Welcome to Kindergarten
September 2020
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
We are delighted to welcome you and your child to our classroom. To all our new students and families, welcome to St. John the Apostle School! For our returning students, welcome back! We look forward to sharing a wonderful year filled with learning, exploring, and discovering with your child(ren). Our goal is to create a positive and stimulating learning environment for your child. This letter will provide you with some helpful information to make the coming school year a success.
Our team consists of Ms. Williams (English teacher), Mme Wyskup (French teacher) and Ms. Gee (ECE). We are looking forward to getting to know your children and working in partnership with you to help in the development and growth of your child. The ‘Monkeys’ will see their English and French teachers every day (morning will be French, and the afternoon will be English). Ms. Gee, our classroom ECE, will be the students all day.
The children are encouraged to dress and undress themselves- therefore clothes that are easy to put on and take off are recommended (i.e.Velcro running shoes). It would be appreciated if the children could bring a pair of indoor running shoes and also a change of clothes labelled (including the Ziploc bag). The children would leave their indoor shoes at school and change into them daily. Please label all of your child’s removable clothing, boots, shoes, and lunch boxes. Many bags, shoes, coats, and containers look alike.
It is extremely important (and appreciated) if all changes in your child’s routines are explained with a note. This includes such things as being picked up at school by you or someone whom we don’t know. Please write the note in your child’s ‘Communication Book’. Additionally, please keep us informed of any illness, medication, accidents, etc., which may affect your child’s performance at school. This will help us make the school experience a positive one. When your child is absent, please phone the school before 9:15 am (613-828-0644).
The children will be having a snack twice a day and lunch as well. Parents are asked to send nutritious snacks (fruits, raw vegetables, cheese etc.) and a drink (preferably water). Please try to avoid sending candy or other sweets. Parents are reminded that peanuts and peanut bi-products are not to be sent in for snack as we have students with life-threating allergies.
As a full-day kindergarten program, your child be will be eating lunch at school. Please send a lunch that is ready to eat. The students do not have access to a microwave so warm meals should be preheated at home and stored in a thermos. Please keep a fork and spoon in their lunch box. No extra cutlery will be provided this year. Please note: To limit the spread of Covid-19, we are reducing the transitions in the room. Please recycle and compost items at home. Students will be asked to keep all of their used lunch content in their lunch boxes (including things such as banana peels, apple cores, used yogurt containers etc,). Please empty the lunch bin daily at home.
The children will be going outside for recess for approximately 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes after lunch each day. In addition to recess time, the students will also have learning opportunities several times a week for outdoor learning several times a week. Please make sure to dress your child in weather-appropriate attire so they can be outside. We will be learning outdoors rain or shine.
Communication between home and school is a key component in helping your child develop and grow. We will be communicating with you through the ‘Communication Books’ and our Twitter account.
Covid-19 Considerations:
Please keep your child home if there are any signs of illness.
We will be encouraging “sleepwalking hands” to maintain physical distancing while in line.
We will also use the term “Starfish” to help students remember to play in a safe manner. Reviewing this terminology will help your child remember to keep his/her distance in a fun, playful, and consistent manner. The Starfish song will be added to the Hapara workspace to help you and your child practice this memory aid.
The use of the student portal will also be used this year, with a particular focus on using Hapara Workspace. Login information to the student portal and the particular apps that we will be using this year will be sent to you individually.
If you have not yet signed up for School Messenger, please go to the school website and sign up there. Important information from the school and the Monkeys class will be sent out through there/
Please note: Please refrain from sending your child to school with scented products including hand cream and scented markers as Ms. Williams has a life-threatening allergy to perfumes, colognes, and other scented products.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at school at 613-828-0644 should you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We are looking forward to a fun-filled year with the kindergarten students!
Here are materials we would appreciate if you could send in with your child:
2 boxes of Kleenex
1 box of Ziploc bags (Large). Please do not label them.
1 yoga mat (This will be used during Rest/Quiet Time). Please label with your child’s name. Please do not send blankets or stuffed animals this year.
a change of clothes (shirt, pants, underwear, socks). Please label all pieces and place them in a Ziploc bag.
A mask (Strongly recommended)
A water-filled water bottle daily
A pair of running shoes (*Velcro). (These will stay at school
Sincerely,
Ms. Gee, Mme Wyskup, Ms. Williams