Each
child should have a book bag big enough to easily hold a large (11” x 13”)
library book and pocket folder. Book bags that have numerous pockets and
zippers, draw strings, or pinch clasps which your child has difficulty
operating should not be used in kindergarten until your child can easily mange
these.
It
is important to check your child’s book bag EACH DAY. Your child’s take
home folder will go home every day and is expected to return to school
the next day. The take home folder serves as the communication between
school and home. Please put all important notes, book club orders, lunch
money, etc. INSIDE the take home folder, as we check this every morning.
Some children have a hard time remembering to show the teacher or parent a note
or something important. It has been our experience that some children
keep trying to give their teacher a permission slip which has not been signed
day after day. This occurs even though we remind them each day to give it
to their parent and return it to school signed. This is just one of the
reasons why it is important to check your child’s folder daily.
Please
do not allow your child to bring extra toys, crayons, markers, etc. to school
in their book bag. All these extra things cause confusion and
arguments.
Please
have your child share with you notes, papers, or projects that come home in
their folders. Unless papers need to be returned to school, please empty
the folder and keep the contents at home. Getting your child into the
habit of giving you notes or showing you the treasures in their book bag
everyday is an important skill that will be invaluable as they go through 13
years of school.
Yellow Card
Please
fill out BOTH sides of the yellow card. Throughout the year, please
notify your child’s teacher of any changes. This will give the school
valuable information regarding emergency procedures you wish the school to
follow should your child become ill or injured at school. Please return
the card promptly to school.
Hot Lunch
The
cost of a child’s hot lunch is $1.50/day.
Please
send lunch money in an envelope with your child’s name and his/her teacher’s
name on the outside of the envelope. It is best to send lunch money on
Mondays or the first day of the school week.
Cold Lunch
If
your child chooses to bring cold lunch, there is an option to purchase milk at
school. The cost of milk is $0.25/carton. Please send milk lunch
money in an envelope with your child’s name and his/her teacher’s name on the
outside of the envelope. It is best to send milk lunch money on Mondays
or the first day of the school week. Please put all hot lunch and milk
money on one check and it will be added to your child’s account. You do
not need to send separate checks.
Recess Milk Money
Chocolate or white milk may be purchased to drink with each student’s afternoon snack. The cost of milk is $40.00.
Snack
A
snack calendar from your child’s teacher will be sent home at the end of each
month for the upcoming month. Click on
calendar to view the monthly snack
calendars. Students will be assigned a day when they
will need to bring snacks for the entire class. ALL classes will need
snacks for approximately 25 students. Please bring 25 of the same snack to avoid hurt
feelings. We will try to assign days according to birthdays. Please
check the snack calendar regularly to make sure your child brings snack on
their assigned day. Please send HEALTHY snacks and avoid candy and
sweets. “Fun snacks” are designated for birthdays and classroom parties
only.
Bathroom
When
children enter kindergarten, they should be able to take care of themselves in
the bathroom. All children are allowed to use the bathroom when
needed. Every child is encouraged to use the bathroom multiple times a day or
as needed. We understand that anyone can have a tummy ache or an
occasional emergency. If
your child has bathroom accidents occasionally, please inform your child’s
teacher BEFORE school begins, so we can agree on a plan of action should the
need arise. It is a good idea to put an extra set of clothes in a plastic
bag to be kept at school if your child should need it.
If
your child has special health concerns that necessitate frequent use of the
bathroom, please inform your child’s teacher immediately. This helps us
determine whether someone may have an infection or is just playing in the
bathroom. A child who is frequently in the bathroom is a child who is
missing important learning time in the classroom.
Illness
We
do not keep sick children at school. Please make plans now concerning
what you will do should your child become sick. It’s best to have several
contingency plans. We are especially grateful to parents who pick up
their sick child promptly.
Classroom Newsletter
The
kindergarten team will send home a newsletter at the beginning of each
month. Click on newsletter
to view the monthly newsletters. It will give you a general idea of the skills we are learning,
books we have read, and the thematic units we are studying.
Volunteers
In
recent years, we have experimented with several ways of utilizing parent
volunteers. The success of this program lies in coordinating the
available parents with the needs of the individual children in each
classroom. This changes from year to year. We encourage you to
think about volunteering in any of the following ways:
•
preparing materials at school
by stapling, tracing, coloring, gluing, cutting out activities, or using the
paper cutter.
•
assisting at classroom
parties. ALL parents are welcome to attend the parties.
•
providing needed items for
classroom parties. Kindergarten classrooms have three parties a
year: Halloween, Winter, and Valentine’s Day. A sign-up sheet will
be available in each of the classrooms at Open House night for parents to
sign-up to contribute needed items.
Your
help is invaluable and very much appreciated!
Birthdays/MVP
East
Dubuque Elementary School students celebrate birthdays in a variety of
ways. You may choose to make your child’s birthday special in any of the
following ways. Some children bring a treat to school for the entire
class. If bringing a treat, please be sure to send any necessary
supplies: plates, spoon and/or fork, napkins, etc. Also, please
provide enough that the whole class can enjoy!
A
family may also choose not to celebrate their child’s birthday for personal or
religious reasons. If you do not want your child’s birthday to be
recognized, please let the classroom teacher know at the beginning of the
school year.
CHARACTER COUNTS!
CHARACTER
COUNTS!
(CC!)
is the nation’s most
widely used character-development framework that is based on The Six Pillars of
Character that are referred to as “TRRFCC”:
Trustworthiness: honesty, integrity, promise-keeping, and loyalty
Respect: courtesy, nonviolence, tolerance, and autonomy
Responsibility: duty, accountability, pursuit of excellence, and
self-restraint
Fairness: openness, consistency, and impartiality
Caring: kindness, compassion, and empathy
Citizenship: civic values, lawfulness, and common good.
CC!
is a framework that allows for me to
teach, enforce, advocate, and model The Six Pillars of Character daily by
integrating them into the existing curriculum. Through CC!, students learn the
importance to discern right from wrong and to accept a moral obligation to
honor The Six Pillars of Character.
I
strongly encourage you to teach, enforce, advocate, and model The Six Pillars
of Character. Children need to realize that each pillar is important in
every aspect of life and character counts everywhere!
Pick-ups and Drop-offs
Due to the hectic traffic before and after school, there are designated areas to drop-off and pick-up students for the safety of the students. Click pick-up/drop-off to view maps.
The
kindergarten teacher MUST have a note if your child’s after school
transportation is different than usual. For instance, if your child
usually rides the bus and is getting picked-up, we MUST have a note that states
WHO will be picking up your child. We strongly advise not to pick-up your
child in the classroom and encourage you to follow the pick-up procedure.
If
your child’s transportation changes unexpectedly throughout the day please
contact the office and talk with someone to assure the change. The office
staff will then contact the teacher about the change requested. We do not
recommend after 12:00p.m. phone messages or e-mails as we can not
guarantee they can be received on time.
Early Dismissal/Late Start
Sometimes, it is necessary to call school off early or start late. This is generally due to bad weather in the winter. However, it is important to note that school has been called off or delayed due to unexpected reasons. To eliminate catching parents by surprise when this happens, a School Reach Message will be sent to the desired phone number you provided to the school.
On
the back of the yellow student information card you will be asked to indicate
where to send your child should school be let out early for any
reason. Please choose
a place where you are sure someone will meet your kindergarten child.
Tears
Occasionally,
a kindergarten student (or their parent) might cry the first day or two.
Our experience has been that the crying usually stops shortly after Mom or Dad
leave. It’s best to say a quick good-bye and leave. If
crying persists the child’s parent will be contacted to discuss ways to help
the child feel more comfortable.
Conclusion
As
you can see, I really want your child to have a successful year. To a
large degree, this depends on the preparations that each individual family
makes in their own home BEFORE school ever begins.
Last
of all; enjoy your child’s year in kindergarten! There are lots of fun and
exciting activities and projects planned. I'm looking forward to an
exciting and rewarding year! Sit back and watch the miracle of growth and
learning take place!
East
Dubuque Elementary School Kindergarten Team
School:
815 747-3117
Mrs.
Miller ext.
3010 kmiller.edschools@yahoo.com
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