General Information

The ABC’s of Kindergarten

2023-2024

Absences- Good attendance-habits enhance your child’s learning. If your child is absent, you will need to send a note or email to the office and an email to your child’s teacher documenting the reason for the absence. There is a link to submit an absence on our Berkshire Webpage. You can also send an email: absence.nisdtx.org

AMP (Art, Music, PE)- Your child will have P. E. every other day alternating with Art and Music, and recess every day so it is best for them to wear P.E.-type shoes to school each day.

Arrival/Tardies-Students may begin to come to the classroom at 7:20. At 7:40, the final bell rings and class begins. 

Backpacks- Please send a regular-sized backpack to school with your child every day. 

Behavior Chart- In your child’s daily take-home folder, you will find a behavior chart to let you know how their behavior was each day. In Kindergarten, we strive to provide a safe and positive learning community for all children. Stickers, smiley faces, stamps, etc are awarded for good days. If a student does not earn their sticker, the teacher will communicate the reason in the folder instead of the sticker. Please sign your child’s folder each day.

Birthdays- You may choose to send something to school to help us celebrate your child’s birthday. Please contact the teacher to coordinate the date. Celebrations are short and sweet and happen at the end of the school day. Treats should be small and store bought.

Change of Clothes- Please keep a change of clothes in your child’s backpack in a gallon size baggie with their name on it. Accidents and spills happen, and the school does not always have an extra change of clothes. 

Change of Transportation-If your child will go home a way other than the usual way they go home, please send a note or email to the teacher, AND let the front office know by clicking the link in the Berkshire website, https://berkshire.nisdtx.org/ . Ride changes must be submitted before 2:00 pm.  

Class Parties- We will have three class parties during the school year. There will be a Winter Party, a Valentine’s Day Party, and an End-of-Year Party. More information will be sent home as the time nears for these celebrations.

Contacting the Teacher- Please send an email or contact through Parent Square. Teachers do their best to respond within 24 hours during the school week. 

Dismissal- Our school day ends at 3:05. Please help us keep our students safe by planning ahead and contacting us if a ride change needs to be made. 

Students exit in the following manner:

*Car riders: At the front of the school 

*Bus riders and Daycare: In the back of the school

*Walkers: in front of the school at the crosswalk and stop sign

*AlphaBest: on-site daycare located in the Berkshire cafeteria  

First Day of School- Your child’s first day of school is an exciting and important part of their childhood! We would love for you to come in and quickly take pictures and say a short goodbye before they begin their first day. Remember, quick goodbyes leave dry eyes. Help us turn our boo-hoo’s into woo-hoo’s! 

Folder- Each day your child will bring home their Daily Folder. In their folder you will find work they have done at school, their behavior chart, and additional learning materials for home practice! It is crucial that you check the folder daily and return it to school each morning.

Homework- Twenty minutes of reading practice per night will help your child be ready for 1st grade! Your child will bring home books and Snap Words (sight words) in their Daily Folder. The 20 minutes of homework can be a mixture of different types of reading practice - reading to your child, your child reading to you, the adult can say a word from the Snap Word list and the child spell it with their sound power, practicing reading Snap Word flashcards, or ABC flash cards, etc. 

Illness- If your child has a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, they will be sent home by the school nurse. Please keep your child at home if they have any of these symptoms. Your child must be free of such illnesses for 24 hours (without medication) before returning to school.

Kindness- Students at Berkshire Elementary are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class and school community with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying, and interrupting learning will not be permitted. 

Also, remember to be kind to your child’s teacher. Kindergarten is a HUGE learning experience for the Kindergarteners and often their parents too! Your child is sure to come home with a conflict or misunderstanding at some point in the year. Please communicate kindly with your child’s teacher for further explanation into anything that may occur. 

Library- We will go to the library every week.   Your child will check out one book at a time to take home. Please return the book back to school on your child's designated library day. If they do not return the book, they will not be able to check out a new book until the other is returned.

Lunch- Your child may either buy their lunch from the cafeteria or bring their own lunch from home. There will be teachers on lunch duty that will help the students get their trays, open containers, and monitor behavior. We do not have a microwave available for student use. 

You may eat lunch with your child during the year. The front office will communicate with you when the school is open/closed to visitors. When you visit, you may bring food for only your child and sit with your child at the designated Parent/Child tables. 

Money- If you need to send money to school at any point in the year, please place the money in an envelope or ziplock and include your child's name, grade, and the money’s purpose.

Newsletter- A weekly update will be posted on Parent Square with details regarding classroom and school news. Mrs. Jones, our principal,  will also send out a schoolwide newsletter via parent square. Please make sure to read all communications to stay in-the-know on information and events.  Please acknowledge if you have read it! We welcome the feedback!

Nurse- Only the nurse can dispense medication to students. Please do not send medication in your student’s backpack. Medication needs to be dropped off at the front office with the nurse. 

Outside Play- Playing outside is an important part of a child’s social and motor development. Please send your child in the appropriate shoes for PE and outdoor play, as well as a jacket (labeled with their name), if needed. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences- We will have at least one face-to-face conference during the year to discuss your child’s progress, strengths, and areas to work on. It is very important for us to work together as a team to do what is best for your child. Teachers or parents may request other phone or face-to-face conferences throughout the year as needed. 

Report Cards- Report cards will be emailed to parents by the district at the end of each nine-week grading period.  Progress reports and skill checks will be sent home periodically as well within your child's daily folder. 

School Visits- For security reasons, you will need a form of identification and will have to sign in at the front office for all school visits. You may eat lunch with your child in the cafeteria.  Parents will not be able to come to the classroom during the school day, unless previously arranged with the teacher. If you need to drop off a backpack, lunch, snack, etc, you can leave it at the front office, and the office will take the items to the classroom.

Snacks- Students will have the opportunity to eat a small snack during the day. Please send your child with one healthy, dry snack (i.e. goldfish, pretzels, non-sugary cereals, fruit snacks, healthy popcorn, etc). To avoid spills, we request no items that are required to be eaten with a spoon/fork, as our snack time is also work time.  Please, no candy for snack time.  

We do ask that snacks are not packed inside their lunchbox as it can cause confusion during the day.  Additionally, they may bring a spill-proof water bottle to school.  Please ensure only water is in the water bottle (i.e. no orange juice, anything added to the water, etc.)

Toys- Please make sure your child leaves toys, cell phones, and other electronics at home. These are not only a distraction, but may end up lost or broken! 

Volunteer Opportunities- If you are interested in volunteering in your child’s class, please fill out Berkshire’s volunteer application. All volunteers must have a criminal background check on file each year before they can have contact with students. The background check form is located on the district website. 

Website- On our Berkshire website you will find information about our school, staff, and upcoming events. 

*Go to www.nisdtx.org

*Choose Berkshire Elementary from the pull-down menu

*To learn more about Kindergarten and access our Kindergarten Website, choose the  New to Berkshire option– “Preparing for Kindergarten”

Snap Words/Sight Words/High Frequency Words/Word-Wall Words- You will receive a list of Snap Words for your student. Snap Words are words that Kindergarten students often come across in reading and writing. We learn a couple of new words a week and they are added to our class Word Wall. Students are responsible for reading and writing at least 25 of these words over the course of Kindergarten. This helps students build reading fluency and alleviates frustration in writing.

ZZZZZZ- We do not have nap time, so please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep each night!