Mrs. Tomlin's Classroom - Classroom Information

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Important Things To Know….

Absences - If your child will be absent from school, please send a Parent Square message AND send a written excuse when he/she returns to school. Students must bring in a written excuse for attendance purposes.

Arrival/Dismissal - School hours are 8:40am - 3:40pm. Students arriving after 8:40 are tardy and must go to the office to be signed in, by the adult dropping them off. Drop off begins at 8:20 with optional breakfast. Students who plan to eat breakfast at school should arrive at 8:20. Classes begin promptly at 8:40. Each minute your child is in our classroom is a valuable opportunity for learning. School is dismissed at 3:40p.m. All children who do not ride a bus will need to be picked up by an adult specified on the emergency card. The adult picking up the car rider will need the child’s specific car rider code. The car code should be hung on your rear view mirror EACH DAY for the ENTIRE school year.

Parent Square - We will use the app “Parent Square” as our main form of communication this school year! Parent Square messaging allows me to send quick messages straight to your cell phone throughout the school day. I use this for reminders, important updates, and any other information needed! You can access Parent Square on a computer or smartphone. The app is free!! If you are not already signed up, you will need to do so ASAP as this will be how we communicate throughout the year. This is a requirement for our classroom that you stay connected, up to date on things happening, and have open communication! Please make sure that you turn on ALL notifications/alerts so in the event of an emergency/time sensitive case you will have quick access to messages/announcements! If you have questions please don’t hesitate to let me know!! I am more than happy to help set this up!! (:

Breakfast/Lunch - Breakfast and lunch will be served daily and we will be eating in our classroom (until our new cafeteria is ready). Breakfast is offered each morning and the cost is $1.00 (unless you have been APPROVED for free/reduced meals). If your child eats at home they can simply let me know that morning. For the time being, there will not be entree choices for breakfast/lunch due to our cafeteria renovations. A packed lunch box from home is also a choice for your child each day. Lunch cost is $2.15, and just a milk alone is $0.50 (unless you have been APPROVED for free/reduced meals). At this time parents will not be able to eat with their children until we get our construction completed.

Class Dojo - We use Class Dojo to track student behavior. Each day your child has the opportunity to earn positive and negative points based on his/her behavior. Class Dojo is a wonderful tool that allows you to stay informed daily. The app is free! If you are not already signed up for Dojo, I have placed a form in your child’s orange folder with information on how to sign up. Please sign up ASAP if you are not already connected with our class! This year it will NOT be used at all for communication.

Car Codes - Anytime your child will be a car rider, you will need to hang your car code on your rear view mirror. Please keep it for use this entire school year (even if your child is normally a bus rider). This card needs to be easily visible so that we can ensure a smooth car line. Thanks for your help in this process!

Email - You may also contact us at school via email addresses: brittanytomlin@mgsd.k12.nc.us and karenestevez@mgsd.k12.nc.us. If you have an emergency or change of transportation, please send a Parent Square message to one of us.

Folders - Your child will have a blue take-home folder that will be sent home each day. These folders are a very important communication tool between school and home. All classwork will be sent home in this folder. Please make sure you are checking this folder daily. Anything placed on the left side of the folder are items that need to be returned to school. Items placed on the right side of the folder are to be viewed and kept at home. These items will allow you to see what and how your child is doing.

Medicine - All medications must be administered through the office with a signed form from the doctor. Teachers are not allowed to give students medicine (including cough drops).

Oops! - Please send a change of clothing for your child in the labeled ziplock bag. We will keep this change of clothing in your child’s cubby in case of an accident.

Homework / Reading - We will begin take-home readers in October. Please be sure to read with your child each night and sign the reading log. The book and the reading log will be kept in the back pocket of the orange class folder.

Snack - Each day we have a short time for snacks. Snacks will be provided for your child during the month of August. Look for more information and a possible signup for the remaining months of school.

Transportation - If you need to change your child’s usual way of going home, you MUST let me know!! The best way to alert us is by sending a Parent Square Message. Once you have sent me a Parent Square message I will respond with a quick response such as “got it!”. If for some reason I do NOT respond to you before the end of the day, you must call the office so that they can alert me of the change! All transportation Parent Square messages should come BEFORE 2:30pm, if an emergency arises after this time you must call the office to let them know of the change. If no note (Parent Square message, handwritten, phone call) is received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation.

Volunteers - If you would like to volunteer in our classroom throughout the year or attend any field trips, you will need to ensure that you have completed an MGSD background check. This can be found on the MGSD website. This is a requirement and will take a few weeks to be approved. Please do this ASAP if you plan to attend anything throughout the year!

As always PLEASE don't hesitate to reach out with any questions that you have!!