Welcome to Kindergarten Newsletter
Welcome
to Kindergarten at Sandwich West Public School!
This
program involves unique learning opportunities that will provide your child
with developmentally appropriate and program centered activities in an exciting
inquiry based environment.
We
hope the information in this letter will be helpful in answering many of your
questions. If you have any further inquiries, feel free to call or write a
note.
Note
Totes: The plastic pocket, which will be sent home
on the first day of school, will serve as our communication tool. Your
child’s note tote needs to go back and forth from home to school every day. We will place any information for you into
this pocket and you may return any notes, supplies or money in it. The prompt
return of forms to school would be greatly appreciated! Please label
items being sent to the school with your child's name, e.g. Print your child's
name on the envelope/baggie containing field trip money. Please stress with your child that they should
not take anything out of their note tote, but give it directly to a parent or
to the teacher with the items still inside. Please be sure to take out mail
daily to reduce confusion about what is being sent back to school.
Inside
the note tote, each child will have a communication book. Any personal messages
from the educator(s) will be written in this book. The communication book will
be left open to the page with the educator's written message on it. If the book is closed, this will indicate
that there are no new messages from the teacher.
If
you have a message for the teacher, please use this communication book for your
message and leave the book open in the note tote to the page with the
message on it. A closed book will indicate to the educators(s) that there are
no new messages.
School
Attendance:
Consistent attendance and punctuality are essential for your child to
obtain the maximum benefit from our program.
Many kindergarten learning activities are group oriented and involve
interaction with classmates. If you will be bringing your child to school,
please remember that school begins promptly at 9:10 a.m. If you are keeping your child at home, please
remember to call the school at 519-969-1750 and leave a message by 9:00 a.m. to
assure the office that your child is safe and to avoid a phone call by the
school. If your child is not feeling well, please err on the side of caution
and keep them at home; we’ll all feel better!
Transportation: Your child will receive a purple tag with their bus
number on it. Please do NOT write your child’s name on this tag as we would not
want them to be easily identified by strangers.
This tag will be attached to your child’s backpack and should be worn
daily. The information is critical to
those assisting your child with transportation, such as teachers, supply
teachers and drivers. Please help your
child learn their bus number. If your
child normally rides the bus and you plan to have someone pick them up, you
must send a note or contact the office as early in the day as possible. If
no correspondence is received, your child will be sent home as usual. Please
inform the office or your child's teacher if someone other than a person
previously identified by you is going to be picking up your child.
Dropping
Off Children: Parents who drive children in the morning
are asked to please use the “Kiss and Ride” program provided by the
school. Supervising teachers will greet
your child and direct them to the Early Years playground. Students cannot arrive before 8:55 a.m., as there is no
supervision until that time. An excellent window would be about 9:00-9:05 a.m.
Parking: Parents must
park in the west parking lot when picking up children at dismissal time
or if you need to park in the morning.
This is a school-wide policy strictly enforced for all parents for
safety reasons as the east parking lot is where buses park and drive.
Dismissal: As dismissal time
is a busy time for us, please do not
come into the classroom or meet us on the playground. Parents are requested to meet us outside of
our classrooms at the orange wall.
Please be there by 3:35p.m. at the latest. We must first ensure that the children riding
the buses have boarded and then we will dismiss the children who are being picked
up. We thank you for your patience and
understanding during these times. Please make sure that your child's
teacher has seen you come to pick up your child before leaving with him/her.
Parent
Teacher Communication: A good
parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success. Throughout the year we will communicate with
you through notes, telephone calls, formal reports that are similar to Report
Cards in older grades (Initial Observation and the Communication of Learning),
conferences, and our classroom SeeSaw or Edsby.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. You can get in touch by sending a note in
your child’s communication book in the note tote or by leaving a message at the
school at (519) 969-1750. We will use
mostly electronic forms of communication (SeeSaw or Edsby) for updates on
classroom and school events and activities.
Outdoor
Play: Outdoor play is an essential part of our
program and provides many opportunities for learning. The children will be
going outdoors every day, weather permitting.
We will begin our day outdoors, and the children will have additional
outdoor play time during the day. Please
make sure your child is properly dressed for the weather every morning upon
arrival at school. If you are purchasing a new coat, please select one
which your child finds easy to zip and one without strings as strings are a
safety hazard. In order to have all
items returned and to avoid confusion, please
label all articles that can be removed and/or set down, such as jackets,
pullovers and sweatshirts. Permanent markers work well for labelling tags, or
small tags can be sewn into clothing.
Backpack: Children will need a backpack that is large enough to
easily hold their lunch box, a large library book, their note tote, art work,
and occasionally an extra sweater or other miscellaneous items. Small size backpacks are difficult for
children to organize and are not suggested.
Please keep in mind when making this purchase that the bag should be
practical, easy for your child to put on and take off, as well as open and
close. This backpack should be labeled
with your child’s name on the inside.
Snack/Lunch: Please provide
your child with healthy food choices daily.
We encourage nutritious items such as fruits, vegetables, apple sauce,
dry cereal, yogurt, cheese and crackers or perhaps an extra half sandwich. Labelling of all food and drink containers
that you would like returned is very helpful.
Pop is not a good choice as carbonated drinks are often explosive after
lunch pail jostling. Please consider using reusable drink bottles as they are
environmentally friendly and can be labelled and stored in lunch boxes. Please
do not send food items containing allergens specific to our classroom. A specific note will follow the first week of
school informing you of the specific allergens in your child’s class. Your cooperation is appreciated and will help
keep our children with allergies safe!
We
have two nutrition breaks. The first
eating time is at 11:10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and the second nutrition break is from
1:10-1:55 where half of the time will be spent outdoors. Sometimes students eat then play, and
sometimes the schedule is reversed for this second nutrition break.
Toys: There are many
activities at school for your child to engage in. When children bring toys from home there is a
possibility they may be lost or broken.
To prevent this from happening, please make sure your child’s toys from
home stay at home.
Clothing: In a play-based
learning program, children have the opportunity to explore a variety of
materials and activities. Due to the nature of our program, we ask that you
send your child to school in comfortable, play clothing. Sending your child to
school with play clothing will allow them the freedom to explore without
limitations or the anxiety of ruining their clothing. While we do provide aprons to wear over
clothing for painting and similar activities, in a play-based program, clothing
may become soiled with paint, dirt or glue, for example. Many stains may wash
out, but some may not.
Just
in Case: Throughout the school year, there are some
occasional times when extra clothing is needed.
Each child is asked to have a clear, Ziploc bag containing extra
clothing (T-shirt, shorts, pants, underwear, and socks) at school. Please label
the Ziploc bag with your child's name and send it to school at your earliest
convenience. In order to avoid bathroom accidents, please select clothes that
can be easily and independently removed.
Shoes: The children will
be asked to please bring a pair of indoor running shoes to school to be worn
when outdoor shoes are dirty or if boots are worn to school. These shoes may be
left at school. When boots are not
necessary, we ask that your child wear closed-toe, comfortable shoes that also
have a back strap to school. Your child
must be able to put on and remove these shoes independently. Please practice at home with your child. Please
make sure your child’s name is on his/her shoes.
Labeled
clothing/belongings: Please make sure your child’s coat, hat,
shoes, backpack, sweaters, lunch bag and anything else sent to school are
labeled with your child’s name.
Classroom
Supplies: Many
families ask if there is a way they can contribute to the classroom. As
learning in the Kindergarten program involves hands on involvement with real
items, there are many times when we will bring in materials from outside the
school. Examples are ingredients to cook, supplies for art projects, recyclable
materials, and many others. If you would like to contribute to our classroom,
it is greatly appreciated. We will send communication letting you know of some
of the things we are looking for as they come up.
Beautiful
Junk: Don’t
know what to do with those miscellaneous small items collecting in your junk
drawer or tool box? We do, it’s called beautiful junk! The children create with
it at the art centre! Please do not send in meat trays, egg cartons or toilet
paper rolls as we are unable to use them for sanitary reasons.
Photography: During the school
year, photographs of the children engaged in various activities are taken.
These photographs will be used to document and further our learning. It is an
essential part of our program that your child be photographed. If you have any
questions or concerns about photographing your child, please feel free to
contact us to discuss this further.
A
signed photo release form to be kept on file is necessary so that your child
may be photographed. Please return this form as soon as possible if you have
not already done so at registration or interview times.
Book
Order Forms:
Beginning in September, Scholastic Book order forms will be going home
each month. Scholastic offers wonderful
books and computer resources at reasonable prices. It is a great way to build your home library
and help out the classroom at the same time. Book orders are usually due a week after they
come home. If you choose to order,
please send in cheques only, made payable to Scholastic Canada Ltd., or you can
pay online on the Scholastics website (more information will be provided with
the first order form).
Special
Days: Children enjoy talking about special events
and holidays. If your child does not
celebrate holidays for religious or cultural reasons, please let us know.
Volunteers: The participation of volunteers will vary according to need. All field trips require some parental participation. There are field trips in which numbers must be limited to a few, as well as others that will be open to all. We love to have volunteers help in our classroom, for example, when cooking, playing games in small groups and engaging in play. If you are interested and able to volunteer in our classroom on a regular basis, you will need a police clearance. Please let us know first and we will arrange days and times and assist you in acquiring the appropriate paper work.
Kindergarten
Schedule Calendar: During the first week of school, your child
will receive a GECDSB Calendar. Your 2018/2019 calendar shows the five
day cycle. Please keep this calendar for reference for the entire school year.
It is also located online at www.publicboard.ca (under the “Calendars” tab)
Medication: If your child
requires medication on a daily basis, you must obtain a special medical form
from the office and have your doctor fill it out. Please
do not send any kind of medication in your child’s backpack. All medications must be stored in the office.
Physical Education: The children will be participating in gym activities
with M. St. Germain and Mr Scheuerman. Please have your child wear comfortable
play clothes and non-marking shoes. Independence is a Kindergarten expectation
that we will be working on with our Kindergarten students throughout the year.
As such, lace up shoes are only appropriate if your child is able to tie and
untie their shoes independently. Please do not send your child to school
wearing jewelry on gym days.
Library: The children will be going to the library where they will be able to choose a book to bring home. Please return your child's library book to school on library days and your child will be able to choose another book to bring home. Further information will be provided as to which days we will be visiting the library.
We
look forward to working with and getting to know your child! Let’s work together to make your child’s
first years in school a happy and rewarding experience!
The
Early Years Team
