Welcome to Kindergarten!

1. Welcome to Kindergarten! Come on in and make yourself comfortable! Please find your child’s name and have a seat. The paperwork inside the folder needs to be filled out and returned on your child’s phase-in day. Thanks!!

2. Daily Communication Agendas need to come to school every day in a tote bag. Please CHECK DAILY for important notes and memos. The agenda will need to be initialed each day as well! The agenda is a textbook and you will need to purchase a new one if the one issued is lost. Your child will also need a take home folder that will hold reading homework and cards. The folder will also be used to send home student work, newsletters, notes to/from me, lunch money etc.

3. Classroom Behavior Classroom rules and consequences are posted. Please be aware of the school-wide code system in your child’s agendato interpret the inappropriate behavior

4. Behavior Tracking Kindergarten students will be learning about Buchanan’s Behavior Tracking system the 1st 2 weeks of school. Beginning September 10th students will begin receiving conduct marks in their agenda for inappropriate behaviors. More information is in the student handbook (pages 1,4,5,14), which is in the front portion of the agenda.

5. DA- disrespect to authority (such as eye-rolling, disruptive noises, refusal to answer, etc)DP- disrespect to peers (arguing, bickering, gossiping, etc.)DT- disrespect to things (not taking care of school property, hands/feet on walls, etc.)OT- off task (not completing assigned tasks, not following directions when given, etc.)T- talking (in line, during class, at appropriate times, etc.)R- responsibility (not being prepared for class, leaving tote bags, reading books at home, etc.)H- homework (not completing AND returning homework assignments)C- cheatingD- dishonestyS- stealing (taking ANYTHING that does not belong to you)P- profanity and/or vulgar gesturesV- violence- which may include:  pushing, shoving, fighting, bullying, zero-tolerance offenses, arguing with, cussing at, or back talking an adult, explosive anger, etc.)* The teacher has the authority to determine any behavior that warrants an immediate office referral.

6. Communication Newsletters will be sent home monthly. Daily communication will be added to agenda. Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Oct. 9 and March 12. Report Cards will be sent home once every nine weeks. A progress report will come home mid-nine-weeks.

7. Report Card Grading Rubric 4 – Exceeding the grade level standard. Students receive a 4 when they have mastered the kindergarten curriculum and are working at or above a 1st grade level. 3 – Meeting the grade level standard. Students receive a 3 when they are successfully completing and performing at the kindergarten level. 2 – Progressing toward the standard. Students will receive a 2 when they have not yet mastered the skill without teacher assistance. 1 – Beginning to develop the standard. Students are not able to produce required grade level work.

8. Daily Procedures Absences - Refer to student handbook in agenda. Please send in a note after every absence. This note must include a valid reason for absence to be excused. The note cannot be written in agenda. If a child is picked up before 11:16, the child will be counted absent for the day unless they return to school. On your child’s report card “tardy” includes being late to school and early pickups.

9. Breakfast - $1.25/day. Served 7:00-7:30. No charges! Lunch - Student daily: $2.00 Weekly: $10.00. You are encouraged to pay in advance. No more than 3 charges will be allowed. Our lunch will be from 10:45 – 11:15. *Parents/Visitors are welcome to eat with us after Labor Day. Give us a few weeks to establish our routines and get used to being away from parents. The cost is $3.00. Please wait for us in the cafeteria.

10. Snacks –We ask that you send only healthy snacks with your child. If you are sending lunch with your child, please make sure that snack and lunch are NOT in the same bag. Birthdays – We will celebrate during lunch time. Sweets/cupcakes are fine for birthdays! Envelopes/Baggies - Send ALL money in a labeled, sealed envelope or zip-lock bag with your child’s name & what the $ is for.

11. Arrival NO ONE is allowed to come to the classrooms before 7:25 a.m. If your child is dropped off before this time they will need to wait in the Gym. School doors will be unlocked at 7:00 a.m. Students arriving after 7:40 must get a tardy slip in the front office. Please come in with your child to get the tardy slip.

12. If you wish to walk your kindergartner to his/her classroom, you must enter and sign-in in the front office. This is not the time for a teacher talk because the teacher must focus on the students during arrival times. You are encouraged to allow your child to begin walking by him/herself after August 31st. Your cooperation with this will be greatly appreciated!

13. Dismissal All car riders are required to have an official “pick-up” tag displayed in the front windshield area of their vehicle. Children will not be dismissed to anyone who does not have this tag displayed. If you did not receive a car tag and need one, please let your teacher know. She will have the tags ready for you when you pick your child up on his/her Phase-In day.Dismissal begins at 2:40 and all students should be picked up by 3:00.

14. For your child’s safety, we ask that you remain in your car and drive through the pick-up line. Please do not walk up to get your child. Parents will be asked to go back to their vehicles if they try to walk up to the doors at dismissal.Car rider line will not move until buses leave. Parents may not pick a child up from the office after 2:25.

15. You will need to complete the transportation information sheet before you leave tonight. It is very important that we know how your child will be getting home each day.Let your teacher know by writing in the agenda any changes in transportation. Your child will need to wear a transportation tag on his/her tote bag daily. Please do not remove this tag or let your student remove the tag. This helps the Buchanan staff to assist all children with dismissal.

16. Transportation Phone Numbers Bus Information 893-5812 YMCA Fun Company 895-5995 *ask for Debbie or Whitney Boys & Girls Club 893-5437

17. Field Trips We are planning on the following trips this year: Lucky Ladd Pumpkin Patch – Oct. 10 Cannon County Playhouse – 2-5 Nashville Zoo- May Information & permission slips will be sent home prior to each trip.

18. Field Trip T-Shirts An order form for our class t-shirt is inside your file folder. Kindergarten students can purchase a shirt to be worn on all field trips/special events. This helps us & parent volunteers to keep up with the students and to easily identify which school group they belong in. This needs to be returned by August 31st!

19. Miscellaneous Scholastic book orders will be sent home in your child’s binder periodically. For confidentiality purposes, we ask that you not take photographs of the class or other children and post to any internet social media sites, such as Facebook. Please be mindful of this when taking pictures at class parties and on field trips. Don’t Forget... Everyone must sign-in in the office when you enter the building & obtain a visitors tag.

20. Fun Friday Students earn points for good behavior as a class. They earn the privilege of going to the Fun Friday store and purchasing “treats or prizes”.

21. Fun Friday Money is used to pay for… • 1st and 3rd grade shirts • Ribbons • 5th grade writing trip • Pencils (birthday, pledge, level 0 heroes) • Officer Scott’s Top Stars Pizza Party • and many other incentives and awards for students.

22. PTO We have a wonderful Parent Teacher Organization here at Buchanan! Membership forms for the PTO are in your file folder. Please consider being a part of it! You may fill these out & give them to a member of our PTO tonight on your way out. PTO purchases a lot of technology for us!

23. Student Handbook The Buchanan Student Handbook contains a lot of very important information about our school. Please read it to learn more about our dress code, attendance, before & after school care, dates report cards will be issued, conduct codes, & lunch prices.

24. Medicine If your child will need to take medication at school, you will need to get and complete 3 forms for Jami Walker, our school nurse. Do not send medication in with your child. You will need to bring it to the office and sign it in. Teachers are not allowed to administer medicine.

25. If your child is sick… If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or more please do not send him/her to school. Even if you give him/her Tylenol, they still do not need to come. Children need to be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Immunizations We must have your child’s immunization record at school before he/she may start! We have to have the original form and can not take a copy or fax. If you have any questions, you may contact our school nurse, Jami Walker, 893-3651 (ext. 25310).

26. Permanent Records Please send in any items still needed to complete your child’s record. Children will not be permitted to start without a current proof of residency or the immunization record.

27. Phase-In Day Your child will come for one half-day phase-in. Please sit with your child in the cafeteria until 7:35 on this day. We will come to the cafeteria to pick up the students. Please pick your child up at 11:00 in the car rider line. We will load the students in the cars. Please send lunch money in an envelope or zip lock bag. You may send in any kindergarten supplies that you have. Please label each item!

28. Phase-In Days by Alphabet *A-F, come to Phase-In Group 1 (Friday -Aug. 17). *G-L, come to Phase-In Group 2 (Monday -Aug. 20). *M-R, will come to Phase-In Group 3 (Tuesday -Aug. 21). *S-Z, will come to Phase-In Group 4 (Wednesday - Aug. 22).

29. Meet the people who will be involved in your child’s Buchanan education! Art: Ms. Birkholtz

30. Music: Mrs. Shaw

31. P.E.: Mr. Kimbro

32. Librarian: Mrs. Adkins

33. Guidance: Mrs. Baltimore

34. Cafeteria Staff

35. Office Staff Mrs. Merritt Mrs. Calvert

36. Officer Scott ReedSRO Officer Officer Scott’s Top Star

37. Kindergarten Educational Assistant Tammy Lowe

38. Mrs. Stanley Reading Coach Mrs. Hamby ESL

39. Special EducationMrs. Baker Mrs. Britton

40. SpeechMrs. Jones

41. CustodiansCalvin Fred and Rose

42. BES Knot-ty Kid’s Club

43. Wish List In Parent Packet

44. Dates to Remember: August 30 – Open House (This does not include Kindergarten.)Sept. 20 - Pictures

45. Supply List • Plastic school box • Composition book • Zipper pouch • Nap mat • Big eraser • Plastic folders

46. Thanks for your attendance!! Thank you for your time and attention. Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have. We are looking forward to being your partner in education.