A,B,Cs of Kindergarten

The ABCs of Arel’s Kindergarten

Everything you need to know for our year in Kindergarten! 

Please know that these items are subject to change at any time.  We will notify you of any changes in a timely manner.  Thanks! 

A

Absences: If your child is absent, please call the office at 940-369-1300.  A note stating the reason for the absence must be brought to school upon your child’s return to avoid an unexcused absence.  If your child must leave early for a doctor’s appointment, please make sure to sign them out at the front office.  Students picked up in the front office for appointments after 2:15pm will receive a LOSIT (Loss of Significant Instruction Time) on their attendance record.

Attendance:  Please take special note of the attendance policy in the student handbook. Attendance is crucial to the success of your kindergarten student.  Please make all necessary arrangements to get your child to school each day. Arrival:  Your Kindergarten student should arrive at school between 7:30 and 7:40 am.  School begins promptly at 7:40. If your child comes in after 7:40 they will need to stop in the office and get a tardy slip. 

B 

Background Checks:  If you are planning to volunteer in the classroom or attend our field trips you are required to fill out a background check online at the Denton ISD website.  Click here.  https://www.dentonisd.org/Page/4877

Backpack: Each child will need a backpack large enough to carry home their change of clothes, school papers, guided reading bag, Daily GO Folder and a sweater or light jacket. PLEASE no other personal items, including toys, stuffed animals, and Chapstick.  

Birthdays:  If you would like to send a birthday treat with your child to share with the class near or on their birthday, you are more than welcome to do so. All treats MUST be store bought. NO HOMEMADE ITEMS WILL BE ACCEPTED. These treats will be eaten during our regular snack time. Treats may be dropped off at the front office. Parents are not allowed to come to the classroom during our snack time. We will recognize our summer birthdays at the end of the school year.  Please do not send birthday party invitations to be distributed at school UNLESS ALL children in the class receive an invitation.

Book Orders:  Periodically I will send home a Scholastic Book Club Catalog for you and your child to look over.  Scholastic offers wonderful books at reduced prices.  

Breakfast: Breakfast is served from 7:10-7:20 every morning in our cafeteria.  If your child is choosing to eat breakfast, please plan accordingly and enter through the cafeteria doors. Upon completion of breakfast, all students will be held in the gym and then escorted down to their classrooms at 7:30 with a teacher. 

C

Class Dojo:  This is our main form of communication. Class Dojois an online learning portfolio where you can see pictures and videos of your child’s work directly on your phone or device. At the beginning of the year, download the app and login into your child’s account to see their portfolio. 

Covid-19: Please know that we are monitoring all safety protocols from the district. We encourage you to be flexible as information may change from time to time. 

Conferences:  Parent/Teacher conferences will be held at the end of the first nine weeks. Your child’s report card will be available online and we will discuss your child’s accomplishments, strengths and overall progress.  Please feel free to schedule any additional conferences at any time throughout the school year if the need arises.  My conference period is 12:55-1:45 daily.

Communication:  Communication is very important to me!  Please feel free to call or email me at any time if you have any comments, questions or concerns.  My number is 940-369-1364 and my email is marel@dentonisd.org.  All classroom announcements will be through the Class Dojo App and our Kindergarten Weekly Newsletter.

 D

Discipline:  I use a Love and Logic approach.  I encourage the children to grow and learn from their own actions.  To encourage appropriate behavior, learn self-control, and build self-concept, they will be guided to respect themselves and their peers.  We work hard as a class to make our classroom a positive, safe and loving environment.  Our classroom is a small community where teamwork and good relationships are expected and encouraged.  We will spend time learning and practicing class procedures.  If a student is having difficulties following these guidelines, I might: 

       *ask questions to promote thinking and responsibility

       *encourage students to solve their own problems

       *offer choices within limits

       *model problem-solving skills

       *apply consequences that best fit these situations

       *Possible consequences might include change seating, separation from group activity, partial loss of recess, a “think sheet,” communication home, or a visit to the office.

       *In the event that your child’s behavior is interfering with their learning or the learning of others, you will be notified via Class Dojo, email or by phone.

E

Email: Our main form of communication will be through Class Dojo, however, my email address at school is marel@dentonisd.org. 

F

Fever: If your child has a fever, please keep them home. Your child must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school.  If you have any further questions, please contact our school Nurse, Mrs. Lujan, at 940-369-1306.

Field Trips: Information about field trips will come home in the Daily GO Folder. I will also include this information in my newsletters and website. We hope to be taking 2 field trips this year.  If you plan on attending as a chaperone, you must have a Background Check on file in the office before the day of the trip. 

Folders: Check those GO Folders nightly! Information from the school and/or PTA and completed student work will go home on Fridays.

G

Grading:  Every nine weeks your child’s report card will be posted online for you to view.  More information about the report card will be shared during our parent-teacher conferences in October. 

Gym:  Students will have P.E. at least 2-3 times a week. The children are asked to wear tennis shoes on P.E. days and a pair of shorts under their dresses or skirts.

Guided Reading:  I will begin doing guided reading with your child when they are developmentally ready.  For many of the students this usually begins at the end of the first nine weeks.  I will work with students in small groups using a variety of leveled fiction and nonfiction texts that are at your child’s instructional reading level.

H

Homework:     

• Guided Reading books:  Once we begin guided reading, your child will bring home a book bag with their guided reading book inside.  They will need to read the book to you and return it the next school day.

• Sight words:  Review all snap words (high frequency words) each week.

I

Illness: The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when decisions must be made first thing in the morning. It is important, however, to keep your child home if he/she is ill. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy. Please also keep in mind that a child must be fever free (without medication) for 24 hours before returning to school. If you have any questions please refer to the DISD student handbook or our school nurse at 940-369-1306.

Independence:  Independence is a big goal in kindergarten.  Independence builds self-esteem and self-confidence.  I encourage the students to do as much for themselves in the classroom as possible and I would ask that you do so at home as well.  Please make sure that all clothing, lunchboxes, etc. are child-friendly. 

J

Journals:  We will be writing in Kindergarten.  In the beginning, the students will combine their emerging writing skill with their drawing skills.  As the students are exposed to phonics, sight words, reading experiences, shared reading, etc, they will begin to use “inventive” spelling and eventually move toward conventional spelling.

K

Kindness:  Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class as well as others with kindness and respect.  Hitting, fighting, name-calling, and making fun of others will not be permitted.

                                               L

Lunch:  You will need to create an online lunch account for your child if they plan to purchase breakfast, lunch, or “extras” when in line, such as ice cream, chips, muffins, GoGurt, etc. by going to the following website: https://www.schoolcafe.com/ (There is also a School Café app). I encourage you to create a lunch account for your child even though they may not always purchase. You can set restrictions on buying extras, etc.  Checks can be made payable to Adkins Cafeteria. Our lunch time is from 10:40-11:10 daily. 

Label: Please label your child’s jackets, water bottles and lunch boxes with your child’s name.  ****You do not need to label school supplies. 

M

Mathematics:  The kindergarten mathematics curriculum provides students with mathematical experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics.  We employ a hands-on, problem solving approach in a workshop model. During our Math time, the students will be exploring ways to solve a problem, working in collaborative groups and justifying how they solved the problem.  While they are working in collaborative groups, I will meet with small groups of children.  These groups will be flexible, changing from week to week or day to day, based on the needs of the students.

Materials: Being prepared makes everyone more successful.  Please make sure your child brings their backpack, snack, water bottle, extra clothes, and GO Folder to school every day.  

N

Newsletter:  A weekly newsletter for the upcoming week will be posted in Class Dojo and on our Kindergarten Website each Friday to keep you informed about what is happening in our class. 

Nurse:  We are very fortunate to have a wonderful nurse- Nurse Lujan (LOO-HAN). She will tend to minor scratches and scrapes, as well as sudden illnesses.  For more serious injuries, she will contact you. Please be sure to send in any change of contact numbers in case she needs to get in touch with you. Any medication that needs to be administered during the day will need to go through Nurse Lujan and it must be in the original bottle with the label attached. 

O

Open line of communication: Please let me know if you have ANY concerns or questions regarding your child throughout the year.  I feel that it is our job to work together as partners to help your child have a successful first year. I will be checking all forms of communication during my planning period (12:55-1:45).  If you have an urgent message and you want to be sure that I get it before school is out, please call the office, 940-369-1300, and speak to one of our wonderful secretaries. It is my goal to respond to all forms of communication within 24 hours during the school week. 

P

Parties: We will have three parties. We will have a Holiday Party, Valentine’s Day Party, and an End of the Year party. The Class Manager will organize the food and activities for the parties. They will also coordinate volunteers. All are welcome to participate in the festivities! We will have some other celebrations that I will organize such as Thanksgiving Feast and the 100th Day of School.

PTA: We have a wonderful PTA that works tirelessly for our students. They work together to raise funds, sponsor events, run the bookfair and so much more all for our students. Please sign up to be a member and think about joining the board. More information can be found at https://adkinselementarypta.org/

As new parents to Adkins, it is a great way to get to know other parents along with being involved in the school. 

Q

Questions: If at any time you have any questions please feel free to contact me through Class Dojo or email. Please let me know if you would like me to call you during my conference period. My conference period is from 12:55-1:45 daily.  If there is an emergency and you need to speak to me immediately, I urge you to call the front office at 940-369-1300 and they will contact me ASAP.  You and your child are important to me and I think of us as a team. 

R

Report Cards:  Report cards are issued online every nine weeks on the Home Access Center (HAC) https://denhac.dentonisd.org/HomeAccess/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fHomeAccess.  These reports reflect the progress your child has made toward Kindergarten objectives.

Recess: The children will play outside twice a day.  Please keep this in mind when helping your child select clothing for the day.

Room Coordinator:  The room coordinator’s job is to be available to help coordinate parties and activities, and work with the PTA.  Being a room coordinator is a great way to be involved in your child’s school life.

                          S

Snacks: We will have snack time every day at 2:25pm.  I am asking that each child bring their own healthy snack. I will discuss this in more detail at a later time. 

Science:  The focus of the kindergarten science curriculum is on developing an awareness of the world in which we live.  Science concepts and skills will be explored utilizing a literacy based, hands-on approach. 

Social Studies:  The Kindergarten social studies curriculum focuses on the students and how they relate to others in their families, classroom, school, and community.  Social Studies concepts will be explored using a literacy based, hands-on approach.

Shared Reading:  Shared reading is an interactive process used with the whole class. As the teacher reads a story, children join in on phrases or words that they know. During subsequent re-readings, children read more and more of the text, until they are able to read the story independently. Shared reading is an opportunity for the teacher to model conventions of print, use of reading strategies and fluent reading.

Sight Words or “snap words”:  Each week we will be focusing on a new sight word(s).  Kindergarteners will be required to to read and write these words by the end of the school year.  

T

Transportation:  If your child has any changes in their transportation, please let me know by sending in a note, calling me or the office.  Please understand that I cannot send a student home via another mode of transportation without a phone call or written note from an adult.  Any changes to transportation after 12:00 should be called into the office to assure that your child gets home safely. 

Toys: Children are asked NOT to bring toys from home. They are very distracting and it is sad when they are lost or broken. The only exceptions are when we have a special day and you will be notified by note or Seesaw.

U

Unique:  Kindergarten students learn they are special and unique.  Kindergartners have opportunities to describe how they are alike, as well as how they are different from others. They share their culture, and learn about different cultures within the class.

V

Volunteer and Visit:  Just do it! ☺ Please remember to check in at the front office for a visitor badge. Our parents are part of our Kindergarten family too. Reminder: All volunteers must have an approved background check on file with the office.  

W

Walkers:  Walkers are dismissed at 3:00.  Kindergarten parents should be at the designated pick up areas where walkers are dismissed and walk them home. 

X

X-tra clothes: It is very important that you send an extra set of clothes in case of a bathroom accident, messy spill or wet and muddy playgrounds. This way we do not have to bother you at work or home. These clothes can stay in your child’s backpack or cubby. Make sure as the weather changes and your child grows to switch out the extra clothes. 

***** Also, out rooms get chilly, so please send a light jacket or sweatshirt in your kiddo's backpack to keep if they get cold.😊

Y

You:  You are crucial to your child’s success! Thank you for being involved! 😊 

Z

ZZZZZs: Make sure your child gets plenty of rest. A kindergarten room is a busy place and you will probably find your child exhausted at the end of the day. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give to your child. It will help them to be alert and ready to learn each day!