Curriculum Night 2013

1. Mimosa Elementary Welcome to Kindergarten Curriculum Night! Bienvenidos!

2. Parent Expectations • Parent Involvement • Discipline • Supplies and Classroom Expectations • Curriculum

3. Parent Expectations

4. Blue Folders • Please check your child’s bookbagevery night for their blue folder and send it back to school with your child the next day. It is a good idea to go over the contents of the blue folder with your child. Please read and sign all papers as soon as possible. Take out completed work and keep at home. • Important class and school information comes home in the blue folder:

5. Homework • Read with your child every night • English or Spanish or native language • Guided reading/Reading log – books from school to practice skills • Reading contract (2nd week of school. Students will receive book when signed reading contract returned back to school) • Book Reports: (October) • to be completed by child

6. Good Kindergarten Habits Students: • Eat a healthy breakfast. Breakfast is provided at Mimosa free of charge for all students every morning at 7:15am. • Get enough rest - be in bed by 8 pm. • Be on time for school

7. Good Kindergarten Habits Parents:Help your child learn to tie shoes, button buttons, do zippers, buckle belts and put on & take off jackets independently. Label all clothing – especially jackets and sweaters.

8. Clothing for School Dress for the weather! • casual and simple clothing • sneakers or sturdy school shoes (no flip-flops, high heels, or “Heelys”). • girls wear shorts under skirts • Mimosa’s dress code – printed in the Fulton County handbook

9. Mimosa Uniforms • Mimosa has implemented an optional dress code. • Students may wear white, red, or navy blue polo style shirts with black or khaki pants or shorts. Girls are allowed to wear skirts with shorts underneath. • Why should my child wear a uniform? • More cost-effective • Pride in our school – we are a TEAM • Builds self esteem (everyone looks the same) • Avoid conflict and confrontation (bullying) about clothing

10. Transportation • It is school policy to send a child home the usual way unless we have a note informing us of any changes. We can not accept verbal messages from parents or siblings. This includes changing from a walker to a car rider. Please do not drive up to the front porch to pick up a walker. You need to send a note to tell us they will be a car rider that day, and they can be waiting for you in the appropriate line.

11. Transportation • Dismissal is at 2:25 – please be on time for carpool/walkers and follow safety rules. If you need a carpool/ walker number, please see Ms. Vasquez in the front office. • If your child is a car rider, please wait for them in your car with your number displayed. • If your child is a walker, please have your walker tag with youevery day in order to pick up your child.

12. Transportation • Children must be signed out if they are picked up early. • Children must be signed in if late. A parent must bring them into the office to sign them in. • Kindergarten children must be met at the bus stop after school. Please be on time. • If your child is a walker, please be on time (2:25) waiting for your child on the front porch.

13. Attendance • Absences - • You must send a note explaining the reason for the absence. • Absences will be recorded as “unexcused” until a note is received by the teacher. • See the Fulton County handbook for excused and unexcused absences.

14. Tardies • Children must arrive in the classroom before 7:45 a.m.; allow them time to get to class from the front porch if they do not ride the bus. • If your child eats breakfast at school, they should arrive by 7:15 am so they have time to eat breakfast before instructional time begins at 7:45 am. • Arriving late to school impacts your child’s academic progress and interrupts the learning environment in the classroom. Chronic tardiness or absences will be referred to the school administration or school social worker.

15. Health • Children should stay home if they have: • heavy coughing or congestion • fever • contagious illness – head lice, ringworm, flu, pink eye, severe cold • Children should stay home until they have had: • 24 hours without fever • 24 hours after vomiting/diarrhea • 24 hours after beginning antibiotics

16. Important Note: • No medications including cough drops can be given at school without written authorization from a parent or doctor. Please do not put medications in your child’s bookbag. Parents must bring medicine to the clinic.

17. IMPORTANT ! • For your child’s safety, PLEASE inform your teacher immediately if your child has any allergies or medical conditions that might require medication or emergency assistance at school. • food allergies, asthma, insect allergies, chronic ear infections, contagious diseases.

18. Money and lunch • Any money sent to school should be in a ziplock bag or envelope clearly marked with your child’s name, amount, and how the money is to be used. • Please send lunch money regularly. Lunch is $2.20 and .40 cents if you qualify for a reduced lunch. If your child has a balance to be paid, they will only be allowed to eat a cheese sandwich with milk for lunch. • A hot lunch is available everyday, or your child is welcome to bring a complete lunch from home. Please do not send “extra” things to eat.

19. Money and lunch If your child brings a lunch to school, please send it with them in the morning. Only in emergencies should a lunch be brought to school after school has started. If your child forgot their lunch, they can buy a lunch at school that day.

20. Parental Involvement

21. Volunteers Mimosa needs your help ! • Field Trips, WRAD Day, Field Day • Classroom helpers – ask your child’s teacher how you can help • Media Center – we have more children and books than ever, help is always welcome • PTA – join today ! Support the programs that PTA provides. Volunteers always welcome

22. Volunteers Parent Resource Center This is the place to • Prepare materials for other teachers • Computer access for parent use • Check out materials and resources for your child • Obtain resources available in the community • English and Spanish speaking liasion available.

23. Discipline

24. Discipline Step One: Classroom rules/consequences Step Two: Mimosa Manners procedures Step Three: School-wide discipline procedures Step Four: Fulton County discipline policy

26. Discipline We empower students to make good choices on the school bus. However, if you have behavior concerns on the school bus, please contact Arianne Holcombe, the Assistant Principal and Carol Bentley at Transportation North at 770-667-2970.

27. Self Discipline/Social Skills School is not home. Students will develop their problem solving skills. Please work with us in developing the skills needed when dealing with their classmates regarding • Bathroom behavior • Sharing food • Rough play • Displaying affection

28. Supplies and Classroom Expectations

29. Supplies/Change of Clothes Thank you for your generosity ! The school supplies that we received are greatly appreciated ! …the Kindergarten Teachers

30. Curriculum

31. Curriculum: • Differentiated Instruction: Students receive work and materials based on their individual needs in every subject. • Students are taught Language Arts, Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, Health, P.E., Art and Music. Students also have Computer Lab and Media Center classes. Some students receive extra support through ESOL, EIP and IRR. (see 36 week curriculum handout)

32. Report Cards • Report Cards are sent home every nine weeks S = Satisfactory N = Needs Improvement U = Unsatisfactory

33. Evaluations/Testing • GKIDS – ongoing state assessment • iReady, Imagine Learning, DRA • Unit assessments • Student self-evaluations/ Data Notebooks

34. Specials: • Music – once a week • Art – once a week • P.E. – twice a week (wear sneakers) • Computer lab • Media Center

35. Master Schedule

36. Lunch: Parents are allowed to eat lunch with their child after the first two weeks of school.However, please be on time and only on your designated day. Adult lunches are $3.15.

37. Parent Teacher Conferences Tuesday, October 15th • Conferences are scheduled once a year. Please contact your child’s teacher if you need additional meetings during the year. • Please schedule ahead of time with child’s teacher. • Please bring an adult (18 and over) with you who can translate. • Conferences – can held on conference day or before and after school other days. • Teachers will discuss: • Your child’s progress • How Parents can help at home • Testing and Evaluations • Homework • Parent concerns

38. First Day of School Tips: • Parents are permitted to walk their child down to the classroom for the first 3 days of school. However, we ask that you drop them off and leave confidently. Please do not linger. • Remember: parents are not permitted to eat lunch with their child for the first two weeks of school. • You do not need to load your child up with all the supplies on the first day of school. Feel free to send them with your child throughout the week. • Please leave all the transportation tags on the bookbags, even if it will change after the first day. Also please ensure your child wears their temporary name tags to school for the firs week of school.

39. Feel free to visit the cafeteria after this meeting to obtain information about after school programs, lunch/breakfast, uniforms and the PTA!

40. Thank You For Coming To Mimosa’s Curriculum Night! Gracias porvenir!