Kindergarten Parent Orientation

1. Kindergarten Parent Orientation School begins each day at 7:30 am. Although buses start arriving at 6:45, parents are not allowed inside the building until 7:15. I will greet my students in the cafeteria at 7:15 and escort them to class each morning. After unpacking, the students will begin their daily jobs!!!! K dismissal begins at 2:20 (for car riders) and buses arrive about 2:30.

2. Phase In Tonight, you will sign up for one full day for your child to come to school. I will greet you and your child in the front of the cafeteria at 7:15. At that time, I will ask you for any papers that are missing from your child’s file (immunization card or a dr. appt. are required for your child to be at school this day). After dropping off your child’s supplies in the classroom and a quick goodbye, I will begin your child’s orientation to school! We will be doing activities based on Pete the Cat. *Please send $2 for lunch in a labeled envelope! Please DO NOT send a sack lunch/lunchbox for this day. Dismissal- Please inform me if transportation will be different this week than the rest of the school year. If a car rider, make sure your car tag is showing!

3. Morning Drop-Off • Car Riders are to be dropped off at the gym entrance each morning. Teachers are posted in the hallway in order to help your student make his/her way to the cafeteria. A K teacher will be on duty each day to stay with your child until his/her teacher lines up the class at 7:15. • Those arriving at 7:30 must be accompanied and signed in by the parent through the office. They will be held in the foyer until after announcements. • Bus Riders are dropped off in the front of the building and guided to the gym (1st-5th) or to the cafeteria (K) where teachers will stay with them until 7:15. • Those eating breakfast will need to be in the cafeteria between 6:50 and 7:15; at 7:15, the breakfast line will close, and students will be escorted to class. • Please discuss with your child whether or not to eat; the teacher will not know!

4. Morning Drop-Off (Continued) • When the late bell rings at 7:30, all classroom doors will be closed . Children will not be permitted into the classroom without a tardy slip from the office. • Keep in mind, if you plan to walk your child to the door of the classroom, that this is the time that he/she will find “kindergarten independence”. *Parents should not accompany students into the cubby room or help un-pack their school items.

5. Monday Morning Meeting • Each Monday morning is a special time when all students are together in the gym for an assembly lead by Mrs. Goostree. • We will leave the classroom at 7:25 in order to be seated by 7:30. Please have your child at school in time to walk down with the class.

6. Afternoon Dismissal Car Riders will be dismissed from the K Wing at 2:20. Stay in your car, display the car tag on your dashboard, and pull forward to the spot where your child is standing with an adult. Car Riders w/ Older Siblings will be dismissed with the sibling(s) at the gym entrance. Bus Riders will stay in a K classroom until buses are called, at which time the supervising teacher(s) will escort the children to the correct bus. Day Care students will be escorted to their van by a BCE teacher. YMCA students will be escorted to the cafeteria and signed in with the Y teachers.

7. Transportation During the first few weeks of school, your child will have a transportation tag attached to his/her backpack to help get him/her to the right place for dismissal. Please make sure your child has this tag on his/her backpack DAILY! BCE policy states you MUST complete and send in the official BCE transportation form to change afternoon transportation.I cannot go solely with the word of your kindergartener. A “transportation change form” can be found on my web site. Please fill it out, and send it with your child. Phone calls nor emails will be acceptable. In order to pick up your child, the car tag must be visible on the dashboard. If you or the person designated to pick up your child does not have your child’s official tag, your child will be dismissed through the office.

8. Personal Information Changes • If your address, home telephone number, work number, or any of your contact information changes, please send a note to me so that I can get the information updated in the office. This is very important in the case of an emergency.

9. Absences If it is necessary for your child to be absent from school, please send a note addressed to me including your child’s full name, date of the absence, the reason for the absence, and your signature. I appreciate the verbal knowledge from you or an older sibling; however, this note will be referred to the attendance office to excuse the absence. You have only 5 days to get the absence excused. After 10 days of absence, a doctor’s note will be required. RC policy states that your child must be fever free (without medication) for 24 hrs before returning to school!

10. Money When sending money to school for any reason, please place it in an envelope and follow the format below: • Child’s name • Teacher’s name • Amount and purpose for money *On the purpose line of the check, add my name as well as the reason for the check. Separate checks for each item; however, more than one check may be in a single labeled envelope. If sending cash, exact change only.

11. Cafeteria Child’s lunch: $2.00 Please send money in a sealed, labeled envelope. Checks should be made out to Brown’s Chapel. Write your child’s name AND my name on the bottom of the check (the FOR blank is a great spot) and specify the amounts for breakfast and lunch for the cafeteria staff. A monthly menu will be sent home. You are welcome to eat lunch with your child any time, but please do not bring food from any other establishment. Child’s Name Mrs. LaRue Lunch Money ($10) *Go to mealpayplus.com to check your child’s lunch account and make payments using a debit or credit card. **You may now go online to apply for the free/reduced meal plan. Go to the BCE Homepage or to the Rutherford County Homepage for more details. Be sure to include all income from all persons living in the household (even if not a guardian). You must communicate to your child your wishes for his/her eating breakfast. Those on duty have no choice but to listen to the child!

12. Cafeteria (Continued) Please tend to any lunch charge slips that are sent home. If your child’s account reaches over $7.75 in charges, then he/she will be given an alternative meal. At this time, Kindergarten will not be purchasing extra water ($1)or ice cream from the lunch line. **Our lunch time is from 10:50 until 11:15. Please remember that meals from local restaurants are not permitted.

13. Lunch Visitors & Volunteers • At BCE, those listed on the emergency contact section of the registration card will be permitted to have lunch with your child. If the visitor is not on the card, please send in a handwritten note saying who and when someone is coming to eat lunch with your child. • If you are planning to come to BCE, please inform me ahead of time. For security reasons, each teacher is now turning in a list of classroom volunteer names to the office. *Please remember to bring your state issued ID.

14. School Supplies All children will need to bring school supplies their day of Phase-In. There is no need to label every item, but please label the bag(s) in which they are brought to school. We still have crayon and scissor kits ($7.00) available for purchase.

15. Clothing Children need to wear clothing they can manage on their own when the need to use the restroom arises. Tennis shoes will be required for gym. We encourage children to wear tennis shoes each day for playground safety. Please send a complete seasonal change of clothes and a light jacket to keep at school. While tennis shoes are encouraged, please be aware that tying shoes can be a very time consuming task for a teacher. Please help your child learn to manage their shoe laces on their own (double ties are great!!).

16. D.E.E.R. Folders“Daily Essentials and Easy Resources” Daily, your child will bring home a folder. Please check this folder and return it to school EVERY DAY! Please place notes, money envelopes, etc. in this folder. This is our “home/school” communication, and I will be sending information to you in here also. Anything placed in the “school” side of the folder should be read, completed, and returned to me. Daily work will come home in the folder. Please review what your child has done each day. Thanks!

17. Homework Kindergarten will have weekly homework. The assignments will reinforce classroom skills with alphabet, sight words, and math. Activities will be sent home on Mondays/Tuesdays and will be due on Fridays.

18. Reading LogEach month, the students will be recording books you/they have read at home. Our goal each month is twenty (20) books. This total may include the books which our children have made in class as well as other favorites. As we all know, reading to and with your child is the best way to improve reading skills!Please record the title and author of the book after your nightly reading. Please return the log to me when it is complete. Thank you!

19. Family Projects Periodically, I will send home a family project for you to complete with your child. These will vary in difficulty and assignment. It allows time with your family and give your kindergartener the chance to develop speaking and listening skills at school.

20. Related Arts Classes7:45 – 8:25 • Angelfish –Library (Mrs. Barlow) • Buck – Music (Mrs. Rose) • Camel – PE (Coaches Hicks/Martin) • Dragonfly –Art (Mrs. Henry) • Emu – Computer (Ms. Tracey) • Fox – PE (Coaches Hicks/Martin • *must wear tennis shoes to participate in p.e.

21. Discipline Exhibiting appropriate behavior in all settings is expected. However, if a consequence is needed for inappropriate behavior, the following will occur: • Warning • Removal from group • Loss of privilege- recess, centers, special events, etc. • Time out in another K classroom • Contact parents • Administration • Severe Clause – harm to self, others, or property will be referred to administration immediately • Discipline will be logged in a binder and checked periodically by administration.

22. BUCK Nation Our school participates in “BUCK” Nation. Students who exhibit good behavior for the week will be allowed to wear a cap/hat on Fridays. Be sure to label your child’s hat. Teachers reserve the right to approve or deny hats based on BCE dress code policy and the right to revoke the privilege at any time. If your child earns BUCK Nation, they will also have the opportunity to buy or bring from home a special snack for Friday afternoon. *A labeled envelope with 50 cents (exact change)may be sent on Friday mornings.No change can be given, nor can I keep extras. Along with BUCK Nation, those earning BUCK Break will be indicated every Thursday in the newsletter. Teachers and administrators reserve the right to revoke this privilege.

23. Snack Your child’s name will be on the classroom calendar to indicate which day he/she is responsible for providing snack for the class. Snacks should be nutritious and individually packaged for easy distribution. Due to OSHA regulations, please do not send homemade items. Please DO NOT send candy for snack time. Each child should bring a water bottle for daily use. We refrain from using the water fountains as much as possible in order to avoid sharing germs and sickness. Water bottles will be sent home daily for cleaning. **Snacks should be sent to school with your child.

24. Happy Birthday! We are not allowed to have birthday parties; however, you are welcome to send a special snack for the class to celebrate your child’s birthday at school. Please do not send homemade items!

25. Recess We will have outside recess every day (weather permitting). Please make sure your child wears clothing and shoes appropriate for outside temperatures and play.

26. Field Trips A field trip policy is included in your packet. Please read it carefully, sign, and return. Keep this policy and others in your K folder for easy reference.

27. Parent Communication • Report Cards (every 9 weeks) • Progress Reports (mid 9 weeks) • Parent Conferences (twice a year/more) • Newsletters • Calendars • Folders (return each day)

28. Teacher Contact Please feel free to contact me by sending a note in your child’s folder, calling the school at 904-6755 ext. 30969 and leave a message for me to contact you, or sending an email to laruep@rcschools.net. I will return your call as soon as possible. Email is a great way for me to contact you as well. Please be sure to fill in your email address (print carefully and clearly) on the information card provided. I will create a “blind distribution list” as a way to keep you informed, as well as to protect your privacy.

29. Newsletter A weekly newsletter will be sent home to keep you informed of happenings in the classroom and other “need to know” information. This newsletter will also be posted on my kindergarten webpage. Some newsletters will contain a Wish List for things we may need for upcoming activities or projects.

30. Emergency Drills • Another important part of our year will be occasional emergency drills. When these happen, there is no time to stop and put on coats; therefore, please be sure to dress your child with the weather in mind.

31. Box Tops for Education We will collect Box Tops for Education all school year. Box tops are found on General Mills products, i.e. Cheerios cereal, Betty Crocker cake mixes, and Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls just to name a few. *We also collect Soda Can Pop Tops (no need to count; just label with my name) and Campbell’s Soup labels (please count and label). Please make sure students turn in Box Tops in a plastic bag with the following info: Student’s name, teacher’s name, and number of Box Tops Each nine weeks there will be a different contest for students.

32. It’s all cool at BCE School! Thank you!