I have posted here the parent information that I share with each of my families on the first day of school and at Back to School Night. If you have any questions about any of the information, please contact me.
Kindergarten - Room 209
Parent Information
Class Time:
Room 209 telephone #: (310) 606-6831 X 209 (Voicemail).
Drop Off/Pick Up: Children are to be dropped off and picked up at the Kindergarten gate, near the playground on
·For children who go to after-school care like Hilltop, the YMCA or TLC, their representatives will personally come to pick them up. The first week of school, please have your child wear a simple label or piece of tape that says which program he/she belongs to. This will allow me a chance to know where each child needs to be.
Lateness: Please be on time everyday. In case of lateness, bring your child to the School Office first, and then escort them to our classroom. Also inform the office if your child will be purchasing lunch that day because the lunch count will have already been taken. If you know your child will be late, please call or send a note ahead of time.
Absence: An absence note should accompany your child on the first day back, stating the reason for the absence along with the date(s) and your signature. To report an absence, please call (310) 606-6831.
Illness: If your child is not feeling well, please keep him/her at home. It is important for them to rest in a comfortable, quiet environment as well as to not infect anyone else. To report an illness, please call (310) 606-6831.
Emergency Forms: **Due by Thursday, Sept. 6th –tomorrow!!** Be sure that your emergency card is kept current, in case we need to contact you about your child.
Supplies: Attached is a list of items we could really use in our classroom. Please send in the requested supplies for your child as soon as possible, in a bag or baggie with your child's name on it. The other supplies are things we will need on-going throughout the year. Please see me if there is a financial burden.
Lunch: Please pack a nutritious lunch for your child each day. The children get very hungry and thirsty. You can order school lunch (monthly menu available) or send one in a lunchbox. Please do not send anything in a glass container; no soda or candy either. Please avoid sending cash for lunch to school with your child as all or part of it often gets lost. I strongly recommend purchasing a lunch card from the office, that’s used like a debit card, for school lunches only.
Backpacks: Your child needs to have a backpack large enough to fit a standard size folder (about the size of a binder). The children leave school with lots of papers and projects, so be sure that is brought to school every day. Please remember to write your child’s name on everything with a permanent marker, including backpacks, jackets, lunchboxes, etc.
Parent Volunteers: In order for me to get to know your children, parent helpers in the classroom will start in about three weeks. We will use helpers for about 1 hour each day between
Newsletter: Every child will have his/her own personal envelope for information going home. I will send out a newsletter packet every Monday to inform you about upcoming events and class doings. Each packet will contain:
· that week’s homework that will be due on Friday (or Monday)
· that week’s science experiment supplies, if any, also due by Friday
· advance notice of field trips, celebrations, etc.
Homework Box: Each child should have a Homework Box of his own that he can use at home. Suggestions of items to include could be crayons, pencils, colored markers, plain paper, scissors, glue or glue stick, old magazines to cut up, etc.
Book Orders: Parents who wish will have the opportunity to purchase books and software for their child through our book orders. These will come home about once a month. If you would like to order, please send the order for and money (cash or a check made out to the book club) in a sealed envelope, labeled “Book Order”, with your child.
Science: Many weeks, we will do a fun, informative, and “hands on” experiment with the class. You will receive a very brief list of supplies needed for it in the Monday newsletter. These are usually items that you probably already have at home, like straws, baking soda, vinegar, etc. The kids have such a wonderful time doing and watching science right before their eyes. We will cover basic concepts in chemistry, physics, and earth science using ordinary household items.
Memory Shirts: Each child in Kindergarten and TEDDE Kindergarten will have a Memory Shirt this year. These shirts will be kept at school and worn over the children's clothes on field trips and special days. This is a great way to identify children from our school when we are out in public. Students will bring these shirts home at the end of the year. We are requesting $8.00 from each student to cover the costs of the shirt and supplies to decorate the shirts. Please enclose your $8.00 (cash) in the attached envelope.
Birthday Celebrations: If you would like to celebrate your child's birthday at school, you may send a wrapped book to donate to our class library. We will not be having “birthday snacks” or “treats” this year, as we strive toward a nutritious environment for the children. A more detailed note will come home with your child shortly before his or her birthday.
Kindergarten Star: Each week we will spot-light one child on our Star board. This gives each child a chance to share his or her special qualities with the class. When it is your child's turn, he or she will bring home a note and a poster to complete. Parents are invited to come to school one day during your child's special week and read a book to the class that your child especially enjoys.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for all your support during the coming year. I am looking forward to teaching your children and watching them learn and grow! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me outside of our classroom hours and I will be glad to meet or speak with you as soon as possible. We are a team, working to make your child’s kindergarten experience a happy one. We’re in store for a wonderful, exciting school year ahead!
Mrs. Nancy Jacobson
Kindergarten Room 209
Following is a typical schedule for our class. I have included a brief description of the types of activities one is likely to find happening at a given time. There are no rigid schedules either in terms of time allotment or of specific activities, but rather guidelines I use as we move through our day together.
8:20 - 9:20 Early Bird Time: We will have only 10 children in the classroom at this time and will use this time for our math, reading readiness, and reading lessons. Math will usually be taught to the full group of 10, while reading lessons will usually be taught in smaller groups while part of the class is involved in Literacy Centers.
10:15 - 11:20 Center Time: Centers will include, but not be limited to the
11:20 - 12:05 Lunch
12:05 - 12:35 Unit Study on Mondays: This includes social studies, science, health, safety, and any other types of lessons that are appropriate at this time.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: Kindergarten Enrichment Rotation days, with
art class, computer lab, science, and PE.
Wednesdays: PE with our school PE specialist
Fridays: Alternate weeks we go to the school library or the computer lab.
12:35 - 12:45 Review of the day
Every other Thursday the students go to music class 10:00 – 10:30
Sharing is on Fridays, during Early Bird/Later Gator time
Special Times in Room 209
Birthdays: Birthdays are very special to young children and we will be celebrating each child's special day this year on a school day on or close to the actual birthday. Children who have birthdays during summer vacation will celebrate their "half" birthdays. I will be in touch with each family to set up a convenient date.
In Kindergarten, food treats will no longer be a part of your child’s birthday celebration at school. Instead of the sweet treat, your family may choose to: send in colorful pencils, erasers, a small “goodie bag” with toys or other items OR participate in the Birthday Book Club. This is an optional, yet wonderful, way of exposing children to the beauty of literature while at the same time building our classroom library. Here’s how it works: on your child’s birthday, he/she may bring in book to give to the class. Inside the cover, you can write a brief dedication. If the book is wrapped in birthday paper, your child will unwrap it for the class. We will read the birthday book as part of the birthday celebration.
Please remember that you are not obligated to do any of these. However you may find that the concept of a child sharing his/her birthday by being a giver rather than a receiver is a good one for the development of the child.
Sharing: Sharing is done in our classroom once a week, on Fridays, during Early Bird or Later Gator time. Your child should bring an item from home to share with the class. Your child will have the opportunity to show it and tell about it to the class. It needs to be brought in a bag with your child's name on the outside. Please help your child prepare for this by practicing 3 things to say about the item in front of the group. We usually pass the items around our circle so everyone can see them in detail. They are then put away in the children's backpacks and are not to be played with during the day. Please do not send any toys that suggest violence, such as guns, swords, pretend knives, etc.
Participating in our weekly sharing time is part of your child’s homework and oral language grade, so please help your child be prepared for this each week.
Thank you in advance for your assistance with this important part of the kindergarten program