Arrival and Departure

School hours are 8:15am 3:15pm

There are many things that I do to prepare for your childs classroom
experience and it is appreciated when you and your child wait until I open
the door each morning at 8:10a.m. Please wait quietly in the hall or feel free
to use our Kids Club as early as 7:15 a.m. at no charge. I like to greet each
child personally and help them get started into the daily routine. Class will
begin promptly at 8:15 a.m. Please make every effort to have your child to
school by this time each day.

When children come into the building they need to hang their backpack in
their locker before entering the classroom, and put their folder in the
special bin, located inside our classroom on top of their cubbies. Parents,
please remember that this is your childs responsibility, not yours! Allowing
them to complete these simple tasks on their own helps them to build
confidence and feel good about themselves.

Just as arrival time is important to your childs day, so is departure time.
Please plan to be on time, but if you do happen to be late on occasion, please
call the office so we can relay the message to your child. Children who
havent been picked up by 3:20 p.m. will be taken to Kids Club. There is a
charge for afternoon Kids Club.

Absences and Illness

If your child will not be at school for the day, please call the school or let
me know in advance, (if possible). I always worry when my students dont
show up!

Please keep your child home for 24 hours after vomiting or after a fever has
broken to avoid spreading the illness to others at school. All children will be
going outside each day therefore, they should be well enough to go outside
when they come to school.

If it is necessary to administer medications at school we MUST have your
permission and specific instructions in writing. The EC administrative
assistant administers all medications. The secretary has the necessary
paperwork for you to fill out before she can administer medication to your
child.

Accidents and Allergies

I will try to let you know when your child has had those minor mishaps that
may need TLC and a Band-Aid. Please let me know if your child is allergic to
Band-Aids because they are usually a cure-all for this age group. For cuts
and abrasions, children will be asked to wash the wound with soap and water.

Please let me know immediately about any allergies, medication, or special
needs that your child has. If at any time during the year there are changes
that may affect your childs behavior or health, please let me know.

Communication

Your child will have a special folder that will go home with them each day and
be brought back to school the following day. The main purpose of this folder
is to send home student work and as a means of sending and receiving notes
between parents, teachers, and the school. Please check your childs folder
when your child arrives home each day. Each morning, your child is
responsible for bringing their folder into the room and placing it in the
folder bin.

My website will have regular updates and monthly newsletters. To access it,
please go to www.wcsks.com, and click on Early Childhood. I am under the
EC Teacher Pages icon as part of the Kindergarten group.

Phone Calls and Emails

If you need to get an important message to me before school is out please
call our Early Childhood administrative assistant and ask that the message
be delivered to me in person. For non-urgent messages you may leave me a
phone message. I check my voicemail at various times throughout the day
and again at the end of the day. I will return your call as soon as I am able.
My preferred mode of communication is email. I usually check this
throughout the day [email protected].



Classroom Behavior

In Kindergarten, there are many rules and procedures for the students to
learn and follow. The school year will be packed full of fun and learning. In
order for each child to have a successful school year, I believe it is
imperative that they listen and follow directions as well as learn classroom
procedures. Behavior in the classroom is guided to help the children make
decisions about their actions before they occur, understand the
consequences of their actions, and to take responsibility for their actions.
Children are encouraged to interact positively with those around them. They
will have classroom responsibilities and share in the decision making.

Respecting each child, no matter what has happened, is an important child
management technique. At WCS, children are treated with the utmost
compassion, should the need for correction arise. Children treated with
respect will become respectful and that is our goal! We do expect
appropriate behavior and each child is aware of these expectations. If
necessary, any behavior concerns will be communicated with you in a note,
email, or phone call.
Conferences

Parent conferences are held three times a year. It is very important that
one or both parents attend. If you wish to see me for any reason at a time
other than the regularly scheduled conferences please let me know. I will be
happy to set a time to meet with you. Your concerns are important to me
and I do want to hear them.

Field Trips

Advance notice will be sent home regarding field trips. You will always need
to sign and return a permission slip in order for your child to go on a field
trip. Parent volunteers are always needed as chaperones and to provide
transportation as necessary.


Clothing

THIS IS A WARNING! We love to do messy things inside the classroom
and outside and we will be doing a lot of it! Please send your child to school
in play clothes. We will take precautions such as wearing paint aprons, etc.,
but they are not always successful. Children need to make mud pies, paint,
and do many other things involving the body in learning. Please dont
admonish your child for messy clothing. Eventually they will not want to
participate in these important activities, thus limiting their exploration of
the environment and eliminating a very important avenue of learning. It is
always a good idea to have an extra pair of clothes in your childs backpack
or locker just in case!

Please see that your child comes dressed with clothing that is appropriate
for the weather conditions, especially in the winter months.

Your child needs to wear tennis shoes on P.E. day. On occasion the students
and parents forget and children are unable to participate in P.E. that day if
they dont have the appropriate shoes. You are welcome to bring and extra
pair of tennis shoes to leave in your childs locker. This would insure that
your child never has to miss P.E.


Snacks

Due to allergies and student and/or parent food preference, students will
bring their own snack each day to kindergarten. We will start doing this
on the first day of school. We will have one snack in the morning. Many
students enjoy bringing their snacks in a small lunch box. If it needs to be
kept cold please put a cold pack in with the snack. Remember our classrooms
are nut free! (This includes peanut butter). Please send nutritious snacks
such as fruits, vegetables and dip, cheese, crackers, muffins, popcorn,
nutritious cookies, sandwiches, etc. No candy please. If you choose to send
fruit, please see that it is already cut and ready to go for your child and
that you provide eating utensils if necessary. Water will be provided with
snack. You do not need to send a drink. Snacks will be kept in your childs
locker until snack time.



Valuables

Money, jewelry, and childrens toys need to remain at home due to potential
loss or damage. Toys are a distraction during our school learning time.
Please clearly label items of clothing such as jackets, coats, etc. Believe it
or not, there are occasions when two turn up that are just alike.



Birthdays

Birthdays are an important event in a childs life. For these special days,
your child may bring a sweet treat to share with the class. A serving of
fruit, cheese, or yogurt are always good choices in providing a healthy
balance. Please do not pass out treat bags! I really appreciate your help and
support in this area. Please let me know ahead of time when you plan on
bringing birthday treats so that we can plan accordingly.
Our school policy states that no birthday invitations are to be passed out
at school. Invitations often get lost and dont make it home, they are a
distraction at school, and can cause hurt feelings.




Holiday Parties

Party day is every childs favorite day! School parties are usually one hour in
length with games and treats planned and provided by the parents. Parents
may request a specific party to help with. There will be a sign-up sheet
outside the classroom door a couple of weeks before the party. All party
games should be non-competitive. Arts and crafts projects may be planned
instead of, or in addition to, games. Party bags are not allowed.




Parents Role

Rest, nutritious meals, and a secure loving home are all requisites for a child
to concentrate at school. The feelings that accompany learning have
significant effects on how children learn. If they have positive feelings,
children tend to participate with a high degree of motivation and
involvement and are more likely to derive permanent gain. If childrens
feelings are negative they are poorly motivated, participate minimally, and
are less likely to derive permanent gains.

A parents relationship with the child plays an important role in the academic
success of his or her child. The teacher and school are just two factors in
assisting the child to reach his or her potential. Tit is the parents and
schools joint responsibility to help the child become an educated, sensitive,
caring person, who, as an adult, will recognize the opportunities and
obligations of freedom.

I sincerely appreciate your support and feel that by working together we can
make this year an exciting educational experience for your child. Thank you!


Mrs. Peggy Drew





Here are just a few things you can do to help your child this
school year:

Read with your child!!

Play phonics games: While driving in the car, ask Do you see
anything that starts with the letter R?

Go on Word Hunts. Try and have your child find simple words
(was, the, me, for), in books, in stores, while driving, etc.

Have them practice writing their first and last name.

Review their phone number and address.

Count with them.

Review simple math facts and talk about simple stories: If I had
2 pencils, then someone gave me 3 more, how many would I have?

Help them learn to tie their shoes.

Help them learn to zip their jackets.

Most importantMake learning fun!!!


An apple for the teacher
Is really nothing new
Except when you remember
Parents are teachers too!


Kindergarten Math Curriculum

This year, your child will be using Kindergarten Everyday Mathematics, a
program created through the University of Chicago School Mathematics
Project. This program is based on research and experience that show young
children are capable of far more mathematics learning in Kindergarten than
was previously believed possible, provided that the content is presented in
ways appropriate for children of Kindergarten age.

To many of us who learned to think of mathematics primarily as written
work, it may be hard at first to believe that considerable mathematics
learning is taking place in this program. Few papers come home. The children
seem to be playing! However, these playful activities are meaningful and
productive and help children become independent and comfortable thinkers
about mathematical ideas. Research has shown that young children often
have difficulty with written and symbolic mathematics if it is emphasized
too early before a strong foundation based on experience and
understanding has been built.

Exciting classroom mathematics activities include counting, numeration,
measurement, geometry, patterns, data collecting, and calculator use.
Classroom routines give children real-life opportunities to develop and refine
a variety of mathematics skills. These include such activities as keeping
track of the days of school, monitoring and graphing daily weather
conditions, recording attendance, and daily calendar routines.

I hope that through our kindergarten math curriculum both you and your
child will find that mathematics is useful, enjoyable, varied, and meaningful.
Just as we know that telling stories and reading books to children help to
foster a love of reading, your support of mathematics learning will help your
child develop lasting confidence and competence. These will carry over into
many areas in everyday life and the school curriculum, this year and in the
years to come.




Dear Parents,
This year your child will participate in an intense, systematic phonics program. Phonics
teaches beginning readers the phonetic (or spoken) value of letters, letter combinations,
and syllables. Although reading is not the main goal of kindergarten, it is what most
children want to learn more than anything else when they begin school.

Reading is learned most easily when taught in a systematic way. Our curriculum, Saxon
Phonics, presents information incrementally (in small, easily understandable bits) and
reviews them daily. New learning gradually builds upon old learning, and regular practice
reinforces both. Through this process of incremental development and continual practice
and review, your child will experience success every day.

You can help your child in several ways. First, review your childs schoolwork and ask what
he/she learned every day. This will reinforce the concepts taught. Second, have your child
practice reading words on the reading practice sheet, worksheets, sight word cutouts, and
other materials sent home. Third, listen attentively as your child reads. Finally, read your
child the comprehension questions in the back of the readers, and help him/her answer
them, if necessary. The practice materials will include any needed directions, and additional
information may be sent home to help you participate in your childs learning.

Recent research indicates the importance of developing phonological and phonemic
awareness when learning to read. Phonological awareness is a broad group of skills needed
for recognizing rhymes and letter/sound groupings within words. An essential component of
phonological awareness is phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is:
1. An awareness that words consist of separate sounds and
2. The ability to hear and manipulate those sounds
Your child will be given a brief oral assessment before beginning phonics to determine
his/her levels of phonological and phonemic awareness. During this assessment, your child
will be asked to:
1. Tell whether two words are the same or different
2. Distinguish between a single-syllable and multi-syllable word
3. Tell whether two words rhyme and think of a rhyming word
4. Tell whether two letter sounds are the same or different
5. Identify the initial sound when given a group of words beginning with the same
letter.
Children must develop a basic level of phonemic awareness before they can learn phonics, so
identifying those who need extra help is crucial. Most children are ready to begin the
phonics program after some focused practice. Activities to help your child acquire
phonological and phonemic awareness will be provided, and doing them takes only a few
minutes each day.
If your child learns to read this year, thats great! If your child learns only letters and
sounds, thats great too! If you ever sense that your child feels unsuccessful or frustrated,
please let me know.

Mrs. Peggy Drew