Dear Parents,
Welcome to St. Mary’s kindergarten. I am excited to get to know you and your child this year. Here are a few things I thought you’d like to know as the year begins. You may want to keep this posted on the refrigerator or another east to find location. You can also refer to this document on my web page at www.stmarysgreensburg.com If you have questions please let me know by sending me a note, an email (eweigel@stmarysgreensburg.com), or by calling (812-663-2804).
Sincerely,
Mrs. Emily Weigel
THE ABC’s of KINDERGARTEN
Alphabet: This year we will designate a letter for each week for handwriting practice and homework, but we will discuss and review ALL letters all year. You will find which letter is being studied during the next week in the classroom newsletter.
*Appointments: If you must make an appointment for your child during the school day, afternoon (12:30 or later) is the best time to ensure that your child will not miss critical instruction. Much of what we do is not able to be sent home so being at school is important.
Birthdays: We love celebrating birthdays. If you would like to send in a birthday treat to celebrate with the class you are more than welcome. We will eat any birthday treats with our morning milk. Please let me know in advance if you will be sending in a snack. If at all possible, please make sure all snacks are the same.
Church: The class will be attending the all-school Mass on Wednesdays as well as on Holy Days in our church. We will sit as a class with an eighth grade “Church Buddy”. We will also have two opportunities to do the readings at Mass: one in December and one in May. We will practice a lot J
Drop off/Pick up: Children arriving between 7:30-8:00 should come directly to our room. Please remind students to enter school by the main office and walk directly to the classroom. There will be staff members available to help them if necessary. Students will be dismissed at 2:40 for bus riders and 2:45 for those going by car. Dismissal will be divided alphabetically by LAST NAME between the front of school and the back parking lot. Please refer to the guidelines from the office to determine your child’s pick up location.
*Discovery Time: Every afternoon we have what we call “Discovery” in which students will have some time for free play. It is a good time for building imaginative play that is vital to a young child’s development. I also use this time to meet one-on-one with students who need some extra attention.
Envelopes: Anytime you send money to school for lunch, milk/juice, book orders, etc., please put it in a sealed envelope clearly marked with name and purpose. Sometimes even the most reliable students forget what they have and why.
*Email: I have found that email is a very handy way to keep kindergarten parents informed of things that come up during the course of the year. If you are a person that uses email fairly regularly, I would love to add you to my address book so that I can send information and reminders without using reams of paper! Since I have a busy schedule, it is also a good way to get questions to me while the ideas are on your mind and I can answer you when I have a minute to think. I check my school email daily, but sometimes not until after the students leave so always call with time-sensitive issues like dismissal changes, etc.
Faith Families: Each child in September, will be a part of a Faith Family at our school. A Faith Family is one teacher in the building and kids from each grade. We get together at least once a quarter to practice our VBRD circles. It is another way to build community and make connections in our school.
Grades: In kindergarten we use a Standards Based Grading system. Your child’s report cards will show the following letters based on how well they have learned and mastered each kindergarten standard.
E= Exceptional (they are working above grade level for that standard)
M= Mastery (they have mastered all skills for that standard at grade level)
P= Partial Mastery (they know most skills needed for that standard)
N= Non-Mastery (they still need to work on the skills needed for the standard)
Homework: There will be weekly homework assignments for your child to complete. Your child has a homework folder that will be sent home each evening, and should be returned each morning. Homework usually will focus on our letter and phonics skill for the week. There will also be a point in the school year where I will send home a mini reader for your child to read at home.
Invitations: Party invitations may be distributed at school as long as all of the students in the class or at least all of one particular gender are being included. If your party is going to be smaller than that, please find another way to distribute your invitations so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Journals: We have journals we will be working in throughout the year to show how much we have improved on our handwriting, drawing, labeling and sentence/ “story” writing throughout the year.
Kindergarten: It is going to be an exciting year for all of us in Kindergarten!
*Lunch Money: Monday mornings are the best time to send in lunch money for the week. Please have the money in an envelope with your child’s name and grade and the words “lunch money” so that we know what it’s for. You will NOT receive change back, but your child’s account will be credited. You can pay a large sum at one time and then add more when that runs out, if you’d rather do it that way. There is also an option to add money online or through an app. Call the office for more information.
Morning Drink: We will take a morning drink break each day. Students may choose from white or chocolate milk, apple juice or orange juice. Please stop in the office to see Mrs. Osterling and pay for your child’s morning drink. It is $45.00/semester or $90.00 for the whole year. (This needs to be paid directly to the office, you cannot pay for it through your child’s lunch account.) Snacks will consist of the occasional treat for someone’s birthday or something to go along with a theme or holiday.
Newsletter: I will send our Kindergarten newsletter home weekly to keep you informed of what we are doing at school and important dates to remember. Watch for one each Friday. You can also find it on my classroom webpage through the St. Mary’s School Website.
Our Aide: We are fortunate to have a full-time classroom aide. Mrs. Emily Schneider will be our aide this year. She will do clerical work as well as helping with centers and giving students some one-on-one assistance as needed.
Physical Education (gym): We will have gym class every week on Monday morning, so please be sure your child has on tennis shoes. Dresses need to have shorts underneath on gym days.
Quarters: Our school year is divided into four quarters. At the end of each quarter, your child will bring home a report card indicating his/her progress on the standards being taught during that quarter. Midterm Reports will be sent home at the midway point of each grading period.
Reading: Please encourage your child to read. There are three types of reading:
1. Reading by telling stories with the pictures
2. Pretend reading
3. Reading by decoding all of the words (“real” reading)
Sweaters/Sweatshirts: I recommend having your child keep a sweater or sweatshirt in their backpack. Our room can get quite chilly sometimes. Please see the guidelines below for uniform rules on sweaters & sweatshirts.
Solid color- navy, white, sky blue, hunter green
Sweatshirts should be crewneck; no hooded sweatshirts.
Sweaters may be crew neck, V neck, sweater vests, or cardigans in solid uniform colors.
Tags: If your child rides a bus home from school, please keep the tag that I put on his/her bookbag visible. This will help any adult know where your child needs to go to be sure that your child is comfortable with the bus routine in the afternoon. It is also a good idea to have your child’s name on the outside of the bag where it is easy to see.
Usual procedure for absences: If your child is going to be absent or late you need to call the office (812-663-2804) or email to let us know. If you email is helpful to include both Mrs. Osterling (secretary@stmarysgreensburg.com) and myself. Following an absence of any kind, please send a note for me to keep on file for my records. (If you email to let us know about the absence, that will count as the note.) This is school policy. If you have appointments or planned absences, please let me know ASAP so that I can plan for your child to make up work or tests. Some work my come home following an absence; please help your child complete it and return it to school as soon as possible. Siblings can also bring work home to a sick child.
Visiting School: If you need to drop off a late student or a lunchbox, help with recess duty or pick a child up early for an appointment, you will need to sign in/out in the main office. We hope you understand this is for everyone’s safety.
Water bottles: The drinking fountains are back in use, but each student is still permitted to have a water bottle at school. Please be sure to have your child’s name on the bottle and send it filled with water. It is very helpful if you can send a spill-proof bottle, preferably 16 ounces or smaller.
X: When we study the letter X, we will not stress it as a beginning sound since it acts differently than most letters. We will focus on the sound it makes at the end or in the middle of words.
Young children: They respond best to a variety of approaches. Please do not be alarmed if you do not see a lot of papers coming home, especially if your child has to miss a day or two of school. We will use various methods to practice and learn concepts, including hands-on materials, manipulative, and games.
Zoo field trip: In the spring we will take a field trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. We will send home information well in advance of this trip.