September 10th - Forest Forum 9:00 AM @ The Birches

Forest Forum is a school wide meeting that happens 3 times a month and families are welcome. This particular Forest Forum is where Kindergarteners will be sorted into their Birches Houses. Think of this like a Harry Potter house system, but each house is named after a tree (Maple, Magnolia, Sequoia, etc) and filled with K-8 students plus teachers. The houses meet once a month and do an activity centered around the character trait of the month. Kindergarteners will be called up to open their scroll which contains their house for the rest of their time at the Birches. You are welcome to come if you are interested. 

September 10th - Parent Info Night 5:45 PM @ The Birches

This is a night for only adults, no students, where I will share about what we do in the classroom all day and how our year will look together. This is not a time for meetings on individual students, conferences will happen in November. I will be sending out the slide deck prior, so you can still have the information if you are not able to attend. 

September 22nd - Picture Day!

Along with getting your Kindergartener dressed up, I reccomend preparing them to be postitioned for a photo and the flash. Picture Day can be overwhelming for Kindergarteners so preparing them will help they day go smoother!

September 23rd - Early Release

Students are dismissed at 1:20 PM. 

September 24th: Forsest Forum 9:00 AM @ The Birches

• I encourage you to join the Facebook Page titled "The Birches Family Corner." This Page is a hub for families and serves many purposes. The front office posts reminders about early releases, no school days, school cancellations and more. Fellow families post questions and advice. Teachers, including myself, post fun activities and learning that are taking place across the school!

• I encourage you to become a desinged volunteer. Designated volunteer is a title that you receive if you undergo a background check and are approved by the school as a volunteer. If you would like to be a chaperone on a field trip you are required to be a designated volunteer. After you go through this process you will maintain the title designated volunteer for your time at The Birches. The process can take weeks so I highly encourage doing this ahead of time! Here is the link to start the process: https://www.birchesacademy.org/volunteering

Here are some ways to get your student ready for kindergarten:

• Pack a lunch like you would for school and have your student practice getting their lunch and snacks out and putting it all away on their own.

• Have your student practice managing their belongings, putting on and taking off their shoes, sweater and backpack. 

• Go through what your morning routine might look like when school starts and do a dress rehearsal to practice!

• We do not have a bathroom in our classroom, so practice using public restrooms. (At the start of the year we will be taking class trips to the restroom then start phasing out to going with adult supervision and then to go independently.)

• Read stories to your student! I encourage daily reading with your kindergartener and talk about what you are reading. Ask your student what they liked about the book, what was interesting, what did they not like, and have them recap the story to a sibling or another adult!

EMail - oliviamengold@birchesacademy.org

School Phone - (603) 458-6399