Welcome!!!!!

1. Welcome!!!!! Debra Geary, Principal Grazia Cianci, Vice Principal Martene Herbert, Kindergarten Teacher Sylvia McFee , Kindergarten Teacher

2. School Day • Begins at 8:55 am • Students can be dropped off as early as 8:40 am • If students are in daycare, they are brought to the classroom • 2 lunch breaks (20 minutes to eat, 20 -30 minutes to play outside each time) • School ends at 3:15 pm. If you are picking your child up, please come a little earlier so that we can bring other children to the bus or daycare. • Kindergarten students will not be released to siblings or a different adult without providing notification to the school or teacher.

3. Safe Student – Safe School Absences Should your child be absent from school for any reason, please notify the classroom teacher or the main office. Otherwise, the school is required to contact families to inquire about the absence. Door Security All outside doors are locked at 8:55 am. If you are late bringing your child to school, you must go the main door at the upper parking lot. There is a buzzer on the wall. When you press this, the secretary will unlock the door. Please proceed to the main office to sign in and get a visitor’s badge. Then bring your child down to the classroom. Contact Information Please ensure that emergency contact information, phone numbers, emails, etc. are current.

4. Gentle Entry • Year One students start school in small groups so that they get to know each other without being overwhelmed by a large group • Calendar is sent home at end of June for parents to plan childcare on the days when your child is not in school • Gentle entry will be a two week period; after this, students will come to school regularly every day.

5. Things to Bring Shoes Students will require a pair of indoor running shoes to keep at school. The shoes need to have non-marking soles. Please send Velcro shoes if students do not know how to tie laces. Change of Clothing Please send a change of clothing (shirt, socks, pants, underwear) in a labelled ziplock bag. In the event of an accident, the clothes will be changed and the soiled clothing will be sent home. Please replace soiled clothing with clean clothing the next day. Please label all of your child’s belongings. Backpack When purchasing a backpack, please make sure it fits your child properly and has enough room for lunch and an agenda. Lunch Please send enough food for two nutrition breaks. Lunch is supervised and a microwave is available. Thermoses are a very good idea. Students are always encouraged to eat their healthy snacks first.

6. Healthy Snacks • Preparing Snacks for the Day • Try to send food in reusable containers rather than filling the garbage cans with packaging and waste. • Lunch bags should contain ice packs to keep food fresh. • Practice opening containers with your child before they come to school. • Please limit drinks to milk, water or 100% juice. Reusable water bottles are encouraged. • Remember to send spoons and forks for you child and label all containers. • Balanced Day lunch kits are available at www.balanceddaylunchkit.com • Contact the Health Unit or www.nourishinteractive.com for more ideas. • Food Choices • Cut up fruit and vegetables provides energy and is a healthy choice • Cheese and crackers • Rolled up meat in tubes makes eating fun and provides nutrition for those students who don’t care for sandwiches • Yogurt, apple sauce • Natural and homemade muffins are healthier than packaged treats and processed foods • Limit the sweet snacks and avoid the imitation ‘fruit’ snacks like fruit roll-ups

7. Parent – Teacher Communication The teacher will be available in the mornings before school starts and at the end of the day when school ends. If you have any questions you would like to ask personally, please ask then. The teacher is also available for appointments if there is something to discuss that requires more time. Parents can call the teacher to set up appointment times. In addition, please write notes in the agenda which will go home on a daily basis and look for notes that the teacher may have written. Please initial the agenda daily. Check out the classroom blog and school blog for important announcements in the classroom and the school. The teacher may also send emails, and parents are welcome to communicate with the teacher this way as well.

8. Communication in the ClassroomEach classroom in the school as well as the library and gym are equipped with FM Systems. An FM System is a system where the teachers’ voices are amplified in the classroom so that every child can hear regardless of where they might be in the room. It is ideal for those children who may have difficulty hearing. Teachers can control the volume of the FM system as well as turn it off when it is not necessary.

9. First Riders • Students who live over five hundred metres away from the school are eligible for bussing. Parents must organize this with Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium prior to September. • 1 866 860-7770 ext. 1 or online at www. nwobus.ca • Students will receive an orientation and safety tour prior to starting school. • Students will be picked up and brought to the bus by a staff member.

10. Medical Information Allergies Medical Forms Teachers are not allowed to administer medication without a signed form from the doctor. Should a student require a prescription drug, please obtain a form from the office. This includes inhalers, epipens, cough syrup, tylenol, etc. It is very important that we are aware of any allergies and/or medical conditions that your child may have. Please see the office for the appropriate forms so that we can stay informed. GLC is a nut free school. We have students who are allergic to nuts. These allergies can be life threatening, and we ask that people respect this and not bring nuts or food that contains nuts to school. Should there be a student in the class with another life threatening allergy in the class, a letter will be sent home about this.

11. Literacy Parents can be strong supporters of literacy at home in the following ways: • Encourage and maintain eye contact when speaking. • Ensure good listening skills by asking children to repeat or paraphrase what they have heard. • Talk about stories as you read, encouraging questions, predictions, connections to other events in their lives or other stories they have heard. • Talk about things you see; posters, pictures, movies, objects in the environment, etc. • Have fun with language. Sing songs, read or say poems or jingles, rhyming words, etc. • Play with puppets. Take turns when talking and role playing. • Visit your local library. • Play computer games that focus on letters and letter sounds. • It is important to model age appropriate language skills when speaking to your child. • If you have any concerns regarding speech and language, please contact the school for further information.

12. Numeracy Parents can be strong supporters of numeracy at home in the following ways: • Count everything (toys, stairs, snacks, etc.) • Count forwards and backwards • Use your finger when counting individual objects • Measure while cooking • Discuss shapes and patterns you may see in the environment (stop sign, yield sign, roof tops, windows, etc.) • Encourage ‘math talk’ – use words such as longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, bigger,, smaller, over, under, beside, top, bottom, around, day, night, etc. • Play board games and card games (Memory Match, Snakes and Ladders, Go Fish, etc.) • Play with puzzles • Practice computer and Ipad games • Play with blocks, lego, play dough, etc.

13. Technology in the Classroom • Smartboards are available in every classroom. Students will learn and practice curriculum content through interactive teaching and independent /small group learning activities on the Smartboard. • There are also opportunities for Skyping, emailing, blogging, and playing learning games by using Ipads and Netbooks.

14. How to Prepare your Child • Read daily. • Talk to your child about daily events. • Note signs and words in the environment. • Practise using scissors. • Practise sharing and taking turns. • Practise printing your child’s name, holding the pencil properly and using an upper case letter at the beginning, lower case for the remaining letters. • Practise toileting needs, including washing hands and flushing the toilet every time. • Practise dressing skills; jackets, shoes, boots, etc. • Practise independence and praise your child for doing things on his/her own. • Participate in Shadow Day. Have your child visit the school and the classroom before he/she officially starts. • Show your child pictures of the classroom in action by visiting the Kindergarten Blog and School Website. • Google goldenlearningcentre.com Click on Mrs. McFee or Ms. Herbert (scroll down right side of page)

15. Remember to look for a package coming in the mail at the end of June. It will September calendar and other information for the start of the school year 2014-2015. Thank you for visiting us tonight! We look forward to seeing you again in the fall.

16. QUESTIONS ????? • ________________________________ • ________________________________ • ________________________________ • ________________________________