Frequently Asked Questions About Kindergarten

When is Show and Tell?

I have sharing bags that I send home with children every day. Your child will bring home a sharing bag at least once a week. Watch for the bag to come home and have your child put in a special object that they will share with us the next day during our morning gathering circle time. Please limit their choices to one or two items. This year I will be washing them after every use.

Rest Time

We will have a quiet rest/book time on our rest mats after lunch every day for about 20 minutes or so. Please feel free to send a small blanket and/or special stuffed animal to school with your child to use to make them more comfortable during this time. It would be great if it was not a favorite blanket so it could be kept in school for rest time every day with your child's mat. We will keep these items in the top of our lockers. We will be making our own rest pillows too! We will be keeping all of our individual rest items in a garbage bag in our locker.

What if my child is nervous about separating from me?

Have your child carry a special family picture in their backpack or taped in their locker so they can look at it throughout the day if they need to the first weeks of school. Please send your child off to school in the morning with a smile and don't tell them what exciting things you are doing while they are away from you. They love to know that you are anxiously waiting for them at home/work and are counting the hours, doing nothing exciting, until you see them again.

What happens after school?

Before the first day, I will know where every child needs to be after school. Every child will have a dismissal buddy partner from an older St. John's student to help them daily to the car pickup, bus, or after school care program (saints squad). The first week of school I will ride the bus with your children to the middle school to make sure that they are on the right bus to get to their correct destination. Please let me know early in the day if there is a change in your child's after school plans either in a phone call or a morning note from home. This is important because sometimes children think you are picking them up and don't know for sure. Without a note, I will always stick to original plans.

What if my child is a fussy eater for lunch?

Your children are encouraged to try all of the choices on their plates, but are never forced to eat anything. Most meals are very kid friendly. We also have morning and afternoon snack in case they didn't eat a lot for lunch.

Jesus' Shining Star

Each child will have an opportunity to be our Shining Star for one whole week during our school year. Your child will be invited to share photographs, stories, and other items to help us learn more about him/her. A letter will be sent home prior to your child's special week so you can prepare.

Will the Kindergartners go to mass?

Yes, we do attend mass. We will attend the school masses a couple of times in the fall and then every week beginning in January. In the Fall, I like to prepare the children for mass so that church becomes more meaningful. We make church booklets, have Father Neil visit our classroom to talk about mass, and visit the church several times. We talk about things to listen and watch for and expected church behavior. Then when we begin attending mass weekly in January, it will be a more meaningful experience. We will be paired up with and sit with the 6th graders who are our "church buddies" and help us out during the mass.

What are baptismal masses?

Baptismal masses are a special school mass every other month to celebrate the Baptismal Day of St. John's school children. There is a special ceremony during the mass where there is parent involvement and then after the mass there are juice and cookies for the children and their families in the lunchroom. You will receive an invitation when it is your child's turn. You can also check the main school calendar sent home at the beginning of the year which will tell you exactly when the Baptismal Masses are and what months are being celebrated. Your child may be out of uniform on their special baptismal day and wear "church clothes".

What is the wellness cart and why is it mandatory?

Every morning around 9:00am, a cart full of healthy snacks (cheese sticks, apples, oranges, yogurt, assortment of crackers) is brought into the hallway and the children choose their morning snacks from it. Kindergartners also have milk supplied by the State, which we will have with the Wellness snack cart. In the afternoon we will have a snack of crackers or another healthy snack that the children will take turns bringing. The wellness cart is a one-time-fee at the beginning of the school year. It is mandatory in Kindergarten because children who bring their own snacks from home for morning usually feel left out because they cannot go to the snack cart (there are exceptions because of health issues). The morning snack cart averages about 25 cents/day.