Beginning Information

Help Your Child Have A Smooth Start

*School begins right at 8:30am. We begin our work (and play) right away so we don't lose a precious minute. Please do your best to have your first grader arrive on time.

*Arrival plans: First Graders can begin to be dropped off for line up outside our classroom door at 8:15 am. Please be aware that the area is not supervised until then. We will go inside at 8:30 to begin our day. In the event of rain, children will be directed inside. Please let me know any ways I might be able to help you or your first grader with their transition to school.

*Dismissal plans: Please use Pickup Patrol for any dismissal changes.

*Please send your first grader with a regular sized backpack. It is important to have a backpack large enough to accommodate the increased number of items this year. It may also be helpful to send extra clothes; if your child gets wet or is uncomfortable when clothes get messy, or sometimes needs a cozy layer, please consider this. Extra clothes should be labeled with your child's name and put in a zippered bag to be stored.

*Please send a nutritious snack and drink or water bottle each day. The snack does not need to be peanut/treenut free. We have snack every day at 9:30 for no more than 15 minutes. (Make sure to start the day with a good breakfast!)

*Your first grader may bring lunch or obtain lunch from Whitson's (free to all families throughout June 2021). Monthly lunch menus can be found on this site or the WPS website. Please discuss the choices with your first grader so they know what to choose upon arrival in our classroom. Lunches from home may contain peanuts or tree nuts.

*Lastly, and most importantly, I welcome the opportunity to work closely with you so your first grader has the best possible year. Please let me know anything that might impact your first grader's learning and happiness at school, and likewise, I will let you know anything I observe that might help you. The more proactive we are together, the better the first grade experience will be for each child!