1)    Please be sure that your child has a seasonally appropriate change of clothes (complete with undies and socks) in their backpack (or school cubby) at all times. As the season changes or your child uses their change of clothes, be sure to send in new clothes! Label as much as possible so there are no mix ups. Special Note: Due to a policy change, any soiled clothes will no longer be cleaned or 'rinsed out' but sent home as is. If the soiling is severe, I will try to call and discuss other options (i.e. throwing them away at that point may be the preferred option). I just don't want anyone to be surprised by the state that clothes are sent home in this year as we are only permitted to have the child put the soiled clothes in a bag; handling them ourselves as little as possible. 

2)    Check folders each day. We will not send home many hardcopy papers, but various things do come home from the office as well as your child’s beautiful artwork that they will be so proud to talk to you about! If you send things in with your children, make sure they are aware and let me know when they arrive in the morning. We try to check the folders everyday, but this helps ensure we don't miss anything and gives your child some responsibility for their folder and what's in it!

3)    Tennis shoes are the BEST shoes for preschool as well as play clothes that are ok to get a little messy sometimes (there will be paint)! Safety and comfort are the priority. I would prefer shoes that they can take on and off (at nap time) themselves as this is a perfect time to practice that independent skill.

4)    We love to celebrate birthdays! I will provide a special birthday flag and treat on their birthday (or when we celebrate it). The preschool will provide a birthday snack for your child and the whole class that your child will get to pass out so you do not need to send anything in.

5)    We will have conferences twice in the school year. Should other meetings be needed, we will schedule those as we come to it.

6)    Blankets and a small stuffy can be sent in for rest time. They both will need to be left at the school all week and taken home Fridays for washing, so don’t send in the favorite stuffy or blanket. IF your child will nap better with a pillow as well, that may came in and follow the same procedure as the blanket and stuffy.

7)    Have your child bring in a labeled water bottle each day to keep in their cubby. That way they have easy and quick access to water.

We will be using our Handwriting Without Tears workbooks, journals and completing some occasional worksheets. However the majority of our learning will be with hands on activities and through play. Centers are planned and prepared to help your child learn skills they need for the future. Small Group time will be more academic in nature but will also utilize interactive activities, manipulatives and games.

I will not be assigning homework! I will keep each parent up to date on their child’s development and success and will notify you of anything specific that you can work on at home to improve your child’s performance and experience at school. The best homework I can assign to you is to spend time with your child, talking about their day and reading one on one with them at home everyday!

In addition to the parties we will have throughout the year (which involve varying levels of parent involvement), we will have other opportunities to get involved with our classroom community. I will be sending out a Mystery Reader sign up sheet sometime in October. This will be an opportunity for parents, grandparents, and caregivers to come and read to the class. I usually pick one consistent day/time but I will work with those who need another option. We will also have two 'projects' in the new year that you will be able to work on with your child. For our Valentines Day party, we always have the kids build their own Valentines box to collect their cards in. I send that information out in January. Also, early in the new year we will start show and tell. Last year, the kids had a blast making show and tell videos and presenting those to the class. We will continue with that this year. I will send more information about that in December or January. 

In our JK classroom, we use positive reinforcement and ongoing review of rules and expectations to encourage appropriate behavior. We will use redirection if needed, as well as a ‘cool down’ space should the student need that. We will be earning ‘compliments’ as a class when we demonstrate appropriate behavior and will have the opportunity to celebrate as a class throughout the year as we earn a certain number of compliments. On average, we have a 'compliment party' once a month.  The first few weeks, especially, will be focused on: learning and following classroom rules, keeping ourselves and our friends safe, and spreading kindness.

I am a big advocate for knowing and naming feelings. We will do a unit study on feelings early in the year where we will learn to recognize our feelings, what they do to our body and how we can and should or should not act on our feelings. 

Once we have settled in, should there be issues that are consistent or harmful to the students or the student themselves, we will contact you via email or phone call. I will work with you to figure out the best system for your child to succeed in the classroom! Together, we can ensure a safe and successful year for everyone in the JK class.