Dear Parents and Kindergartners,
Welcome to kindergarten at Quaker Ridge School! I am so excited to be your child’s teacher this year. Kindergarten is such an exciting time. Each day will bring opportunities for wonder, curiosity, and discovery. What a wonderful age to be!
Please join us on Thursday, September 1st, from 12:30pm-1pm for our annual Meet-the-Teachers event. You are invited to stop by our classroom and see where we will be spending our days learning, laughing and making so many precious memories.
This is a great time to drop off your school supplies if you didn't buy them from the school. (Please label everything with your child's name.) Your child will be able to take a look around, meet me, and hopefully feel a bit more comfortable about coming to school the next week.
At 1pm, your child will have the special opportunity to board a bus at the back of the school. This will prepare your child when they take the bus on the very first day of school. You can bring your child down to the back to board a bus and let your child get a feel for sitting in a bus seat and buckling themselves in.
If you can't make it on September 1st, then I will see your child on Tuesday September 6th.
Prior to the first day of school, we encourage you to spend some time with your child reading Audrey Penn’s, The Kissing Hand. This is one of our favorite Kindergarten books. Here is a link where you can watch a video of Audrey Penn reading the book to viewers.
I look forward to a very special year with you and your child. With your help and cooperation, it will be a most successful and enriching experience for all.
A few important things:
**If you didn't order school supplies through the PTA, please send them in the first day of school in a shopping bag labeled with your child's name.
** On the first day of school, please send in 2 wallet-sized pictures of your child for his/her cubby/magnetic board and 1 family photo size 4x6 for a pencil case. Place them in your child's backpack ready for the first day of school.
**The first day of school will be an exciting time for all of us! Please read the arrival and dismissal letter sent to you by Dr. Gil.
Water bottle: Please send in a reusable water bottle labeled with your child’s name. We ask that you NOT send a bottle with a twistable cap, as these tend to spill very easily.
Dismissal: Please make sure to fill out Dismissal Manager every day! It is important that we have it ready for the first day of school to alleviate any dismissal anxiety or questions. Please be sure your child is aware of their dismissal plan each morning.
**K-L is a NUT FREE classroom. There will be an afternoon SNACK in the classroom. Please make sure it is a quick snack. (Snack is 10 minutes) Label it SNACK in your child's lunchbox or backpack.
Lunch: Lunch is a very chaotic time in the cafeteria. We like to give our youngest students a couple of weeks to acclimate to the busy atmosphere as well as adjust to their responsibilities before taking on the additional task of ordering lunch from the cafeteria. We ask that you do not order lunch from the cafeteria website, Nutrislice, for the first two weeks. This will give our students and our aides an adequate cushion to become familiar with a very important part of the day.
Art Smock: Our specials will begin on the first day of school. Please send in an art smock open and labeled with your child’s name on it. An oversized t-shirt or an old button-up shirt work well.
Extra clothes: Please send in an extra set of clothing (including undies and socks) for your child in a labeled Ziplock bag. We will keep this in school and use them in the event your child spills or has an accident.
Getting in touch: Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need anything. I understand that there are a lot of questions when starting kindergarten, for kids and parents alike. I am here to help. I will answer all emails within 48 hours during the school year (llamonaca@scarsdaleschools.org).
Please note I do NOT check emails while I am teaching, If you have an emergency during school hours please contact the office. You can also follow me on Twitter at @lorellalamonaca to get weekly updates about our learning.
lorella lamonaca
llamonaca@scarsdaleschools.org
(914) 721-2780
Quaker Ridge School, 125 Weaver Street, Scarsdale, NY 10583