Kindergarten News

Hello, Families! 

Welcome to Kindergarten

Blue Hill Consolidated School
2026–2027

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to Kindergarten! We are so excited to have you and your child join us this year. Kindergarten is a time for exploring new things, making friends, and learning through play and hands-on experiences. We will learn letters and letter sounds, begin learning to read, explore numbers and math concepts, and discover more about ourselves, our families, and our community. We will investigate plants, animals, weather, and the world around us. There will be plenty of opportunities to cut, paste, draw, color, paint, build, and create. We will learn how to be kind classmates by being respectful, responsible, and safe.

Here is some helpful information to get you ready for the upcoming school year.

Students at BHCS may bring lunch from home or eat in the school cafeteria. Menus are available on ClassDojo and the BHCS website. School breakfast and lunch are provided free of charge. We do ask that your child knows their lunch plan each morning so we can accurately report lunch counts to the cafeteria.

Please send a note if your child will be dismissed early or if they will be going home in a different way than usual.

Each day your child will bring home a folder containing completed work, newsletters, teacher communications, and, later in the year, books and other materials for reading practice. Please return the folder to school each day with any notes, forms, or library books.

Please do not send toys, trading cards, knicknacks, stuffed animals, or other treasures from home unless requested for a special classroom activity. These items often pop out at inopportune times and cause disagreements between friends and accidentally get misplaced. We have plenty of classroom materials for learning and play.

Our newsletter, Kindergarten News, will typically be sent home on most Fridays. We also use ClassDojo to share classroom updates, reminders, photos, and important information throughout the year. This is in addition to the school's monthly Explorations newsletter.

Supply List

Please send your child to school with:

• A LARGE backpack. Please avoid smaller sized or mini backpacks. Students will learn to pack and unpack independently, and larger backpacks fit folders, winter gear, boots, and projects much more easily.

• A lunch box with lunch (if not getting school lunch) 

• Snacks Students have a morning and afternoon snack time, so please send enough each day. (Can be in their lunch box or separate) 

• A reusable water bottle. Students can refill it throughout the day.

• A complete change of clothes in a labeled gallon-sized bag (shirt, pants, underwear, and socks). Please label both the bag and the clothing. 

• A small pillow and blanket for rest time. Please do not stuffed animals, as storage space is limited.

• Wired Headphones.  No bluetooth please.  We are moving away from devices this year, but we will still use them from time to time.  

Seasonal Items

Rainy Days: We try to get outside every day, even in light rain.

• Rain boots

• Rain jacket (no umbrellas, please)

Winter: Please label all winter gear. Students often have two or three outdoor recesses, and having an extra dry pair of mittens makes a big difference.

• Snow pants

• Winter coat

• Snow boots

• Hat

• Two/three pairs of mittens or gloves

Please label everything! Jackets, sweatshirts, boots, hats, mittens, lunch boxes, and water bottles all look very similar. Labeled items are much more likely to find their way back home.

Classroom Wish List

While not required, donations of the following items are always appreciated throughout the year:

• Lysol or disinfecting wipes (store brands are perfect!)

• Zip top bags (gallon or sandwich size) 

• Plain Elmer’s Glue Sticks 

Helping Your Child Prepare

One of the biggest ways you can help your child prepare for Kindergarten is by encouraging independence. Practicing putting on coats, boots, snow gear, and shoes, opening snack containers, zipping backpacks, and cleaning up after themselves all help children feel confident at school.

If your child can write their name, that's wonderful, but it is certainly not expected.

Starting Kindergarten is an exciting milestone, and it's completely normal for children (and parents!) to feel a little nervous. If your child is having a hard time saying goodbye, we recommend keeping your goodbye short, positive, and reassuring. Most children settle into their routines very quickly.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year of learning, growing, and having fun together! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Warmly,

Miss George & Miss Liz

Elizabeth Cousins
ecousins@bhcs.org
https://sites.google.com/bhcs.org/misslizink/home

Victoria George
207-374-2202
vgeorge@bhcs.org