Classroom Information

Mrs. Paulsen’s Kindergarten Classroom

Welcome: Welcome to Kindergarten! I know we are going to have a great year together, and I am very dedicated to making this a year of wonderful growth for your child!

School Times: School officially begins each day at 8:20. Any student arriving at school before 8:00 will have to wait outside the school. We will be dismissed from our rooms each day shortly before 3:20. Approximately once a month, we will dismiss at 1:00 on Fridays for professional development. I will be sure to remind you of these dates as they get closer!

Website: Our classroom has a website that I will update weekly, beginning with our first week of school. The website’s address is http://sites.google.com/site/mrspaulsenskindergartenclass/. You can also get there by going to Alburnett’s home page (www.alburnettcsd.org), clicking on the “Elementary” link under the Schools tab, and then scrolling down until you see my picture.

Classroom Schedule: A class schedule will be shared the first week of school. Once shared, please take a few moments to look at our schedule. At times this will vary, but it will typically be how our days go. We rotate on a six-day cycle in the elementary. It may be helpful to send your child in good shoes for running most of the time, as it will be harder to keep track of what days are P.E. when we’re on a six-day cycle.

Classroom Guidelines: We have a few general guidelines we work to follow during the days in our kindergarten classroom. Please take time to discuss these at home with your child:

* We listen while others are talking.

* We keep our hands, feet, and objects to ourselves.

* We learn from our mistakes.

* We are kind to each other and the classroom.

* We always do our very best!

Lunch Money/Notes: Lunch money can be sent with your child or paid with the online system. Please place the money in an envelope with my name and your child’s name on the outside. Notes to me can also be sent in the same way. I will remind each student in the morning to give any notes from home to me.

Friday Folders: Almost all the work for the week will be sent home on Friday in what we call “Friday Folders”. Please be sure to check your child’s folder during the weekend. The folder will then be returned on Monday, and I will keep it at school throughout the week. Typically, notes from the school or me will be sent home in the folder, also. I will send a newsletter home each Friday discussing what was done in the classroom that week. These newsletters can either be sent home in print form or emailed each Friday. Please take the time to talk with your child about school!

Water Bottles: Please send a water bottle to school each day, especially during the warm months. I will make sure these go home on Fridays to be washed over the weekend.

Masks: Masks are not required in our school building. If you would like your child to wear a mask in our classroom, you are welcome to send some with him/her.

SeeSaw: In our classroom, we will use a wonderful app that allows for me to post pictures/videos/notes from our classroom. Please read through the attached letter, giving you an explanation about the app and directions how to begin. I will mostly use it for posting whole-class things, but I may also post private pictures/videos to individual parents. Hopefully we do not have to go remote for learning, but if we do, SeeSaw will provide us with some neat distance learning activities.

Snack: Each day we take an afternoon milk and snack break. Your child will be assigned to bring a prepackaged snack once a month for all 23 of us, and this snack day will also coincide with his/her sharing day. Please try to send fairly nutritious snacks! Examples of appropriate snacks would be pudding, applesauces, string cheese, cereal, crackers, pretzels, etc. Also, please take the time to talk with your child about what type of milk he or she should take at school. We offer 1%, skim, and skim chocolate milk each day for snack. If you are unable to provide snacks for our classroom for financial reasons, please let me know. I always have extras in the classroom.

Sharing: Beginning in September, your child will have the opportunity to bring an item or tell news for sharing to coincide with your child’s assigned snack day.. We do a form of sharing that is called the “Surprise Bag.” For this sharing, your child will bring a bag home with him/her for sharing to be brought in. Please see the note attached to this that explains sharing to you.

Book Orders: Each month, book orders will be sent home in a Friday Folder. I will always attach a note stating when these should be returned. Cash or checks are accepted, and checks are made out to “Scholastic Book Clubs.” I will also set up online ordering with our book orders, for those of you interested in ordering online. More specific directions for that will come with the first book order.

Recess: Unless it is raining or below zero, we will go outside for both recesses. Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather, whether it is hot or cold weather gear that is needed! Soft balls or outside toys may be brought for recess play, but it is best to keep anything valuable at home.

Volunteering: As long as we are allowed to have volunteers in the building, I welcome the extra help! After the first month of school is complete, I will put a notice in one of my weekly newsletters to ask for interested and available people. Giving us the first month to get adjusted to our school days will allow for smoother transitions with volunteers coming and going. Thank you!

Donations: Throughout the school year, we will use many supplies that were not on your supply list. If your family is able, we would accept any donations of disinfecting wipes, napkins, paper towels, paper plates, reams of paper, plastic cups, and plastic spoons. We greatly, greatly appreciate your help!

Again, I welcome any questions, comments, or concerns, and I appreciate all the help you are giving your child and our classroom. I know that together we are going to have a great year!

Mrs. Kara Paulsen

842-2261 (school) OR 842-2331 (home)

kpaulsen@alburnettcsd.org