Welcome to Kindergarten Parent Orientation!

1. Welcome to KindergartenParent Orientation!

2. GRITThe Power of Passion and Perseverance https://www.facebook.com/whoasusannah/videos/vb.485490144838613/1166938453360442/?type=2&theater

3. Gatesville Primary School Wherelittlepeople learnBIGthings! Phone: 254-865-7264 Fax: 254-865-2160 http://www.gatesvilleisd.org/ Please add Gatesville Primary to your phone contact list.

4. Mrs. Aslin Mrs. Keeton Ms. Colson Mrs. McCraw Mrs. Dingianni Mrs. Miller Mrs. Floyd Mrs. Tobias Mrs. Hoover Ms. Wallace Kindergarten Team

5. Office Staff • Principal – Bridget Register • Counselor – Carrie Brizendine • Nurse – Nancy Morgan • Secretary – Sandra Brown

6. Attendance and Tardiness Kindergarten Begins at 7:50 (Breakfast will be served from 7:20-7:50) Your child will be counted tardy if he or she arrives after 7:50. Kindergarten Ends at 3:15 Regular attendance is essential for success! Please be aware that “tardiness” and “left earlies” will be counted against the student’s perfect attendance award presented at the end of the year.

7. Kindergarten Drop Off Procedures Students may be dropped off at Gatesville Primary beginning at 7:20 From 7:20-7:50, You may drop your student off at: Gatesville Primary Side Porch Door (old entrance Hornet Way) Gatesville Primary Library Door (Hornet Way) Note: Parents may not walk their students in at the Side Porch Door or Library Door. Parents may walk their students in from 7:20 – 7:50 at the front entrance (Marshall Street) the first two weeks of school. Students arriving at Gatesville Primary after 7:50 will need to be escorted by their parent into the Primary Office (Marshall Street entrance).

8. Student Only Entrances Library Door Side Door

9. Arrival/Dismissal Safety Parents that walk up to the Side Porch or Library Door (to drop off of pick up their student) will be instructed to walk to the Main Entrance of Gatesville Primary (Marshall Street). If parents “walk up” at dismissal, your child will be sent to the Primary Office to meet you. You will have to sign your child out in the Primary Office.

10. School Admittance For security purposes, every adult MUST present a valid drivers license upon entering the Primary Office seeking admittance. If you do not have a valid drivers license, and seek admittance, please schedule a conference with Mrs. Register.

11. New Primary Front Entrance Parent and Visitor Entrance

12. Student Supervision begins at 7:20 Students will be supervised in the cafeteria beginning at 7:20. Please send a note if your child is supposed to eat breakfast. At the beginning of school, many students do not understand that breakfast or lunch cost money. Some students open their lunchbox and begin eating their lunch for breakfast. Students may eat breakfast in the cafeteria from 7:20-7:50. *Please prepay for your child’s breakfast or lunch on the Gatesville ISD website. Meals may also be paid for by cash or check. Please send all payments in a sealed envelope with your child’s and the teacher’s name. Cafeteria staff will be available on Meet the Teacher night to assist you and answer any questions that you may have.

13. Cafeteria Payment All students will pay full price for Breakfast and Lunch untilpaperwork is completed and parents are notified of their children receiving Free or Reduced Meals. Student Prices: Full Price: Breakfast $1.60 Lunch $2.35 Student Prices: Reduced: Breakfast $ .30 Lunch $ .40 Teachers will NOT microwave students food.

14. Independence We are teaming with you to develop independence in your child. After the first week of school, we recommend that you allow your child to be dropped off instead of walking them to their classroom. Teachers will be in the Gatesville Primary halls to guide your child to the cafeteria or classroom.

15. Separation Anxiety Gatesville Primary Faculty and Staff love Parent/Family involvement, but we recommend you waiting at least one month before you have lunch with your child. At the beginning of school, many students want to return home with their visitor or cry when their visitor leaves. It is very emotional. Note: That is the reason we do not celebrate Grandparents Day in September.

16. Dismissal Please notify the office by phone before1:00 of any changes your child will have at dismissal. Any time after 1:00 is too late to assure the changes are relayed to your child’s teacher. Unless notified by parent or guardian, your child’s teacher will follow usual going home procedures.

17. If your child is a Porch Pickup: Please have your Dismissal Tag visible from the rear view mirror. A teacher or aide will walk your child to you. If your child needs assistance with his/her seatbelt, please pull forward. We are not allowed to buckle your child into his/her seat. It is very important to get your child through the car line quickly and safely.Teachers will not be able to speak with you about your child’s day during arrival and dismissal times. If there is something that you need to talk about with the teacher, please use e-mail or call the Primary. We will get back to you within 24 hours. If you have concerns on a Friday afternoon, please notify the Primary Office. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Note: NO ONE MAY WALK UP TO THE SIDE PORCH FOR DISMISSAL. Please keep emergency contact information up to date. Only people on the list are allowed to pick up your child. A written note is not enough! This needs to go through the office before we will release your child.

18. Homework • To do or not to do, that is the question! The topic of homework for young children is one that is fiercely debated in the field of early childhood education.  • Homework is a home - school connection. • Parents that read, review high frequency words, and review math concepts with their child nightly will have a better understanding of their child’s strengths and weaknesses.

19. First Grade Readiness Skills • Knows 100% of all uppercase letters and sounds and 100% of all lowercase letters and sounds (Your child needs to know them by October 31, 2016) • Successfully reading 80% of the 75 Kindergarten High Frequency Words (Also known as Sight Words or Popcorn Words) • Reading on a Level D (BAS Assessment) • Writing 3 sentences with proper handwriting, sentence structure, punctuation, and clarity • Count to 100 (without assistance from adults prompting them with the next number) and Identifying 0-20 with one to one correspondence

20. Benchmark assessment system (BAS) and Texas Early Math Inventories (TEMI) BAS testing dates will be: September 12-23, 2016 January 17-30, 2017 May 8-19, 2017 TEMI dates will be: September 12-16, 2016 January 9-13, 2017 May 8–12, 2017

21. Progress Report Dates 1st 9 Weeks: September 16, 2016 2nd 9 Weeks: November 11, 2016 3rd 9 Weeks: January 27, 2017 4th 9 Weeks: April 21, 2017 Report Cards 1st 9 Weeks: October 21, 2016 2nd 9 Weeks: January 6, 2017 3rd 9 Weeks: March 24, 2017 4th 9 Weeks: May 26, 2017 Parent Teacher Conferences You may request a Parent-Teacher Conference to discuss your child at any time throughout the year.

22. Discipline Any minor discipline issues will be addressed on the calendar located in the daily folder. A phone call or e-mail will be made or sent as needed. The office staff will become involved for extreme behavior issues. Please review the daily folder with your child every day.

23. Daily Work/Behavior Folders Please check behavior reports and your child’s work every day. The folder needs to be emptied every day and returned to school. Tuesday Folders (Gatesville Primary Yellow Hornet Folders) will include: newsletters, campus updates and important information. They will need to be returned each Wednesday.

24. Medication The nurse will administer any and all medication to children, no exceptions(including cough drops)! Parents must bring the original bottle with the prescription affixed to it along with Doctor’s orders for the medication to be kept at school for daily or emergency use. Please let the nurse and teacher know of any medications your child is currently taking.

25. Sick Children Your child must stay home for at least 24 hours if they have had a fever, diarrhea or other symptoms of illness. To return to school a student must be fever free without medication. Fever is defined as anything 100.3 or greater. When your child has been absent, please provide a note stating the reason, sign and date. Please provide a doctor’s note when possible.

26. Extra Change of Clothes Please pack an extra change of clothes in a Ziploc bag labeled with your child’s name for emergencies. These will be kept at school.

27. School Supplies Please bring school supplies during Meet the Teacher on Thursday, August 18th from 5:00-6:00. Your student’s teacher will have instructions on what to do with them.

28. Dress for the Weather We will have outside recess everyday weather permitting. Please dress your child accordingly. Please label all items with a permanent marker including backpack, jackets, hats, etc.…

29. Toys Toys of any kind are not permitted at school unless requested by teacher.

30. PE Recommendations Safety is #1 at Gatesville Primary! Flip flops may cause injuries during P.E. You are welcome to send an extra pair of tennis shoes in your child’s backpack. We recommend that girls wear shorts under their dresses.

31. Birthdays • Due to allergies in the classrooms we require ALL snacks that you send to school be store bought. • Teachers do not hand out invitations to birthday parties. In the past we have had issues with parents only inviting a select group of children in the class and this leads to hurt feelings.

32. Social Media • The vast majority of parents are helpful and supportive of the teachers to whom they have entrusted their children’s education. • But instructors are increasingly becoming targets of verbal abuse. The American Psychological Association calls it “a silent national crisis.” • Today’s parents, educators say, are more likely to lash out with verbal or physical abuse over just about any type of real or perceived mistreatment. • We recommend that parents contact their child’s teacher if there is a concern instead of posting it on Facebook or other social media.