Mrs. Horvath - Kindergarten - Room 113
Welcome to Kindergarten at Harvest Elementary! What an exciting time for your new student! I hope this resource will answer many of the questions you have regarding school and provide you with additional information that you may find useful. Any extra guidance the children can receive in understanding the school day will help them adjust to Kindergarten. This letter will outline important information that will help establish routines and expectations for our youngest learners.
The curriculum will offer developmentally appropriate experiences in language, math, fine and gross-motor skills, social interaction and school readiness. Students will have a rich classroom experience that is augmented with “Specials” classes including: Art, Innovation Lab, Media, Music and Physical Education. I am so very excited to share this school year with you and your child. TOGETHER, we will make this year GREAT!
Arrival
School begins at 8:51 a.m. If you are planning to bring your child to school daily, you should aim to do so at or slightly before 8:35 a.m., when the first bell rings. Harvest staff members will be outside to support arrival, daily, especially this first week of school.
Young 5s and Kindergarten students will go directly to the gym Tuesday, August 26th through Tuesday, September 2nd. Harvest staff and volunteers will be available to help walk our newest Harvest Hornets from outside to the gym. Beginning Wednesday, September 3rd, all Kindergarten teachers will be awaiting their class just outside of the main entrance on a designated yellow line (ours is #3!)
Together, we will head down to the classroom to unpack and get settled into our day. Attendance is taken promptly at 8:51. Students who are late should be accompanied by an adult and go to the office to check in before coming to our classroom. It really does benefit each child to begin the day with their classmates. Every effort should be made to get your student here on time.
Please know, it is not uncommon for the children to have some tears when being dropped off at school at this point in the year. It has been my experience that students settle down after a couple of minutes in the classroom, especially as they establish a sense of familiarity, comfort and routine in our classroom. Reassurance that your child will see you at the end of the day, providing hugs, giving words of encouragement and saying your goodbyes out front of the school will help with those big thoughts and feelings…for both of you. ♡
Dismissal
In an effort to streamline the dismissal process, Kindergarten teachers will be walking their students, who are picked up, out of the main entrance at 3:35 p.m. This allows us to get our youngest students out of the building just prior to the rest of the students at dismissal time. Please wait for your student by or past the flagpole and allow your student’s teacher to get her entire class out of the building and be able to look for you. We ask that one family member approach the awning and make eye contact/wave at your student’s teacher before they will be released to you. After reuniting with your student, it is important that they remain with you until you depart the school grounds.
It is the policy of Harvest School that your student be dismissed as indicated on the 2025-2026 Student Information Form you completed via Google Form (and confirmed today). Expected changes to dismissal should be in writing and sent to school with your student. Should an unexpected change arise, please call the office at 734.401.4500. The office personnel will get the message to me. For your student’s safety, it is important that we follow this procedure. If your student does not have a note, I will follow our school policy, which is to follow the usual routine. Please do NOT put changes in your student’s transportation in Parent Square, as I may not have time to check it during the school day.
Lastly, an important reminder to give your students a lot of grace when they get home this first week of school. We ask a lot of our young learners as they transition to a school schedule. Please be ready with water, snacks and quiet time when you see your students at the end of the day. It takes time for young brains and bodies to adjust to the new social, emotional, and academic load. We get there…in time.
Half-Days
Half-Day dismissal is 12:10. The following dates are Half-Days of school for your Kindergartener: October 17th, November 19th, November 20th, November 21st, January 16th, February 13th, March 5th, March 6th, March 20th, June 3rd and June 4th. Lunch IS NOT served on these days.
Communication
The GREEN plastic 2-pocket folder you are receiving today will be used for daily communication and known as your student’s “Everyday Folder.” If you need to send a note to school, please put it in your student’s folder. Students will become familiar with placing their Everyday Folder in my mailbox each morning. Please also remember to check the folder everyday when your student comes home to see if there is paperwork from me or the office.
I will be sending home a weekly newsletter via Parent Square and also, posting it on our classroom website which I will also link in the newsletter. This newsletter will include activities we are planning in the classroom, important dates and other pertinent information. I have shared several posts using the addresses provided via PowerSchool and the 2025-2026 Student Information Google form. If you did not receive them or wish to have an additional or alternate address used, please message me that information, at your earliest convenience, so that you may be included in our class loop.
Supplies
Occasionally, I may ask parents to donate various classroom items used on a regular basis. If you think of it, please save and collect any toilet paper and paper towel tubes, egg cartons, packing materials (foam “peanuts” and bubble wrap) and small shoeboxes. We will extend our learning through several project-based activities and these items will certainly come in handy.
Your student will need to bring a book bag/backpack to school every day. Please make sure the bag is big enough to fit school-size paper and folders, yet not too big to manage or fit in his/her/their locker. Please label your student’s backpack, as many of us shop locally and students will, quite possibly, have the same backpack!
We also have a 100% optional (no pressure, no obligation) class wishlist on Amazon. Thank you for your generosity!
Our lunch will be from 11:00-11:30 everyday in the cafeteria. The lunch menu is available on the Harvest School website. For the upcoming 2025-26 school year, the State of Michigan has authorized free meals for all students as part of the Michigan School Meals program through September 30, 2025. This means, until then, students 4 years old and above attending public schools will have the opportunity to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no cost throughout the academic year. Please note: only full breakfast/lunch meal choices are included as part of the free school meal program. A la carte menu choices including milk, (super) snacks, etc. are charged separately. Families may still choose to fund their students’ account using the Meal Magic Portal, in order to cover the cost of ala carte choices and snacks outside of breakfast and lunch.
We GLADLY welcome support for all of our students in the lunchroom each week. Please sign up HERE to help! (The Sign-Up is also on the Harvest website.)
We will have a snack each afternoon. To keep all of our students safe, please refrain from sending items that include seafood and shellfish. Due to limited time, single/individually packaged portions will definitely be appreciated. Snacks with nutritional value are the best choice for the students. I do have a small refrigerator in the classroom in which I can store things such as fresh fruit/veggies, yogurt and string cheese, if necessary and brought to my attention. I also suggest snacks to be stored separately from lunch in a designated pocket of their backpack for easy identification and retrieval at snack time.
I am welcoming families who are interested to sign up for one snack donation per month (for storage purposes) that can be shared with students who occasionally forget. We are always accepting bulk packages of napkins. Thank you!
It is very important for each student to have a water bottle. Please make sure the water bottle has a sip/straw top that can be opened and closed easily. This helps to prevent major spills which can ruin projects, books, etc. Please make sure you clearly label your student’s water bottle with a permanent marker. This water bottle should be separate from the drink in your student’s lunchbox. I will encourage the students to bring these home daily to be washed and refilled.
In summary, you will pack the following items DAILY in your student’s backpack:
“Everyday Folder”
lunch, including drink (unless partaking in hot lunch or drink )
snack
water bottle
It is helpful for students to have an extra set of clothes at school. I have found that there are times when the students fall in mud, get wet in a puddle or spill paint on their clothing. For these reasons, and countless others, it is necessary for students to have clothing into which they can change. Please have your student bring in a Ziploc bag with a pair of thin pants, T-shirt, socks, underwear, etc. The bag should be clearly labeled with your student’s name. It will go home with your student at the end of the school year.
students will attend Specials classes: Media, Innovation Lab, Art, Physical Education and Music. Please refer to the Harvest website or my weekly newsletter for the Specials’ schedule each week, as we follow the following rotating schedule:
Day 1: Physical Education/Music
Day 2: Media
Day 3: Music/Physical Education
Day 4: Art
Day 5: Innovation Lab
On Physical Education days, the students need to come prepared with proper footgear. The Gymnasium floor can be quite slippery, so it would be helpful and safer for your student to wear athletic shoes on those days.
Students will be checking out books from the Harvest Media Center. Students will not be allowed to check out a new book unless the previous weeks’ has been returned.
A student’s birthday is a very special day! Treats and goodie bags cannot be sent to school due to district policy. However, each student will be recognized on their birthday with a brief classroom celebration. Please do not send birthday party invitations for an out-of-school party to school with your student unless you are inviting the ENTIRE class, which is certainly not an expectation.
You will have the opportunity to order books this year from Scholastic Book Clubs. This is a wonderful chance to get high interest books at low prices, as you build your young readers’ personal library. Orders can be placed on the Scholastic website. You will need to set up an account with our class activation code: GW3QM. I will notify you in advance of due dates in my newsletters and on the catalogs themselves.
Parent Volunteers
If you are interested in helping as a school volunteer, arrangements can be made through the PTO. If you are interested in helping in the classroom, I will need a few parents to help with various responsibilities. This will begin in October. Please look for an online sign-up coming via ParentSquare soon! Thanks in advance for your involvement.
I will need a “Room Parent” who will be responsible for a few events and communication throughout the school year. If you are interested in being our class Room Parent, please message me as soon as possible. The time and support in this role is greatly appreciated!
Each school vestibule is equipped with a free-standing tablet that presents several options for visitors. Student check-out and item drop-off allow families to pick-up students or drop-off forgotten items directly from the building vestibule, without requiring check-in at the office. Visitors entering the building or visiting a classroom are prompted to enter their phone number, scan a government-issued photo identification, take a photo, and sign a consent. Once complete, a badge will print and be available for pick-up inside the building office. Visitor information will be stored in the system for 90 days, allowing faster access for repeat visitors.
I am excited about the school year ahead and can’t wait to get to know your Owl-Star even more. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me by sending a note in your student’s Everyday Folder or messaging me through Parent Square. Communication between home and school is very important and I hope that you will not hesitate to reach out. Here’s to a safe, healthy and happy school year!
In partnership,
Stacy Horvath
Harvest Elementary School - 1155 Campus Parkway - Saline, Michigan 48176 - Office: 734-401-4500