The s of Kindergarten

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmwwrGV_aiE Thesof Kindergarten Ali Coe Jennifer Craig Desiree Gotses Laura Newman

2. is for… Attendance • Unless your child is ill, please make every attempt to have your child present at school and on time. • Our day begins promptly at 7:56 and the dismissal time is 2:45. • If your child is absent, you are required to provide a written note on the first day that your child returns to school. Please include the date, duration, and specific reason for the absence. • Tardies may not be excused without a doctor/dentist note. Students are considered tardy after 7:56. • You will receive notices from the district if your child has been absent multiple times. Excessive absences and tardies may be subject to a court appearance by the parents.

3. is for… • Every student is expected to follow our grade level rules. • Listen & follow directions • Keep hands, feet, & objects to yourself • Work together, get along, & show respect • Small Voices inside…. Tall voices outside • Students that follow the rules will have the opportunity to earn rewards. • Students that choose to break the rules will have consequences. Behavior

4. is for… • Reading, Writing, and Phonics • Mathematics • Science • Social Studies Curriculum

5. Reading/Phonics • We teach a Balanced Literacy Program using the Daily 5 approach. This block also includes phonic instruction. • We will focus on developing phonemic awareness, decoding skills, word recognition, comprehension, and oral reading fluency. • Sight words are important. The more sight words a student knows, the more fluently he/she will read. • Practice reading sight words nightly. • Read to Self • Read to a Partner • Work with Words • Work on Writing • Listening to Reading

6. Writing • We do lots of writing in Kindergarten. Children are encouraged to use phonetic spelling when they first start writing. Our goal is to encourage risk taking and independence in writing. Part of this process is to stress to children that phonetic spelling is acceptable, and to build their confidence in their ability to communicate in writing even if they can’t spell the word with “dictionary spelling.” • As sight words are introduced to the children, we expect them to move toward conventional spelling.

7. Students will learn the basic concepts of numbers, graphing, measurement, 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes, patterning, addition, subtraction, and more. • We begin each day with an in depth look at calendar concepts to develop a good foundation in number recognition, number ordering, days of the week, months of the year, etc.

8. Students will experience science through hands on experiences with the Scientific Process. • We conduct experiments in the Science lab throughout the school year. • Some of the topics we cover include weather, matter, plants, animals, and more.

9. Students will gain the knowledge to help them become more aware of the world around them and their environment. • We discuss such topics as families, cultures, people of today and long ago, holidays, traditions, citizenship, symbols, maps, globes, and life skills.

10. is for… • Discipline: • In the green folder, your child will have a behavior chart. The teacher will color in the color the child received for the day. • White – Great day! • Yellow – Recess penalty. • Orange – Recess penalty and center penalty. • Red – Removal from the classroom. *Please be sure to sign your child’s daily folder. Discipline

11. Guidelines for Success B Believe in yourself L Learn everyday A Always have a positive attitude Z Zero in on your goals E Expect your best R Respect your self and others S Strive for success

12. Bolin Hallway Expectations Voice level-0 Walk in a line! Walk on the right side of the hallway!

13. Cafeteria Rules C Clean up after yourself A Always use a quiet voice F Face forward and stay in your seat E Eat with manners

14. is for… • We try to check our email during the day and after school. This is the best way to contact us. • Important messages regarding a change in dismissal will require a call to the office. • If you send an email to your child’s teacher, please allow 24 hours for a response. Email

15. is for… We will have the opportunity to go on 3 field trips this year… If you plan to volunteer on field trips, you must have completed a background check each year. This can be completed at www.allenisd.org. Field trips are a special learning experience for our kindergarten students. Therefore, we ask that no siblings attend our field trips. Field Trips

16. is for… Green Folder • All Kindergarteners will have a green folder that will come home daily. It is crucial that you look each night in the folder and sign on the calendar. This is the way we communicate with you about your child. • All communication must be sent in the green take home folder. Teachers do not look in backpacks or other folders for notes, checks, etc.

17. is for… • Day Care Students – The students are walked by a staff member to a designated area where they will wait for their transportation. • Kid’s Club Students – The students are walked to the cafeteria where they meet the Kid’s Club staff. • Car Riders-This is for parents that will be remaining in their car. Teachers will take students to the front of the building to be placed in cars. Kindergarteners will be lined up in the grass past the front doors. Please do not get out of your car. Teachers will direct students to their cars. Heading Home

18. PE • Walkers/Park and Walk – This pick up is for parents who are parking and then walking up to get their child or students that will walk with siblings. The students will be walked to the North side (by the gym) of the school by the large parking lot. Please do not take your child out of the line. Students must wait to “high five” their teacher before they leave. *Once students have been dismissed to a parent, it is an expectation that students stay with their parent if waiting for siblings. Students should not be playing, running through the dismissal lines, or chasing each other. If someone else is picking up your child you MUST notify the office via a written note. They will have to be added to the approved list for your child. Please let the teacher know if your child is going home with someone else or if changes need to be made on how your child gets home.

19. is for… Involved • Be involved in your child’s learning. Your child will have sight words to practice, guided reading books to read and library books to enjoy. The more they practice these, the better reader they will become.

20. is for… I “Pick” Purpose: Why do I want to read? Interest: Does it interest me? Comprehend: Do I understand it? Know: Do I know most of the words? • Reading to your child and listening to your child read to you, taking your child to the library and providing “just right books” at home is of the utmost importance. • Students are taught at the beginning of the school year how to pick “just right books.” Just Right Books

21. is for… 7:45 Students may begin arriving to their class 7:55-8:15 Announcements 8:15-9:00 Calendar and Morning message 9:00-10:10 Literacy Block (Language Arts, Reading, and Writing) 10:15-10:35 Recess 10:45 – 11:20 Kindergarten Lunch (30 minutes per class) 11:20 – 12:00 Writing 12:00 – 12:25 Blazer Time 12:30 – 1:15 Specials: Includes: PE, Music, Library, or Art 1:20 – 2:10 Math/Science/Social Studies 2:10 – 2:35 Social Centers 2:45 Dismissal Kindergarten Schedule

22. is for… • Kindergarten classes go to lunch beginning at 10:45. Two classes will go at 10:45 and two classes will go at 10:50. • If you want to meet your child for lunch, please be prompt. Remember that it takes time to sign in at the office. • We ask that you DO NOT meet your child for lunch during the first 2 weeks of school. Learning the routine and practicing lunch room procedures is important during this time. Lunch and Library

23. Library • Students will have the opportunity to check out a book each week. Students make their selection by themselves, so they may be based on their interests, rather than “just right books”.

24. is for… Mascot • Each classroom has a class mascot that is sent home weekly with a student. Each child will have the chance to take the class mascot home. Parents will record the events that happen over the weekend, and the student will share their adventures with the class!

25. is for… • Our weekly newsletter will go home each Monday. • Newsletters will include upcoming events, subjects and skills we will be learning, as well as other important information. • Some information will also be sent via email. • PLEASE be sure that you check your e-mail and update your information if you have any changes throughout the year. Newsletters

26. is for… Outside Recess • Bolin students will not be going outside for recess if the heat index is 95 degreesor higher. All teachers will be checking www.weatherbug.com for updated temperatures prior to their recess times. • In addition, when the weather turns cooler classes will not be going outside for recess if the temperature “feels like” below 40 degrees.

27. is for… • Students should be able to take care of all bathroom needs on their own, including wiping, pulling up pants, buttoning, and zipping. • Students should keep a change of clothes in their backpacks at all times. • (Be sure to keep seasonally appropriate clothing in backpacks.) • Please discuss with your child the importance of asking to use the restroom and trying to use the restroom at all opportunities so as to avoid accidents. Practice recognizing when to use the restroom before it becomes an emergency. • All toilets at Bolin are automatic flushing. Please practice using an automatic toilet so that your child is comfortable with the noise and flushing. Personal Hygiene

28. is for… • Please feel free to contact the teachers at anytime. You can reach us by email or phone. • We are available for conferences by appointment. Questions

29. is for… • Report card ratings: • below grade level • towards grade level • on grade level • 4 above grade level • Report Cards go home every nine weeks. • Grade level expectations increase as student knowledge increases. Refer to the weekly newsletter for skills that we are emphasizing. • Academic conferences will be held as needed. Report Cards

30. is for… Snack Time • Snack– The students may bring one healthy snack item. If a child forgets their snack, the school is unable to provide one for them. • Our snack time will be during center time. Students will have the choice to go to their center or eat their snack at their table before going to centers. Students that bring a snack must be able to open their snack and clean up after themselves. Please pack the snack separately from their lunch. • Please know that there will be some days that we will not be able to have centers, therefore snack will not be offered on those days. Thank you for understanding. • Water bottle- Your child may bring a water bottle with them each day. All water bottles MUST have a “sport” top to avoid accidental spills. Please fill with water only. Must be filled at home!

31. is for… • Every Tuesday, district and campus information will be sent home in a separate folder. Please make sure to look through this information and return folder to school on Wednesday. • Do not send any communication to your child’s teacher in the Tuesday folder. Tuesday Folders

32. is for… • Please make sure that you keep all of your information current with the office and teachers. The following things must be up to date: • Email • Cell phone number • Home phone number • Approved student pick up list Update Your Information

33. is for… • Whether you are volunteering to chaperone a field trip or work in the classroom, you must complete a background check. No parents are allowed to assist in the classroom or chaperone a group of children unless this has been completed. • To complete the background check, you will need to go to www.allenisd.org and fill out an online form. • It takes approximately 2 weeks for approval. We suggest that you complete the form ASAP. This form will have to be updated every school year. Volunteers

34. is for… • Current information, dates, and upcoming events can be found on the Bolin website. • http://www.allenisd.org/bolines • Every teacher has a webpage. You can locate these under the Faculty/Staff drop down menu on the Bolin website. Website

35. is for… • Birthdays – Treats are not allowed to be eaten at school. If you would like to send something to school for your child’s birthday, it must be individually wrapped so the teacher can send it home in the students’ backpacks. Also, if you would like to send out invitations at school we ask that you send an invitation for every child in the class OR all the boys or all the girls. • Attire- If your child wears sandals, please send socks and tennis shoes in their backpacks for physical education class and recess. Classroom temperatures vary. It is a good idea to have a sweater or sweatshirt in your child’s backpack just in case. Refer to the Bolin Student Handbook for appropriate school attire. • Toys- Please do not let your child bring toys to school. • Backpacks – Please send your child with a full-size backpack every day. EXtra Information

36. is for… Your Child • Children are responsible for their own materials and possessions. They should be able to unpack their things in the morning, as well as pack their own things in the afternoon without help. • This would be a great time to begin “chores” with your child if you haven’t done so already. Building responsibility at home helps children be responsible at school. Age appropriate jobs at home would include setting or clearing the table, picking up toys, collecting trash, etc.

37. is for… Please make sure that your child gets plenty of sleep each night, so that he/she is well rested and ready for the challenges of kindergarten. It is recommended that 5 and 6 year olds get at least 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night. Zzzzz…

38. Thank you for coming!