FAQ

What are the times for your school day?

KINDERGARTEN REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS:  8:55AM-3:35PM

  *Kindergarten students will have lunch and an afternoon snack /water during school hours.

KINDERGARTEN ACT 80 SCHOOL HOURS:  8:55AM-12:15PM

  *Kindergarten students do not eat lunch in school lunch on Act 80 days (bagged lunches are sent home if families fill out the form under the "Cafeteria" section of the WPC main site.  We will still have snack.

Is there a snack time in Kindergarten?

Yes, we will have one afternoon snack each day.  Students will have 10 minutes or so to enjoy a quick break and one snack.  We will use our water bottles at this time.  Please fill water bottles with water only.  Other juices get things sticky if spilled.  Only one snack is allowed and please keep this snack separate from the lunch.  It is best to put the snack in the front or side pocket of the backpack and not in the lunchbox.  Some suggestions for an easy to open, quick snack would be:  pretzels, dry cereal, raisins, string cheese, crackers, etc.... Please refrain from sending lunchables, fruit cups with juice, pudding, candy, etc...

Can you celebrate my child's birthday?

We will be sure to celebrate your child's birthday with a birthday crown and singing.  However, birthday snacks are no longer allowed to be distributed at Wycallis.  If you wish a small item may be sent in for your child to pass out/share with other classmates to celebrate (I.e. pencil, sticker, erasers) this is ok, however, by no means is this required or expected.  Not all families do this.

Does my child's school folder need to be returned to school everyday?

YES.  I check each student's folder at the start of every day for any homework, important papers or parents notes or excuses.  Please use the early dismissal/absence forms provided by the school on the Wycallis Website.

What are Best Behavior Punch Cards?

It was important to establish a system that positively reinforces and manages behavior.  A daily message I share with the children is “good things happen when you make good choices.”

Our 5 classroom rules:

    -I will keep my hands, feet, and objects to myself

    -I will use my listening ears.

    -I will use my walking feet.

    -I will use my inside voice.

    -I will raise a quiet hnd

    -I will be a nice friend.

When a child follows our classroom rules, they have the opportunity to earn a “punch” on their “Best Behavior Punch Card.”  I do a check-in after lunch (1 punch) and a check-in at the end of the day (1 punch).  A child has a chance to earn 2 punches each day… a mistake in the morning means a better choice can be made the rest of the day!  When the card is full (20 punches), the child can redeem the card for any prize found in “Our Best Behavior Prize Pass Catalog.”  (some options include:  Treasure box prize, Stinky Feet (take shoes off), Show and Share (bring an item in to show the class), Pet Shop (bring a stuffed animal in to sit at your desk all day) , Sit with a Friend at Lunch, etc....

What is the Links Reward System?

"For all the nice things you do and say, we'll add another link today and when the links and floor to meet, your class will have a special treat!" This is the underlying goal for this type of whole class reward system to motivate children to work as a team, follow rules and gain recognition for respectful behavior. Once the links and floor to meet, the entire class will vote on a special event or treat to celebrate this milestone.

What is the PBIS School Wide character program?

Wycallis comes together as a community to promote a different character trait each month (I.e. Respectfulness, Empathy, etc...).  Students are encouraged to demonstrate these traits and are rewarded by Wycallis faculty and staff with a Dallas Dollar.  Dallas Dollars can then be cashed in for end of month prizes or experience coupons as a reward to this positive behavior.

Can I send in birthday invitations to be passed out at school?

Birthday invitations can be passed out in school to the children in our class as long as ALL children are invited or ALL the boys or ALL the girls.  This is to encourage consideration of other's feelings and not leaving anyone out. Thank you for your understanding.

Can I come into the school to read a story or help out?

Please refer to the school's policy for most up to date information on visitors.

If allowed, from time to time, I will send notices home for parent volunteers to come in and help with work time or to read a story. Please keep in mind, a parent MUST submit all required Clearances to the school office in order to help or volunteer with any field trip.  We encourage you complete this as soon as possible at the onset of school.  Participation in some activities (i.e. Mystery Reader) are allowed without required paperwork since teacher supervision is present.

Also, I ask for "Mystery Readers" to come into the classroom one day out of each week until the end of school.  The reader of the day is always a "surprise" and is a fun way to get families involved in the learning process.

Also, we will ask for volunteers for recess duty, holiday parties, chaperones for field trips, and K Playday.

What are the Dibels tests I hear about?

Three times during the school year each child in the school will be tested by the Reading Specialists with the Dibels tests. These help us to best serve the needs of every child and to offer appropriate assistance or challenges were appropriate. Students are tested on skills such as letter naming, phoneme segmentation (i.e. taking a word and breaking it into individual sounds) and nonsense word fluency (providing letter sounds to make a new word).  If we feel your child requires additional reading support, you will be contacted and additional services will be set up with the Reading specialist and classroom teacher.

How do you test my child to monitor their progress?

Each Kindergarten child is tested throughout the school year mostly through one on one assessments with the teacher, classroom observation or formal written group tests.  Once completed, assessment results are posted online in the CSIU parent portal for parents/caregives to review.  Conferences are set up to discuss individual results and to monitor progress.  If you have any questions prior to conferences, please private message me through email or the Remind app and we can setup a time to talk.

How else can I come in to visit my child's classroom?

Again, based upon the school's current visitor policy, if you have a particular trade, career, or hobby/interest that you would like to come in to share or present to the Kindergarten class, please let me know. I encourage parents or caregivers to come in to share. We will set up a time and day that works best for all of us.