Getting Ready for Kindergarten
The Welcome to Kindergarten TImeline:
February 1st - Information evening - come hear more about Steve MacLean Public School, the OCDSB, and the OCDSB Kindergarten Program See the Presentation Here
March 27th 6:00-7:30 OCDSB Speaker Series: Let's Talk About Kindergarten Success Webinar (Registration Required for this optional event) - ocdsb.ca/speakerseries
June - SMPS Kindergarten Family Open House evening - families can tour the Kindergarten Wing, see our classrooms, and meet our educators
Week of August 29th: Look for email communication from the school about first day procedures
September 3rd: First Day of School for all students
Copy of Welcome to Kindergarten Handouts .pdfHere is a printable chart that shows you some things your child can practice doing on their own as they prepare for Kindergarten!
Visit the Parenting in Ottawa School Readiness webpage:
https://www.parentinginottawa.ca/en/children/school-readiness.aspx
Things to Bring to School:
These items will stay at school:
Shoes your child can independently put on and take off (labelled with your child's name) - these will stay in their cubby
An extra set of clothes (pants, shirt, socks, underwear) in a Ziploc bag labelled with your child's name - these will stay in their cubby
The supplies we request for Kindergarten are: a package of markers, crayons , glue sticks, and pencil crayons (no other school supplies are needed).
Things to send to school each day:
A backpack big enough to fit a lunch bag, library books, extra clothes, etc. (no small/mini backpacks, please)
A lunch bag with nourishing food that your child will eat
A non-breakable, non-spill water bottle labelled with your child's name
Safe and Healthy at School
Medical Concerns
Please call the school office at 613-822-0341 to let the office know of any medical conditions and / or allergies before school starts in September.
Allergies
We are an allergy aware school. Please do not send nuts or nut products to school. More information will be sent home in September if a student in your child's class has allergies to a specific food.
Hand Washing
Please continue to practice hand-washing at home as your child prepares to start school.
A Good Night’s Sleep
Early bedtime is important. During the first weeks of school, you can expect your child to be tired by the end of the school day as their body adjusts to a new routine. Our days are full and students are able to manage well when they are rested.
Having a consistent bedtime that allows your child to get enough sleep helps them to be rested and ready to learn! Children age 3-5 need 10-13 hours of sleep per night.
Special Needs Considerations
To help ease the transition to school, we appreciate that all assessments and/or documentation (Speech and Language Assessments, First Words, CHEO, Psychological Assessment, Occupational Therapy, etc.) be shared with our Learning Support Team as soon as possible. As a first step, please call the school 613-822-0341 so that we can connect with you.
For a new diagnosis of ASD or DD, the OCDSB has an intake process - more details available upon request.
Encouraging Independence
Practice!
Teach and encourage your child to dress themselves, including learning to tie, snap, button and zip their own clothing and shoes
Have your child practice opening and closing their school bag and lunch bag
Have your child practice taking out and putting their lunch bag in their school bag
Have your child practice opening and closing containers.
Model and encourage the practice of good hygiene - washing hands, covering mouth with your arm when coughing/sneezing, using a tissue, etc.
Have your child get into the habit of putting toys away and cleaning up after playing
Bathroom Skills
Children should be able to:
Undo clothing independently
Put the toilet seat up and down
Wipe themselves
Flush the toilet
Fasten clothing independently
Wash and dry hands
Here is one of our favourite videos to help!
Daniel Tiger Listens to His Body
Communication of Learning
The Kindergarten team uses many strategies and tools to communicate throughout the year. We also use observation data to plan for meaningful play-based learning and inquiry.
There will be 3 formal reports sent home to families:
Initial Observation Report (November)
Communication of Learning Term 1(February)
Communication of Learning Term 2 (June)
To go back to our school website, please click here: https://stevemacleanps.ocdsb.ca/