Kindergarten Parent Orientation 2013

1. Kindergarten Parent Orientation 2013

2. Attendance is extremely important! Most of the things we do in Kindergarten are hands-on activities and cannot be made up at home. If your child is going to be Absent, please notify the office. Arrival: Students will be allowed in the building at 8:20 for breakfast and they may enter the classroom at 8:30. Art: We will go to art on Wednesdays with Ms. Kasserman. Animated Literacy is the program that we use to teach letters and sounds. Each letter has a character and a gesture to go along with it!

3. Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria every morning at 8:20. Birthdays: You may bring treats for the class for your child’s birthday. Please drop them off in the office. They must be store-packaged. Due to allergies, please do not send snacks with nuts. Summer birthdays may celebrate on half-birthdays or during the last few weeks of school. Book Orders will be sent home each month. Scholastic provides a wide variety of books at incredibly reasonable prices. Purchasing books is entirely optional but a great way to build your child’s home library. You can order online or by sending a check for the amount due. Box Tops: Please clip Box Tops to earn money for our school! You can find them on many food items, tissue boxes, etc.

4. Continued… Behavior: • Rewards: • Students can earn a stamp on their stamp card • by showing positive behavior! When they fill up • their stamp card, they can earn a prize! • Consequences: • Verbal Warning • Safe Seat • Think Sheet • Buddy Room • Office Referral

5. Computers: We will go to the computer lab once a week on Mondays. We also have computers that will be In use in our classroom everyday. The main computer program we will be using is called Reading Eggs. Conferences: We will have parent-teacher conferences after 1st Quarter is over so that we can discuss your child’s progress at school. Keep an eye on our class newsletter for those upcoming dates! Counselor: Ms. Raney will come every week on Tuesday to teach us about manners, feelings, friendship and more! Communication between home and school is extremely important. Please never hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns!

6. Dismissal will take place at 3:40 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursdays, we will have EARLY dismissal at 3:05 p.m.

7. Email is the easiest way to contact me throughout the day and evenings/weekends. I will do my best to answer you as quickly as possible. • ahorn1@nkcschools.org • Emergency closings due to snow or weather will be announced on our district website as well as local news and radio programs! • Expectations at Davidson: • Respect myself • Respect adults • Respect fellow students • Respect my building

8. Folders will come home every night. Please be sure to check the folder for homework, notes, important papers, classwork, etc. and EMPTY the folder each night. If you need to send me a note or money, please include it in this folder. I will check the folder each morning as your child arrives at school. Field Trips: We will go on 2 field trips this year. More information will come home about these at a later date. If you would like to attend our field trips, please let me know.

9. Gym: We will go to the gym with Mr. Auxier for P.E. on Tuesdays and Thursdays . We will also go to the gym on Mondays for Health. Please make sure your child is wearing tennis shoes on these days. They will not be able to participate in P.E. if they are wearing sandals or flip flops. Grade Cards will be sent home at the end of each quarter. Please look them over and do not hesitate to ask questions.

10. Homework: Tic-Tac-Toe homework will be sent home each Monday and should be returned to school on Friday. Please choose 3 activities in a row to do throughout the week. Bonus prizes will be given for students who complete more than 3 activities. Any work that is done on a separate sheet of paper should be attached to the homework page and returned. Homework will not be graded but is required. Help at Home: Please take time to work on these additional skills! *Counting to 100 *Letter names and sounds *Identifying numbers to 20 *Colors and shapes *Writing first and last name *Tying shoes *Birthday (month & day) *Address & Phone number

11. Illness: The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when decisions must be made first thing in the morning. It is important, however, to keep your child home if he/she is ill. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy. School policy is that you child must stay home 24 hours after vomiting or a break in fever. Invitations for home parties are NOT allowed to be passed out at school unless they are distributed to ALL of the boys, ALL of the girls, or the entire class.

12. Join PTA! It is very important for you to be involved in your child’s school and classroom. The PTA meets one evening a month and our president is Amy Corlew. You can contact her for more information at acorlew@clear.net

13. Keys to Kindergarten: Good attendance, good communication between home and school, and a good attitude towards learning!

14. Library: We will go to the library every week on Wednesdays. Students will check out a book and must return it the next Wednesday before checking out a new book. Lunch: We will eat lunch each day from 11:25-11:55. You are more than welcome to eat lunch with your child. Please sign in at the office. Literacy Centers: Every day we will do centers called “Daily 5” while I am reading with small groups. These centers include computers, TAG readers, writing, word work and listening to reading. The center activities are designed to strengthen letter/sound knowledge, listening skills, oral language expression, letter formation and cooperation.

15. Math: The kindergarten math curriculum provides students with math experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics. We employ a hands-on, problem solving approach. • Music: We will go to Music with Ms. Jackson on Thursday and Friday. • Money: If you are sending money to school with your child for lunch or book orders, please make sure they are in a sealed envelope in the child’s folder (and labeled with your child’s name!).

16. Nurse Lizzie is here at school to take care of any emergencies. If your child has allergies or takes medication, please contact her at 816-413-4852. • Newsletter: Our class newsletter will be sent home in your child’s folder each Friday. Read about what is happening in our classroom and get important news and updates!

17. Office: You can contact the office at 816-413-4850.

18. Parties: PTA will host 3 classroom parties throughout the year: • Fall Party – Tuesday, October 29 2:15-3:00pm • Winter Party – Thursday, December 21 2:00-2:45pm • Valentine’s Party – Friday, February 14 2:15-3:00pm • If you are interested in helping with these parties, • please let me know!

19. Questions? Please never hesitate to ask about your child’s schoolwork, behavior, school procedures, etc. I’m always available to answer your questions!

20. Reading: There are 3 ways we read: read the words, read the pictures, retell a familiar story. By the end of the year, kindergartners are expected to read at a Level D. Please read to your child AND listen to your child read! Recess: We go to recess everyday from 1:45-2:15 pm. (except in cases of rain, snow or extreme cold). Please make sure students are dressed appropriately for the weather. Restrooms: Please have your child use the restroom shortly before coming to school. We do not have a bathroom in the classroom, so we will take several bathroom breaks. Please make me aware of any medical problem that might require more frequent restroom trips.

21. Schedule: Monday: Health & Computer Lab Tuesday: Counselor & P.E. Wednesday: Library & Art Thursday: P.E. & Music Friday: Music & Book Buddies Sight Words: All kindergartners are expected to learn and master a list of district sight words. These words will be sent home each quarter, and I ask that you please work with your child to practice reading and writing them.

22. Toys: Bringing toys to school is discouraged because they distract the children from learning. I will hold any toys that are brought into the classroom until the end of the day. Transportation: It is important that we know how students will be getting to and from school. If there are any changes in transportation, please notify the OFFICE. I will not be able to check my messages during instructional time, so please do not leave this information on my voicemail.

23. Your child is Unique and special! I will work hard to focus on your child’s individual strengths and needs in order to help them reach their fullest potential: academically and socially.

24. Visitors: We welcome visitors in our school and in our classroom. For safety reasons, please notify me ahead of time and check in at the office first. Volunteers: If you would like to volunteer (work with students, help in classrooms, etc.), you must become a YouthFriend. You can get an application from our counselor, Ms. Raney.

25. Writing: Kindergarten writing begins with scribbles and proceeds to random strings of letters, words and spaces and eventually sentences. If possible, please provide your child with writing tools such as pencils, crayons, markers and paper at home. Website: You can find important school information on Davidson’s website: http://nkcschools.org/daes We also have our own class website that I encourage you to check frequently: http://mshornskindergarten.weebly.com I will post our newsletters, upcoming events and photos on our website. Our class photos are password protected so that only you can see them. The password is: abc123horn

26. Kindergarten is a very eXciting and wonderful year for all of us: student, parent and teacher! We will have an eXcellent year learning together.

27. YOU are your child’s first and most important teacher. No one can influence your child’s life in the way that YOU can. Let’s work together to make this a great year! • YouthFriendsis a program that pairs you with a child as their personal mentor. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact our counselor, Ms. Raney at mraney@nkcschools.org

28. Please make sure your child gets plenty of Zzzzz’s! Setting a bedtime and getting a full night’s rest helps them to be alert and ready to learn each day.

29. Questions?? Ms. Ashley Horn ahorn1@nkcschools.org (816) 413-4881