Homework Folders – Often there will be incomplete student work inside. All children work at a different pace. There are some children that finish in a nanosecond and others that take f o r e v e r…… I will stop work at a certain point and we will move on to something else. You have a choice to either have your child finish or toss the work away. I do not need to see it again.
We run/walk everyday – (unless the weather is dreadful) Your child should wear good running shoes. Sandals or any type of open-toed shoes are against school dress code anyway. It is hard to run in really cool boots or clogs, so we suggest something comfortable. If your child is ill or has an injury, send in a note and we will not have your child exercise.
Dress Code – there is a long list of things that are on the district dress code list, to sum it up for kindergarten: No spaghetti strap tops for girls, think lasagna sized straps instead. No shortie shorts. No makeup. No open-toed shoes. No hats to be worn inside (outside is okay, but if it becomes a problem inside, the hat must go).
Stuff from Home – We have a time once a week for sharing, and you will see the theme of the week in the homework packet, we call this “Secret Sharing”. Your child will need to bring the item in a bag along with three clues about what it is. The class then takes turns guessing the object, and then your child pulls it out of the bag and tells about it. Your child needs to practice at home reading the clues and explaining about the object (speech). The more practice, the more confidence!
No other toys, balls, silly bands, stuffed animals, etc. should be brought to school.
Park Dale Lane Dollars – an incentive at school across all grade levels is our printed Park Dale Lane dollars. Starting soon, on Fridays, a “store” is opened on campus and volunteers sell items kids like. Your child will be earning money in class or on the playground for good behavior, accomplishments, or being a terrific citizen. They will bring their money to the store and buy things with it once a week. I encourage students to write their names on their money, so if lost, it can be returned.
Lunches – Students will be assigned a four-digit number that will remain with them as long as they are in elementary school. This number is given to the lunch ladies and their lunch will be charged to your account. Please send in a check or cash to pay for their lunches in advance. This money is collected in the front office. When the balance is low, you will be notified in writing and you can replenish it.
Birthdays – We Love to celebrate birthdays! Parents often wish to send in something on a certain day to honor their child. There are several suggestions for this:
- Drop off a treat early in the morning and I will take care of distributing it (with your child as the helper).
- Bring in a treat and hang out while we celebrate. The best times for this are 10 minutes before recess, or 15 minutes before the end of the day.
- Purchase a book for the media center and it will be identified as a gift from your child and enjoyed for many years to come. (Go to the media center to do this.)
We do have a child with walnut allergies, so whatever is sent in, please make sure there are no nuts!
Lastly, please give me a head’s up that you are doing something so I can plan accordingly.
Healthy food ideas? Popsicles, watermelon, any kind of fruit (skewers) bags of fresh popcorn, homemade cupcakes….
Media Center – our class will go to the media center (library) once a week on Wednesdays. Your child is allowed to check out one book a week. This book must remain at school (kindergarten only) where they can read it during “Sustained, Silent Reading” (SSR) each day. If they bring the book home and it gets lost, you are responsible for replacing it.
Buddies – We are lucky and have two upper grade classes as “Buddies,” Mrs. Keene’s second grade and Mr. Rierdan’s 5/6 class. Starting this week, your child will be paired up with one or two big buddies from each class. These will be their special friends that will meet with them each week. They will work, play, do P.E., or read together. This makes a strong bond and builds a sense of confidence when on campus.
Kindergarten Themes: We teach student lessons by themes and some of this year’s themes are listed below:
Colors
Apples
Seasons
Leaves
Pumpkins
Monsters
Spiders
Halloween (Bats and Owls)
Native Americans and Pilgrims
Thanksgiving (now and long ago)
Friends together Weather American Symbols
Holidays
Gingerbread people
Wheels and transportation
Community helpers
Landforms
Animals (farm, pets, zoo, wild)
Chickens and eggs
Butterflies – caterpillars
Frogs – tadpoles, eggs
Plants