Welcome to Kindergarten Orientation

1. Find your child’s table spot and put all their supplies in the bag(not the chair pocket) at their chair. Make sure their name is on their glue bottle, paint shirt, watercolor paints and their towel. There are permanent markers at the round table if you need them!

2. Welcome to Kindergarten Orientation

3. How Does Your Child Go Home? • Check the note – sign it, correct it • I will call out their name – hand it to me • Make sure you have the laminated name sheets. • 40 – pink 37- blue 36- orange • 30 – magenta 15- yellow 13- white

4. Mrs. Steveson • 22nd year teaching in District 86 • Bachelors from ISUMasters from Aurora University • National Board Certified Teacher

5. SIGN IN SHEET • There is a clipboard to sign up for parent conferences on the large round table feel free to pass it around while I am talking. On the same clipboard is a Friday volunteer time, if you are available. • VOLUNTEERS: Please fill out a volunteer sheet if you will be helping in the classroom, coming to parties, etc.

6. Drop Off and Pick Up • You will drop off /pick up your child in the gym. (If they are late, please take them to the office.) • Car riders – You will see a line of parents outside the gym door closest to the playground. When you get your child you need to have their name checked off the list – a teacher will be there with a clipboard.

7. I am looking forward to a great school year! As partners in your child’s education, please keep me appraised of any concerns or changes that might affect your child’s ability to learn. I will send notes home celebrating your child’s achievements. I will, also, send notes to give you ideas on how you can help your child with any areas of weakness. I will call or write a note if there is a behavior concern, as well.

8. Notes! Notes! Notes! • Please check your child’s folder daily for notes. Also, it is important to empty out all their papers on a daily basis. Your child should bring their green folder every day. I will check their folder pockets for notes each morning. Please make sure everything is in their folder. I do not get into their book bags. Thanks for your help!

9. Kindergarten Hours • Mon.,Aug. 19- Fri.,Aug. 30 : 8:00-2:00 (students will eat lunch here at school) • Regular Hours: 8:40-3:10 (begins Sept. 3 ) • (Walkers/ Car riders should arrive no sooner than 7:50 on heat schedule and 8:30 the rest of the school year.)

10. Breakfast Cost is $1.00 Students may eat breakfast at school. Please send money for breakfast, lunch, or milk in an envelope marked with your child’s name and pin number or you can pay online. HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN THEIR LUNCH NUMBER! Breakfast

11. Morning Activities • After I have checked your child’s folder each day, your child will have a learning activity to complete. Then it will be book time on the rug.

12. We will do our calendar and our Special Helper of the day activities. Calendar Time

13. Reading • This whole group lesson stresses basic skills such as left to right, one to one correspondence, letter-sound relationships, predicting what will happen next in the story and using reading strategies.

14. Students will work at one of these stations : Listening station(mp3 players) Big Book station Pocket Chart station ABC station Writing station Teacher directed station Literacy Workstation TimeEvery Friday- Can you help?

15. Recess and Snack • The kindergarten students will go outside for morning recess on Mon., Wed., and Fri. They will have an afternoon recess on Tues. and Thurs. • Please send in $3.00 each month for daily juice. See sheet of snack ideas. Every family sends in 1 snack each month.

16. We are following Common Core Math this year. We will cover these topics: Sorting/Classifying Numbers 0-100 Using 10 frames Comparing weight or length of objects Geometry (basic shapes and 3-D ones) Addition/Subtraction Math Time

17. Lunch • 12:05-12:35 • Hot lunch costs $1.90 • (Please send the money in an envelope with your child’s name and lunch number on it or you can pay online.) • Cold lunch (We do not have refrigeration for student’s lunches from home so you will need to include a cold pack for any cold food items. Your child can buy a milk or water. Please keep money in their lunch account for this.) • Students have a short recess at the end of the lunch period. Please send your child appropriate outer wear: mittens, hats, etc.

18. Science/ Social Studies • Our social studies curriculum covers such topics as maps, school time, following rules, workers, and similarities/differences between long ago and today. • Our science activities include exploration of magnifying glasses, magnets, plants, shadows, thermometers, etc.

19. Library/ Computer Time • We will go to the library on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Each student will spend 30 minutes on the computer lab one day and 30 minutes on the library side the other day each week. Your child will bring home a library book that can be kept up to 2 weeks. (Book must be brought back to school the following Monday to get a new one.)

20. Home-School Connection • I put a weekly note about our activities online. If you prefer a paper copy, please send me a note. • If you have internet access, you can get on the district site and find activities online. • Reading homework (not required but encouraged) will be sent home at least 3 times a month.

21. When your child brings home a little book with a happy face in the top right corner, they need to read it aloud 3 times, have it signed by an adult on the back cover, and return it to school. Little Books

22. Report Cards • Report cards are sent home 4 times a year at 9 week intervals. • There will be a parent-teacher conference in October. You will get your child’s first report card at that time. • Kindergarten report card is a skill check off card. Each child is tested individually to determine what skills have been mastered.

23. Visiting • You are welcome to come visit the classroom and have lunch with your child during visiting week this fall.

24. Party Time There are 3 parties during the school year: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day

25. Going Home • Please check that I have the correct location for your child to be dropped off after kindergarten each day. You need to have the same drop off every day of the week. You can come pick them up from school (send note, please) if they are not going to the babysitter or day care that day.

26. Handbook Information • Please read over and then sign the handbook sheet to return to school Monday in the take home folder.

27. HOT DAYS AHEAD! • Please send a water bottle with your child daily on hot days (usually until Mid-Sept.) Your child can fill it up at the water fountain throughout the day. Some families freeze the bottle ½ full.

28. 11 CRAYONS and 1 Glue Stick • Please take one box of 24 crayons out -put the following color crayons in the zippered pouch: (the rest of the box can go home) • red, blue, yellow, green, • orange, purple, brown, black • white, gray, pink

29. Additional Information • You can call the school at 427-5500 and leave a message with the secretary if your child is ill, getting picked up early, or getting picked up by someone different that day. • You are welcome to e-mail me with any questions, concerns, or comments at: steveson@epd86.orgor leave a message on my phone at 427-5505. I check my e-mail/phone messages at 7:30AM daily. • Birthdays: We love to celebrate! The health department, however, requires all treats to be store-bought. Please send in a small treat such as a mini candy bar, donut holes, small cookie, small cup of ice cream or apples with caramel dip. • Book orders will be sent home 4-6 times during the year. If you would like to order, just fill out the form and send a check made out to the book club. (You may send cash, if you prefer.) If you want to use the books as gifts for your child, just write gift across the order form and I will notify you when the books come in so you can pick them up from the office.

30. Final Reminders • DON’T FORGET YOUR CHILD’S BOOK BAG and the colored bus slips. Did you get your child’s name tag? (Have them wear it on Monday) Did you get a stapled packet of info.?