General Information

August, 2024   

Dear KH Families,                      

Welcome to KH! We are excited to spend the year with you! Here is some information that might be helpful as you plan for the start of the school year.

*Visit Day: We are looking forward to meeting everyone in KH on Tuesday, August 27th, from 1:00-1:30 P.M.  This is an opportunity for the children to take a peek in the classroom and meet some of their classmates and teachers. Each Kindergarten classroom has a teacher and teaching assistant. Liz Lopopolo is the teaching assistant that is assigned to KH this year. 

*Individual Appointments:  During the first two weeks of school, I will be meeting individually with each child. You will receive an appointment from the main office. If the appointment time does not work for your child, please email me and I can assign you a different time. During this meeting, I will talk with your child and complete some short assessments. (The person that brings the child to school for the appointment usually waits outside while I meet with the child or the person can leave and return after 25 minutes. Each appointment is about 30 minutes.)  If your child is attending WCCC (the afterschool program), we will talk with the WCCC teachers and meet with your child during one of the afternoon sessions. This is a special time for the teacher and student to get to know each other. Parents and teachers will meet during parent-teacher conferences in late October/early November at which time we will be able to discuss your child's progress and adjustment to school.

*Arrival on the First Day of School: Please come directly to KH through the front door of the school between 8:20 and 8:30 A.M.

 (We are starting and ending the first day earlier to avoid congestion in the hallway with older students.) On the first day of school, you will walk your child down to KH. Your child will hang up his/her backpack in a locker, get a name tag and choose an activity at one of the tables. The classroom will be set-up just as it was on the visit day. Once your child is settled at an activity, you will be able to say "good-bye."

Please Note: Parking is limited, so walking is encouraged. If you do need to park, there are designated visitor parking spaces across from the basketball court and along the driveway as you exit.

*Dismissal on the First Day of School (only):

Please wait for your child outside at the “Kindergarten Door” which is along the playground side of the building, towards the front of the school. The door will be marked with a sign. We will have cones set up directing you to where you should wait and we will dismiss each student beginning at 11:45 A.M.

*Arrival Beginning Thursday, August 29th (8:20-8:30 A.M.):

All Kindergarten students enter through the front door of the school. 

Drop-off begins at 8:20 A.M. School begins at 8:30 A.M.  A staff member will be at the front entrance to help transition the students into the building when the bell rings at 8:25 A.M.  If you are arriving by car, you should pull into the front circle, forming a line behind any other cars. You do not need to get out of your car. Your child should exit the car from the right side of the vehicle. (Please remain in the car line until the car in front of you pulls away.) Staff members will be available to help.

*Dismissal Beginning Thursday, August 29th:  All Kindergarten students (except students who have registered for WCCC) will be dismissed at 12:00 P.M. Staff members will bring children to the designated dismissal areas that you selected (on the dismissal form).

1.First Two Weeks of School Kindergarten Noon Dismissal Form

 Please complete this form by the first day of school. It can be brought to the “Visit Day.”

2. Follow the instructions on the Schofield Website to complete the “Pick Up Patrol” Dismissal Plans for your child. The directions below are also listed on the Schofield Website. This is the plan that will be followed beginning on September 9th.

Schofield Student PickUp Patrol YEARLY Dismissal Plan – DUE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Be on the lookout for a “Welcome to PickUp Patrol” email with login instructions.  For the safety of students, all default plans must be set up before the first day of school!  It is extremely important for us to know where to dismiss your child at the end of the day.  All absences, late arrivals, early dismissals, and changes of dismissal need to be reported in PickUp Patrol. 

The PickUp Patrol App is NOT downloaded from an app store.  The app is a mobile app accessed through the web.  Click on THIS LINK and then add it to your home screen.  You must have completed your registration online using the emailed link provided to you by Schofield.

There are two dismissal locations: 

1. Car Line Dismissal: 

When Kindergarten students have half days during the first two weeks of school, the teachers will bring the car line students out to the circle in front of the building. Please pull up to the numbered spots, and we will bring each child to his/her car. Please display the name card (that you will receive on the first day) on the visor or dashboard.  Please remain in line until all cars are loaded. We will load five cars at a time. Once full days begin, the “car line” students will wait with the other students in the gym. All students will sit by grade level until their names are called. Each child will exit the gym door and go to a designated spot (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5). As you enter from Cedar Street, form a line along the basketball court. Please remain in line until you are directed to pull ahead. 

2. “Kindergarten Door” Dismissal: If you are walking to school to pick up your child, please wait at the “Kindergarten Door” (described above). The teachers will dismiss each child individually from inside the building. 

Dismissal Beginning September 9th-All students will be brought to the dismissal locations that were selected on the PickUP Patrol at 3:05 P.M. every day, except Wednesday (12:00 P.M)

*Fitness and Health: Our class has Fitness and Health (“Gym”) on Thursdays and Fridays.  Children should wear or bring sneakers on those days.

*Library:  The children will visit the library every Friday. Books are borrowed for one week.

*Snack:  Your child should bring a snack to school each day.

*Reusable Water Bottle: Your child should bring a reusable water bottle to school each day. Please label the water bottle with your child’s name.

*Lunch: Students may bring a lunch from home or order a lunch from the lunch menu that is provided by the Food Services Department.
More information is available on the Wellesley Public Schools website. It is helpful if you review your child’s lunch plan with him/her before school. As part of our morning routine, we will take a “lunch count.” If you think your child may be uncertain about how to order lunch (or milk) or shy about ordering lunch at first, feel free to send a note with your child’s lunch order. Lunch will begin the week of September 9th.

*VIP Envelopes (School/Home Envelopes):  Every child at Schofield has a VIP envelope for Very Important Papers. Your child will bring this plastic envelope home each day and it should be returned to school the following day. (Some days the envelope may be empty.) If you want to send a note to me, please place the note in your child’s VIP envelope. You can also contact me by e-mail: hoodk@wellesleyps.org

If you have a time-sensitive message, you should speak with the secretary (781-446-6280) since I am not always able to check my e-mail during the school day. If you leave me a phone message, please send me an email, too. My telephone number is: 781-446-6280 x2626(voice mail)

*Absences/Late Arrivals/Early Dismissals: Please use PickUp Patrol to report absences, late arrivals or early dismissals.  Even if you send a note, you still need to report the change to the office through PickUp Patrol.

*Birthdays: At Schofield, we celebrate birthdays with non-edible traditions. Each classroom celebrates birthdays in different ways. In KH, we usually sing “Happy Birthday” and make a list of things that are special about that person

.*Supplies: Your child should bring a roomy backpack or bag to school each day. The school sent a supply request list home through the portal. (Recommended supplies for K: Crayola 20 pack of Super Tip Markers and a pair of headphones for ipad use) If you are unable to purchase these supplies, they will be provided.

*Extra Clothes: Please send an extra set of clothes to school in a ziplock bag labeled with your child's name. We will keep the extra set of clothes at school.

Let us know if you have any questions. We know that there are lots of new routines for you to learn! See you soon!                      

Kathy Hood and Liz Lopopolo