W e l c o m e to Kindergarten!!

1. Welcome to Kindergarten!!

2. Welcome!! I would like to welcome you and your child to kindergarten. I am very excited to begin this crucial year for your child. I look forward to working together throughout the year.

3. High Expectations Kindergarten has drastically changed over the past few years; although playing and socializing are still necessary for five-year-old children, the academic expectations are great. Some things that your child will learn include • Letters, Sounds, and Sight Words • Reading books and Writing short stories • Addition and Subtraction

4. Supply List Please send your child’s supplies as soon as possible. Some of the supplies will be collected and used as community supplies. A supply list is included in this packet.

5. Supply List Personal Supplies (Please put names on these items) *1 backpack--Large enough to hold folders and reading books and NO bags on wheels *1 Small 5x8 art box *1 pair of scissors--blunt end *1 box of crayons (24 count) *2 Beginners Pencils with erasers *1 or 2 hand-held erasers *Jacket with a hood--No strings please Community Supplies (no names on these items) *4 or more glue sticks *1 box of Kleenex *4 large size dry erase markers *Clorox wipes *4 plain pocket folders – with prongs please *1 pump bottle of hand sanitizer *1 box of markers OR colored pencils *1 package of napkins-- (only girls send these in) *1 roll of paper towels (only boys send these in) *1 package of baggies (Boys: Gallon; Girls: Sandwich) 

6. Lunch • Students have several choices for lunch each day. There is one main entrée daily; they can also have pizza or peanut butter sandwich every day. • Students serve themselves their “side items”. After they are given their main choice, they move to a hot bar and cold bar and choose the fruits, vegetables, and pasta that they would like.

7. Lunch • Regular price for a student lunch is $2.25; the price for reduced lunch is $.40. • Lunch can be paid several days in advance; the money is put on your child’s account. When your child’s account is getting low, the cashier will send an envelope for lunch money home with your child. • Forms for free and reduced lunch need to be returned as soon as possible.

8. Breakfast • Breakfast is available every morning starting at 7:30. • Breakfast is FREE to ALL students, so encourage your child to stop in the cafeteria for breakfast each morning.

9. Snacks Each afternoon, we will have a snack time. I ask each family to send one snack for the class each month. We will have around 25 students in our class, so please send enough for 25 children. Thanks for your support!! Some snack ideas include • a box of Rice Krispie treats • pouches of fruit snacks • apples, bananas, grapes, or fruit cups • a box of cheese crackers • a package of cookies • a bag of pretzels or cheese puffs • popcorn

10. Folders • Your child will be bringing home a folder each day; please look at this folder each evening and return it to school the next day. • Please place any notes or lunch money in this folder. • On Fridays, a newsletter will also be in this folder.

11. Bus Notes • If your child needs to ride a different bus on a certain day, you must send a note with him/her that morning. The note should tell where the child is going, who will be there for him/her, and the number of the bus. • A note is also needed if a child who usually rides the bus is going to be picked up on a certain day. • Please put these bus notes in your child’s folder.

12. Homework • Our class will usually have 1-2 pages of written homework each week. More importantly, in each week’s newsletter, I will let you know what we are focusing on in reading, writing, and math and provide some ideas for practice at home. • I will also send home flash cards often in your child’s folder. When your child has flash cards, please practice them each night for a few minutes.

13. Homework • We will also be using a lot of “little books”. At the beginning of the year, these will be paper copies that the children have read and colored at school. Please have a special spot for your child to keep these books and encourage them to read them over and over. When you read them a bedtime story, maybe they can also read one of their books to you. • Later in the year, I will begin to send home guided reading books that your child will read and return to school the next day.

14. Exit Slips • Exit Slips are weekly tests of the “I Can” statements for that week. These tests are the same for all of the kindergarten classes in our district. • In each week’s newsletter, I will tell you which “I Can” statements will be tested on the next exit slip. This will be the focus of our learning for the week. • These weekly tests will also cover everything that will be tested again at the end of the nine weeks for report cards.

15. Exit Slips

16. Sight Words • Our district has a list of 90 sight words that kindergarteners should learn to read. We will focus on 3 words each week. Please help your child learn practice reading the new words each week, as well as review words that they have already learned.

17. Sight Words First Grading Period a I like see the so no go my can boy girl cat dog name Second Grading Period up to look all you we me in is it do on am he she be yes an at and ran ball box man

18. Sight Words Third Grading Period big and too said come for here little are not play one two three four five run sun but red blue yellow white black brown green Fourth Grading Period away down under where find jump funny help make have into our out saw that they this was went will cow bed car top pig

19. Behavior Plan We have a school wide behavior plan based on a “color-coded” system. • Rainbow= SUPER Day!! • Green= GREAT Day! • Yellow = Loss of 10 minutes Recess Time • Red = Loss of All Recess Time • Blue = Loss of Recess and Office Referral Your child will bring home a behavior card each day with the color marked for the day. Please initial the box each day and then sign at the end of the week.

20. SampleBehavior Card Jacob 56

21. Behavior Plan Rewards Every day that your child stays on green, he or she will receive a penny to place in his/her bank. At the end of the month, the children will have a day when they can “shop” in the classroom store to buy small prizes with their pennies.

22. Money The cafeteria has special envelopes for lunch money; please use these envelopes when sending money for their lunch account. If you are sending money for any other reason, please label the envelope with your child’s name, my name, the amount of money in the envelope, and what the money is to be used for. Johnny Johnson Miss Williams- Kindergarten $2.00 Book Fair Money

23. Attendance • Attendance is very important; kindergarten is mandatory and students need to be here as much as possible. Much of the learning that occurs in our classroom is hands-on and cannot be completed as “make-up work.” • If a child is sick and needs to stay home, you need to send a note with the child when he/she returns. The note needs to tell the child’s name, the reason he was absent, and the dates he was absent. Please place these notes in your child’s folder.

24. Toys • Our school has a “no toys” rule. No toys, Pokemon cards, games, jewelry, etc. should be brought to school. • Later in the school year, we may have special times for “Show and Tell” when the children can bring in some things to share.

25. Parties • We will have several parties throughout the year. We usually have Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines’ Day parties, as well as an Easter Egg Hunt. • I will send home information about the parties a couple of weeks before the parties; I will ask parents to volunteer to bring in or send in cupcakes, brownies, cookies, chips, treat bags, and drinks. • Parents and grandparents are invited to join the fun!!

26. Field Trips • We should have our annual trip to the fairgrounds for Farm Day this spring. We may also have other trips sometime during the year. • If you would like to go with us on any field trip, you must have a background check (fingerprinting) through Central Office. The cost is around $35.00. You will need to call Phyllis at 544-5586 to schedule an appointment.

27. Volunteers • I would LOVE to have parents, grandparents, or other family members volunteer in the classroom. If you could volunteer an hour or two once or twice a week, it would be wonderful. Volunteers could • Listen to children read • Work with flash cards for letters, sounds, numbers, and sight words • Work on handwriting with white boards

28. Volunteers • If you would like to volunteer, you must have a background check (fingerprinting) through Central Office. The cost is around $35.00. You will need to call Phyllis at 544-5586 to schedule an appointment. This only has to be done once as long as you continue to live in the Adams County/ Ohio Valley School District.

29. Special Schedule This year, our class will be split for specials. This means that each day, 1/3 of our class will go to Gym, 1/3 of our class will go to Music, and 1/3 of our class will go to Art. Students will be assigned to the B, C, or D group and will go to special based on that. I will send home a calendar for each child to let you which special your child will have. The special classes will go in order: Music, Art, Gym, so if your child will know if they have Art one day, then they will need to wear their tennis shoes the next day.

30. Special Schedule- Group B Alivia Brummett Cason Campbell Breckin Clark Addison Cole Hannah Easterling Cadence Geeslin Abby Gough Miley Hesler Jaylen Hickman

31. Special Schedule- Group C Cash Hupp Amara Johnson Joshua Kinhalt Zaylee Maxwell Annabelle McIntosh Landon McIntosh Riley Morgan Joseph Piatt

32. Special Schedule- Group D Grant Richey Zachary Robinson Seth Rowland Caleb Sharp Brody Smith Tyler Stamper Payton Whalen Olivia Wilson

33. Class Website • I have created a class website to share information throughout the year. I plan on adding pictures of the students and ideas for home practice. I encourage you to check it out often!! http://www.northadamskwa.weebly.com

34. Communication • If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas that you would like to talk about, please feel free to contact me. I would love to talk with you about your child. I have scheduled time each day from 12:15-12:55 to meet with parents. I will also gladly schedule time before or after school to meet your schedule. Call the school between 12:15-12:55 to make arrangements to meet. Feel free to call me at home if you would like. I look forward to a great year working with you and your child.

35. Contact Info • School Phone Number 386-2516 ext. 32160 • Home Phone Number 587-5331 • Email Address melissa.williams@ovsd.us