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| KINDERGARTEN HANDBOOK |
THE KINDERGARTEN DAY
Daily Schedule: The daily kindergarten schedule includes an opening, phonics, shared reading, literacy centers, math, literature, and gross motor activity (outdoors-weather permitting) Each day will include one “Special” (art, music, library, physical education, guidance/computer lab)
The daily schedule will be posted on the front board of the classroom. Your child will receive thematic instruction on concepts for vocabulary development, alphabet awareness, phonetic sound connections, and numbers skills within the themes.
Home projects: These will be given in support of classroom work on a regularly scheduled basis. Due dates and directions will be included. These should be enjoyable family interaction activities and should be your child’s work reflecting their level of interest and skill. No formal grade will be given.
Labels: Most of the school supplies on your list will become common property in the kindergarten classroom. It will NOT be necessary to label your school supplies. Please DO label all parts of your child’s lunchbox, thermos, containers, etc., sweaters, jackets, and outerwear, and your child’s daily folder. PLEASE LEAVE OTHER FOLDERS UNLABELED.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Arrival: 8:30 A.M (Class begins at 8:40) Please bring your child to the school’s main entry. In fair weather, we line up along the brick walls on either side of the doors. Early in the school year we will collect the children from you and take them to our rooms. In inclement weather please bring your child to the cafeteria.
Dismissal: 3:10 P.M.
Parents coming for their children, please wait outside the school building at the main entry. Only if inclement weather, wait in the lobby. We will deliver your children to you there. If you run late, your child will be in the office. All bussed children will be placed on appropriate bus. If a parent or designated adult is not at the bus stop to collect the child, the bus driver will return the child to school. The parent/adult will be called to come for the child.
Changes in Routine: If your child is going home with someone other than you or your designated care giver, a note indicating your change must accompany your child. If you have a sudden emergency, a phone call to the office is acceptable, but the note is best. No changes will be honored without adult notification.
Early Closing due to Emergency: (Severe weather, water main, power outage, etc.) Please complete the emergency plan form, discuss it with your child and return it promptly. Be sure your plans are clearly written. WBAL has the latest news on school closings.
HEALTH AND ATTENDANCE
Attendance: State law requires five year olds to participate in a school program. Attendance is taken daily, so please document any absence with a note describing the reason. If your child is absent for more than three consecutive days, the nurse will make a follow-up call. After five days consecutive absence for illness, a doctor’s note must be returned with the child.
Tardiness/ Early Departure: If you are late bringing your child to school, you MUST stop by the office. Please do not drop off your child to enter the school alone. We may not be present in the classroom for a variety of reasons. The office will ask you to sign in your child and can direct your child to us.
If you need to remove your child from school prior to the regular dismissal time, you MUST come to the office first to sign out your child. The staff will call us to prepare your child to meet you.
Illness or Injuries in school: Should your child become ill or injured while at school, our nurse will call to speak with you.
PARENT TEACHER COMMUNICATION
Daily Folder: This is the most important way we have for exchanging information. We will send all important information in this folder. We will check it daily. Please do the same. You will use it to return forms, permission slips, attendance and tardiness excuses, and changes in dismissal or arrival arrangements etc. – ALL IMPORTANT information you want us to know.
Phone calls: Please if you need to contact us during the school day, phone 410-887-1426 to leave a message. The office will accept calls from 8:00 – 3:30. We will try to return your call within that same time frame, but if this is not possible, we will try to phone you at home. If it is an urgent message, which requires action, please let the person answering your call know so they can call the room with the message.
Conferences: There are two parent conferences held each year for students. These conferences are our only means to provide you with information about your child’s progress. You will receive your child’s report card at the conferences. They are required. We will try to schedule them as conveniently as possible, but the bulk of the conferences are held during the school day. Please inform your employer of the need to make these arrangements.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
We are happy to celebrate your child’s birthday in the class. We will be celebrating with song and good wishes, a special crown, and a small gift. If you wish to extend our arrangements, please just inform us of your refreshment plans a day or two before. Cupcakes, granola bars, rice crispy treats, cookies, or fruit etc. are welcome but not required. Chocolate earns extra points.
If you wish to use our take-home folders as a way to send invitations to a smaller private party, please send them in a baggie in your child’s folder and they will be distributed discreetly so that no child’s feelings are hurt. Please do not ask your child to pass them out.
Summer birthdays are celebrated near the end of the school year, so that every child will have a birthday party at school.
SNACKS
Snack time is always included as a part of the kindergarten day. Snacks should be small and nutritious. Some suggestions are (but not limited to) a piece of fruit, crackers and cheese, granola bar, veggies, trail mix, jello, bagel, yogurt. Please limit sweets and empty calorie type snacks. Drinks can come in a thermos, drink box, etc. Students may bring snack in a bag or lunch box. Please include any necessary eating utensils. Please label lunch box, thermos, lids and containers that will return home. On occasion we will be cooking in the classroom and purchasing snacks for field trips. We will be asking for a $10.00 annual cooking/snack fee to help defray the costs of food purchased for the above activities.
ALLERGIES
Please inform our school nurse and the teacher if your child has any allergies. Your child may be exposed to various foods, and plants and insects outside during the school year.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips for this year include a trip to the pumpkin farm in October, a trip to the Nutcracker Ballet in December, and a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art in the Spring.
Field trips are a part of our curriculum and as such, attendance and participation are expected. Modest fees will be collected to pay for the cost of admissions and bus rentals. The PTA generously supplies some money toward these costs to reduce the expense per child, but this fund does not cover the total cost. If expenses are a reason your child may not be able to participate, please quietly let us know. We will work something out.
Please use the following method for submitting field trip fees. It is the method used by all grades for all trips your child will take while at Relay Elementary School.
1. Put fees and fully completed permission slip in an envelope.
2. On the envelope please write:
Child’s name
Field trip name
Room # / Teacher’s name
Amount of money enclosed
Parent participation is encouraged. Some trips may have limited seating capability so we may have to limit the number of adult chaperones.
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