Dear Parents:

It is our pleasure to welcome you and your child to St. Mary's Pre-K Program. This is surely an important milestone for both you and your child, as he or she becomes part of our family at St. Mary’s Elementary School, and begins the educational, social, and spiritual journey outside the home. Our program is child-centered and each child is considered an individual. It is our goal each day for the children to be kind to others, feel good about themselves and their accomplishments, to gain self-confidence, and to love learning.

It is natural for you to feel some anxiety during these first days, but we want you to know that your child is precious to us and we will care for all children as children of God, with love, kindness, and a watchful eye. We want our environment to reflect our philosophy, that childhood be a time of fun, warmth, security, exploration, and discovery.

We hope that this guide will provide you with some basic information and helpful hints to ensure for your child, a smooth transition from home to school. Please feel free to call us at 683-2112 if you need additional information or wish to discuss your child's status. If there is information you feel we should know about your child, please contact us by phone, email, or by sending a written note via your child’s daily folder.

Mrs. O'Grady - Ogradyj@smeschool.com ex 102

Ms. Bartkowiak (Ms. B.) Bartkowiaka@smeschool.com ex 103

Mrs. Laidman - Laidmanj@smeschool.com ex 105

Ms. Jones - Jonesk@smeschool.com ex 108

Bathroom Use- As stated at the time of registration, children attending St. Mary's Preschool must be completely potty trained and independent in the bathroom. This means that the child goes into the bathroom as needed without being told to go, can remove clothing, wipe, and pull underpants and bottoms back up all by himself/herself. Elastic waist pants make this easier for little fingers. We understand that an occasional accident may occur. The extra set of clothes you sent in with school supplies in the beginning of the year will be stored at school for use in the event of an accident. In those instances, children will change themselves into clean clothes, or if needed a call home may be made. Teachers and staff members are not permitted to assist children in the bathroom. Soiled items will be sent home to be washed. Please replace and return a complete change of clothes; top, bottoms, socks, shoes and underpants. If independent toileting is a consistent issue for a child, parents will be notified and placement in the program may need to be reconsidered.

Arrival/Dismissal Procedure- Parents or responsible parties are asked to park in the main lot located between the church and the school. Please escort your child by hand to the main foyer. For safety’s sake, please always adhere to the one-way flow of traffic when using the driveway closest to the school building.

Once inside the building, parents or responsible parties will be greeted by a faculty member, who will direct you and your child to the “Pre-K early care” which is located in the Parish Center. Early care is available from 7:00-8:00. There is no charge for this service. At 8:00, your child’s teacher and aide will line up the children and bring them to the classroom. (Per the SME School Handbook, children arriving to homeroom after 8:10 will be marked tardy.)

At your child’s dismissal time, parents or responsible parties are again asked to enter the main door and wait in the foyer. Your children will be dismissed through the double doors closest to the main office. Your child’s teacher will only release your child when she is sure that the designated parent or responsible party is present. Please do not send someone else to pick up your child from Pre-K. Any changes in your normal pick-up routine must be made in writing. Your child will not be released to anyone without prior written authorization by the responsible parent/guardian. If an emergency occurs during class time and the usual driver is unable to come, please notify teachers by calling the main office at 683-2112. Our school secretary will get the message to us immediately. Pre-K students’ dismissal time is 2:05. This is just before elementary students are dismissed, so we must be prompt. (The hallway gets crowded suddenly with much larger students, so we try to clear out swiftly for the safety of our little ones.) Children remaining after Pre-K dismissal is over will be placed in our F.A.S.T Club for safe keeping until their ride home arrives. (F.A.S.T. Club After School Care pricing information can be found on the school’s website. Pre-K FAST club is held in cafteria) Please be cautious when the lot is congested, and keep traffic flowing so that buses can be loaded safely.

The Daily Folder - Each child will bring his/her folder (as stated on their school supply list…1 sturdy, vinyl folder with 2 pockets), to school each day in his or her backpack. The first thing the child does upon arrival each Pre-K day will be to put his/her folder in the folder box. The daily folder has two main purposes. The right side pocket will hold any correspondence from school to home and from home to school. Lunch/milk money envelopes will reach the teacher via the daily folder as well. It is our daily communication tool, and must accompany the child to school every day. Please empty the folder when you return home with your child, and read any newsletters, memos, Scholastic book orders, or other information sent home. In addition to learning through play at preschool, much work is accomplished, and should be reviewed and celebrated at home. To foster the development of good school habits, encourage your child to be responsible for returning the emptied folder to his/her backpack for the next school day, and we thank you for supervising that it is done.

Monthly Snack Calendar and Behavior Management Plan – The second main purpose of the daily folder is also very important. In the left side pocket, a calendar will be placed. On it will be important dates and information that you will want to make note of. Also, this is where we keep track of and reward your child’s good daily behavior and cooperation at school with a sticker, or make note of an area in need of improvement. (In this case, your child‘s teacher or aide will briefly explain the situation and ask for your support at home.) This calendar remains in your child’s folder until the end of the month.

“Blue Family Folders“- Other important information from the main office will be sent home every Wednesday in the “blue family folder” (which is provided by the main office). “Blue family folders” are sent home with the oldest/only student in each family, and are to be emptied and returned on the next school day. Be sure to go through all information and mark calendars as needed. Also, on the front of the blue family folder is a reminder to read the most recent SME News Notes on the school’s website, which is posted each Wednesday.

Program/Schedule - During our full days at SME Pre-K, we work hard to accomplish a lot! Time flies when you’re having fun, and we do have a lot of fun! Children learn best through play and hands-on activities, and there is so much to learn during these very important preschool years. While being as flexible as we need to be, because our children are so young, we follow more of a routine as opposed to a “schedule”. Each day there will be time for listening to stories, sharing/listening during group discussion, learning to be a good listener and move within a group, free-play, structured play, socialize and learn to be kind friends, small motor development, music and movement, teacher-led arts projects, free art, reading and math readiness activities, and of course, lunch time, rest time, and snack time.

Physical Education - This year each Pre-K class will be able to participate in gym class 1- 2 times a week (Monday thru Thursday). One gym day a week will be designated for the children to ride bikes. We ask that you send your child in with a bike helmet on their scheduled bike day (labeled with their name, please!). These can be brought back and forth to school each bike day or left in your child’s cubby. Sneakers are MANDATORY for participation in gym activities.

Pre-K 3 BIKE day – Thursdays

Pre-K 4 BIKE day – Fridays

Weekly Specials – 3 years olds – Gym, Library & Music (Tues.); Art (Thurs.)

- 4 year olds – Art & Gym (Mon.); Religion & Spanish ( Wed.); Tech & Music (Fri.)

Weekly Mass - All Pre-K 4 students will attend Mass with the rest of the school each Friday, and on Holy Days as they occur throughout the year. Pre-K students will walk over and sit with teachers and buddies each week!

Lunch - Pre-K students will either bring or buy lunch each school day. Lunches brought from home should be healthy foods the child likes and will eat. Dessert is fine, but we encourage children to eat their healthy items first. Please note, Pre-K children eat lunch at tables in the hall, so all lunches from home must include all needed items such as spoons, forks, napkins, etc, as we do not have them in the classroom. You may access the monthly lunch menu on the school’s website under the calendar tab at the top of the home page. To buy lunch, parents are responsible to select the child’s lunch from the monthly lunch calendar in advance. Lunch money must come to school in an envelope labeled with the child’s name, lunch choice, and milk choice, via your child‘s daily folder. Teachers will collect and submit lunch orders to the cafeteria staff at the start of the school day. Lunches will be ordered based only on labeled envelopes taken from your child’s daily folder. (The teacher will not ask each student every day which lunch he/she would like.) You are able to pre-pay for lunches ahead of time, but please be sure to let the teachers know what lunch choice your child will be ordering for that day, as there are 4 daily choices, along with 3 daily milk choices. Lunch menu calendars are available on the SME school website.

F.A.S.T. Club - Child care is available for Pre-K students whose parents cannot pick them up at our 2:05 dismissal time. F.A.S.T Club is available until 6:00 every school day, except for our 10:45 dismissal days. Pre-K F.A.S.T. Club will be held in the school cafeteria, and more detailed information is available on SME’s website under the “Parents” tab on the homepage. A written note is required in advance to inform your child’s teacher that your child will be staying at F.A.S.T that day. Please pack a snack for your child to eat during his/her F.A.S.T time. Please let your child’s teacher know of your need for after school care on a daily basis by writing a quick note and sending it to school via your child’s daily folder. A “forever note” can be submitted for the year if there will be regularly scheduled F.A.S.T attendance for your child. For further information, please call the main office.

Skills Assessments – Will be conducted in early September, January, and May. Pre-K report cards will be sent home in January and May. You will be provided with a skills checklist in mid-fall, so you can reinforce and further develop skills at home. Spending time reinforcing skills at home strengthens those skills, as well as gives your child the message that school is important, and you are proud of how much he/she is learning!

Book/Software Orders – Order forms will be sent home via daily folders about once a month. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of Scholastic’s low prices. If you would like to order books as holiday or birthday gifts, just note that on your order and we will call you upon their arrival. Browse Scholastic.com and choose books and software for siblings, cousins, and friends of all ages, as all catalogs are available online. Ordering online and paying by credit card is an option, and is rewarded with free book coupons, too! By placing orders online, you also can help our class earn points to put towards new books for our classroom library. Simply enter the code (can be found on the cover letter when you receive your scholastic packets), and it will automatically be added to our account.

Classroom Website – Check out Pre-K webpages on the SME website for information such as upcoming events, fun song links with movement and lyrics, prayers we practice, as well as slideshows of our Preschoolers hard at work and play. Each Pre-K teacher has their own webpage found under the “Faculty & Staff” tab on smeschool.com.

Picture Release – If you prefer your child’s picture not be used on our website or for media purposes, (ex. local newspaper and school/teacher webpages) please fill out the appropriate form provided by the main office. (A Picture Release Form was in with registration paperwork.)

Holidays - We celebrate and mark many holidays, and have simple parties for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. These holidays are typically spent with our buddies doing fun crafts and games.

Birthdays - Birthdays are acknowledged and worked into our snack rotation, so your child will be our special helper on his/her birthday. You are welcome to send in treats for their birthdays, but please be sure they are store-bought, simple to serve, and follow the school’s nut-free policy, (will discuss in detail at orientation). Children who have summer birthdays are scheduled in September or June, as close to their real birthday as possible.

Fundraising - Fundraising is very important for the success of our school. It helps keep tuition rates down, as well as supports and enriches programs we offer. St. Mary’s first major fund raiser, the candy bar sale, starts at the very beginning of the school year. Pre-K families are not required to do any fundraising, but we STRONGLY encourage and appreciate your participation, as it benefits the entire school, including Pre-K. More information on fundraising opportunities is provided in greater detail in your child’s Wednesday blue folder, and in weekly News Notes found at smeschool.com.

Attendance - Tardy/Absent Policy – We follow the same policy as stated in the SME Handbook, which can be viewed on the school’s website. http://www.smeschool.com/sme-handbook

Other notes-

Please label everything sent in, including lunchboxes, sweaters, jackets, hats, gloves, boots, bike helmets, and snack items.

Our Pre-K room is filled with exciting and age-appropriate, educational toys and activities. Toys from home may not be brought in to school. This prevents personal treasures from being accidentally broken, lost, or sent home with the wrong child.

School uniforms are not required for Pre-K, but you may dress your child in them if you choose. Please do consider safety when dressing your child for school. Sneakers or shoes with rubber soles should be worn to school each day. (Buckles may become caught on carpets and furniture, creating a tripping hazard for the children. Likewise, flip-flops and sandals with “open toes” create a safety issue for the child, especially going up and down stairs for specials, and during activities such as dancing, playing sports, running, and riding bikes.)

**Please note, detailed information on upcoming school events can always be found on teacher webpages, the SME Facebook page, in SME News Notes at smeschool.com, and is posted on the Pre-K bulletin board located in the main foyer, next to the office door. Your participation in SME family events makes school life more fun for you and your child, and creates the close-knit community that makes St. Mary’s the wonderful school it is. We encourage you to get to know your child’s classmates and their families, and become a special part of SME family!

If you need to call to speak to us, please leave a message on our school voicemail, 683-2112 and we will get back to you when we are not with children. For urgent matters, please call the main office and the school secretary will get needed information to us immediately.

Mrs. O'Grady - ex 102 or cell number 716-713-8332 ( text /call)

Ms. Bartkowiak (Ms. B) – ex 103

Mrs. Laidman - ex 105

Ms. Jones - ex 108 Cell: (716)445-7738

Once again, welcome! Teaching at St. Mary’s is a wonderful, unique, and rewarding experience. We look forward to the challenges of another year and getting to know you and your child. Being surrounded by a terrific staff and caring families makes it a pleasure to come to work each day.

Let the fun begin!!

St. Mary’s Pre-K Teachers and Staff

Daily Afternoon Snack Time - Pre-K children will enjoy a snack at school to hold them over until dinner. It will also provide time for relaxed conversation and practice using polite table manners. Snack days are scheduled in a predictable, repeated order that on occasion, is tweaked slightly to work in a child’s birthday snack day. You will find our snack schedule on the calendar in your child’s daily folder, as well as the exact number of snack, drinks, and napkins needed for the children in his/her homeroom. Please read food labels carefully due to food allergies. Do not send a snack that contains nuts or peanut butter, or is made in a facility that processes nuts of any kind.

Snack Suggestions

- pretzels

- crackers

- granola bars

- yogurt cups and spoons, or gogurt

- raisins

- cheez-its

- cookies

- cereal bars

- goldfish crackers

- applesauce cups or fruit cups and spoons

- cheese sticks

- granola bars

- mini-muffins

-bananas

-fresh fruit, washed and ready to serve

- animal crackers

- veggies & dip, washed and ready to serve

- small water bottles (or 4 oz. paper cups which we will fill with water)

- Capri Sun 100% juice pouches

- 100% juice boxes

-milk and 4 oz. paper cups

Please note:

Please send in a roll of paper towels or two napkins per child as we use one as a clean placemat to set food on, and the other to wipe hands and faces, or clean up spills that are likely to happen.

Individual snack packs are helpful, but not required. A box or bag is fine, just please be sure to send in enough for each student to have some!

Your child’s snack day items may be sent in a few days prior to, or on the morning of his/her scheduled snack day. Thank you for your support in keeping tummies full so children can concentrate on learning.

2018-2019 School Supply List

** Please label each item with your child’s first and last name. **

1 full-size backpack (not a sports bag or toddler-sized backpack because projects and folders will not fit inside without bending)

1 sturdy, vinyl folder with 2 pockets (without loose leaf clasps, with pockets on the bottom, not portfolio style)

1 child-sized blanket to be used as a rest mat (no bigger than 3’ x 4’)

6 most recent, wallet size, close-up face pictures of your Pre-K child

1 (10-12ct) box of large, Crayola Washable Markers

1 (10-12ct) box of large, Crayola Washable Crayons (“Large”, not “Jumbo”)

1 (24ct) box of skinny, Crayola Washable Crayons

1 - 16 ct. Crayola Washable Watercolor Paints

2 - 4 pack of Elmer's Washable Glue Sticks

1 – 200-250 ct. napkins

1 roll of blue painter’s tape (not 3M with words printed on the tape)

$15.00 for photo processing throughout the year (Please send money in an envelope, labeled with your child’s first and last name).

Extra set of clothes, in case of spills or accidents, in a gallon Ziploc bag, labeled with child’s first and last name. (Please include shirt, pants, underpants, and socks. Please label each article of clothing.)

**Although Dollar Store products may be less expensive, they unfortunately do not last as long, or offer the same quality as name brand art supplies. Please take advantage of sale prices over the summer. Thank you. **