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Welcome to Kindergarten. Dear Kindergarten Parents ,
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Welcome to Kindergarten
Dear Kindergarten Parents, Welcome to our exciting kindergarten world at Whitlow Elementary. For those of you experiencing a child in kindergarten for the first time, get ready! You will be amazed at the amount of learning that takes place. For other more school-experienced parents, you will be pleased with our curriculum which includes language arts and reading programs, Dr. Cupp, and Math Expressions. We are excited about our strong WES kindergarten team. We have a great combination of talented teachers with qualities that complement and bring out the best in each other. We have new and nearly new teachers with that fresh enthusiasm and excitement that give us all a big boost. We have teachers who have all been led to Whitlow from other schools or counties, bringing their talents, experience, and new ideas with them. We all look forward to working together! As a team and as individuals, our first priority is your child’s education and well-being. We will work diligently to see that each child receives the greatest benefits of our educational program. We know from experience that parent involvement is essential to maximize the benefits the child gets from his/her school experience. Regardless of the experience and expertise of the teacher, research shows that the biggest and most important factor in a student's school success is the involvement of the PARENT in daily school experiences. We urge you to become involved by helping your child with homework and projects, joining PTA, attending school meetings and conferences, volunteering in the classroom, talking with your child about his/her school experiences, and participating in our home/school reading incentive program. Please read the following pages for important information, suggestions, and supplies so that both parent and student may be better prepared for kindergarten at Whitlow.. We are looking forward to working with your child and you! Whitlow Elementary Kindergarten Teachers
Information and Suggestions We must have a note from you if afternoon transportation changes for any reason. The note should include the following information: dates, student’s first and last names, teacher’s name, usual transportation and what is changing. We have very strict NEW county rules about bus changes. This information is included in the student handbook. We cannot accept phone calls or faxes about last minute or emergency transportation changes. Instructions of this nature left on the teacher’s voice mail will not be honored! We strongly recommend that students begin the regular transportation routine the first day of school to avoid confusion/changes later. • You will receive a Whitlow Elementary Handbook. Read the handbook carefully and put it in a safe place for reference throughout the year. Do the same for the school calendar and the monthly breakfast/lunch menu. • Make good attendance a habit from the beginning. If your child must be absent, call the attendance line,678-965-5090 , extension 370110 , by 10:00 A.M. each day of the absence. Do not call the classroom as your message to the office will be forwarded to the teacher’s mailbox. A written excuse is necessary when the student returns to school. You will receive a form to use for excuses.
Information and Suggestions Parents are always welcome to come for lunch in the cafeteria at the class’s lunch time after checking in first at the office. Unexpected classroom interruptions can interfere with the learning process so we ask that visitors please respect the quality of instructional time in each class. If you wish to visit your child or teacher, we strongly encourage you to call beforehand to schedule a time to visit or volunteer in the class. If you have specific questions or wish to see the teacher, please call to schedule a conference. • School begins promptly at 8:20 AM. If your child is late, s/he must be escorted into the building by the parent and signed in at the front desk. A tardy child will not be admitted to class without a tardy note from the front desk. Please be on time as the student misses instruction and activities after 8:20 AM. • Preparation for 3:00 dismissal begins at 2:50. Until that time, students will be involved in learning activities. If an emergency arises and your child must leave early, please sign him/her out in the office and wait there until called. Parents may NOT come to the classroom to pick-up a child and students may NOT accompany a parent to the office for check-out. Parent volunteers need to plan for their children to travel home the regular way on volunteer days. These rules are necessary for student safety.
Information and Suggestions You will receive a Parent/School Communicator (Home Folder) at open house. This folder is an important communication tool between parent, child, and teacher. It must be sent to school each day, checked by the teacher then returned home each afternoon. All papers need to be sent to school in the folder, starting the first day of school. As each student arrives, s/he should first give the folder to the teacher so it can be checked for notes, lunch ticket money, etc. The folder will be sent home each day containing homework, class & school news, and upcoming events. Any other notes from teacher or school will be placed in the folder. Take good care of the home folder. It must last all year. • Please Note Changes In Lunchroom Prices: • Lunches purchased in the school lunchroom are $1.90 per day ($9.50 weekly; $38 monthly). Breakfast is $1.15 per day, $5.75 weekly, $23 monthly). Reduced lunches are $0.40 per day and reduced breakfast is $0.30 per day. Lunch/breakfast can be paid for daily, weekly, or monthly. Checks for more than one day need to be sent on Monday in a labeled envelope. Please write the child’s first and last names and teacher’s name. Students who bring lunch money on a daily basis will be responsible for it and will pay the cashier as we go through the line at lunchtime. Free and reduced lunch forms are in the school packet given at Open House. Families eligible for these programs should complete the forms and send them to school where they will be forwarded to the lunchroom supervisor. • Ice cream is sold everyday at lunch It is extra and is NOT included in the price of the lunch. Please give your child very clear directions concerning when or if s/he is allowed to buy ice cream at lunch. As ice cream can be charged to the student’s account, your lunch budget can be greatly affected. Please make sure your child understands your directions. Ice cream must be eaten in the lunchroom and cannot be taken back to the classroom for snack.
Information and Suggestions Whitlow Website Be sure to check the whitlow website frequently to find up to date information on curriculum, school activities, dates, and other happenings. • http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/whitlow/site/default.asp
Kindergarten Supplies You may send these supplies as soon as possible after registration. Some items will be taken up and used at appropriate times. I do not require all the supplies on the kindergarten list, so please see below for the items that have been removed. Please do not send: pens, mechanical pencils, glitter crayons, pencil sharpeners, or trapper keepers. Book Bag 2 boxes of crayons (24 count) 24-# 2 pencils 2 large pink erasers 10 large glue sticks 1 pair of child safety scissors 2 boxes of washable markers (8 pack) 1 pack of dry erase markers 3-3-prong folders with pockets 1 pack of index cards 1-1 inch 3 ring binder (we prefer white with a clear front pocket)
A Note Your kindergartner may have some anxiety which he/she may have already expressed. It is not uncommon for a child at this age to be apprehensive about kindergarten because everything is new. Although many students have knowledge about letters, numbers, colors, etc. when they start school, most kindergarteners do not know them fluently. Please reassure your child that learning is a great, fun part of kindergarten. Remind him/her how it takes time and practice. Our school phone number and voice mail is 678-965-5090. Parents who wish to speak with us should call and leave a short message with a number. We will be teaching your child between 8:20 and 3:00 so it is difficult to answer the phone, check messages, and return calls. We will check messages @ 7:30 AM and 3:00 PM. Calls will be returned after 3:00. If you have an urgent message, please call the school office. Remember that we cannot honor transportation change requests left on our voice mail. This is for student protection. Please leave messages about your child’s absence on the attendance line (678-965-5090 ext.370110 ). These messages will be checked in the office then forwarded to our voice mail so there is no need to call the classroom to report an absence.
More Notes We recommend you have you child come to school and leave from school on Monday the same way they will everyday. This will help establish a routine. Also, we recommend that you not walk them down to the classroom, to help them make the transition easier. Please keep an extra pair of clothes in your child’s book bag in case of an accident or spill. Look for and read the regular PTA and school newsletters featuring the lunch menu and school news. We will observe each child’s birthday. Parents of the birthday child may wish to send in a special snack which will be served during lunch. Please see the new county guideline: you may not bring in home-made class snacks, they must be store bought. Summer birthdays will be observed during the last month of school. We will have a daily snack in the classroom at 10:30 am. We will be having a late lunch so please be sure to send a snack every day. Please make sure to send snacks that are nutritious and low in sugar. Chocolate is not recommended for snack. Candy is not allowed for snack.
Specials We will have specials every day from 1:30-2:15. You will be notified of session 2 special rotations as we approach those dates. Be sure to check your communication folder each week for any other changes!
Behavior Every child will have a behavior log in their take home folder, this is to be signed each night and left in your child’s folder. If your child has broken a rule listed on the behavior sheet a check will be placed on that day next to the rule broken. The rules match up with the areas graded on the report card. If there is no mark, your child had a great day and stayed on green. Consequences If a child breaks a rule a verbal warning will be given., child stays on green. If it happens again then the child will move to yellow and have to sit out 5 minutes of free centers. If the child continues to break rules they will move to red and miss 10 minutes of free centers.
Thank you so much for coming. We look forward to a wonderful year together. • Don’t forget… • to complete the forms and put them on the • back table. • to have your child wear their name badge to and from school everyday next week. • to visit the cafeteria to sign up for lunch accounts • to sign up for PTA in the cafeteria • to purchase a Kindergarten t-shirt to wear to school on Friday