Welcome Letter

Welcome to Kindergarten!  My name is Colleen LoCasto (the children call me Miss L.) and I will be your child’s teacher this year. Miss Abby Hecht (Miss H.) is the teaching assistant in kindergarten.  This is always an exciting time for me.  I enjoy spending the last few weeks of summer vacation preparing and planning for the new school year.  This is going to be a “beary” good year. Our theme throughout the year is bears.  There will be bears everywhere throughout the curriculum and our day.  Mr. Bear (the classroom bear) will have a mystery item or items in his basket each day.  The children will be detectives and have to try to find out what Mr. Bear wants us to learn about for that day.  Mr. Bear’s basket might even contain a few surprises for the children. 

 I am confident that this will be a great year together for all of us.  Below are a supply list and some information about the kindergarten classroom’s rules and policies.

SUPPLY LIST—FOR SCHOOL

PLEASE LABEL ALL BELONGINGS!!

*ONE EXTRA SET OF CLOTHING

*BACK PACK

*LUNCH BOX

*A BOX OF TISSUES

*A SHOE BOX

*24 BOX OF CRAYONS

*NAPKINS

*ADDITIONAL ITEM NEEDED --

SUPPLY LIST—FOR HOME

*CRAYONS

*SCISSORS

*GLUE

*PENCILS

CLASS RULES AND POLICIES:

1.      Curriculum Time:          Our curriculum time is from 8:00 to 2:30 everyday.  If you would like your child to participate in all academic activities, please have them in school by 8:00.  Your child will be marked late if they come in after 8:00.  A newsletter is sent home each month listing the academic and skill areas along with important parent information.  Every three months your child will also bring home a word list.  Please review the words with your child and have him or her use the words in sentences.  In class we will be using the words for various activities.

2.      Discipline:  I feel that it is best to relate to the children in positive ways.  They will receive lots of praise and positive input for good behavior and hard work.  I do expect them to obey the rules in the classroom and outside.

Classroom Rules:

1.      Listen carefully.

2.      Follow directions the first time they are given.

3.      Keep hands and feet to yourself.

4.      Be kind with words and actions to classmates and teachers.

5.      Raise your hand when you want to say something and wait to be called on.

A traffic light behavior management system is used in the classroom.  Each day your child starts out on green and if at the end of the day your child is on green he or she will receive a sticker on his or her chart.  When the sticker chart is filled, your child will be able to go to the “Prize Bear.”  Also, if your child stays on green all week, he or she will be able to receive a small prize from the “bear treasure chest” on Friday.  To help your child remember that they are given three chances before moving his or her clothespin a strip chart is used. If during the day I have to speak to your child about the classroom rules, your child will pull a strip. When all three of your child’s strips have been pulled, your child moves his or her clothespin to yellow and no sticker is earned for the day and your child will not receive a small prize on Friday.  If I have to speak to your child again about following classroom rules, his or her clothespin is moved to red and your child has to sit in the thinking chair.  After getting themselves together I will ask your child to explain to me why he or she was asked to sit in the thinking chair and what should be done next time so that the thinking chair will not be needed.  If your child should need to move his or her clothespin to yellow and/or red, a letter will come home explaining what happened.

3.      Homework:  Children will receive weekly homework assignments. These assignments should be worked on during the week and returned to me on Friday of that same week.  Please allow your child to work on the assignments at a leisurely pace.  I do not want the homework to be a cause of stress in your home.  Homework will be sent home beginning Monday, September 13.

4.       Daily Folder:  Each child will receive a parent/teacher folder.  This folder will      serve as a means of communication between you and me.  Your child will be responsible for bringing his or her folder to school and handing it in on a daily basis.  Please be sure to check and empty the folder each night.

5.      Milk and Hot Lunch:  Your child will be coming home with more information about the lunch and milk program.  You may send in items to be microwaved for lunch.

6.      Snack:  The children will have a snack each morning between 9:00 and 9:20 a.m.  Please send your child to school with a juice box or water and a nutritious snack ie:  fruit, vegetables, crackers, yogurt, etc.  Please do not send in glass bottles for snack or lunch drinks.

7.      Dismissal:  If you are picking up your child after school, please be sure to wait for him or her in the car dismissal line.  Dismissal is at 2:15.  Please be sure to send in a note if there will be a change in your child’s regular dismissal procedure.

8.      Progress Reports/Report Cards:  Every first Friday throughout the school year your child will bring home a progress report.  This report will be a checklist of the skills, concepts, behaviors and work habits that we have worked on the previous month.  The first progress report will come home on Friday, October 1.  Report cards come home on a quarterly basis.  The annual school calendar lists when each of the quarters is completed.  A week after the quarter is over report cards will come home.

9.      Monthly Projects:  Each month your child will bring home a different project to complete at home.  These projects are set around the different topics that we are working on.  A note will always accompany the project explaining what needs to be done as well as when the project is due.

10.  Reminders:

-Please send a note to school with your child the day he/she returns from an absence.  In the note please state the reason for the absence.

-Remember that a note must always be sent if someone other than a parent will be picking up your child from school.

-Children are not allowed to bring toys to school.  Toys get broken and given away without parent or teacher permission and many times there are also disputes of ownership of the toy.

-Sharing will begin in October.  Each child will be assigned a day to bring in one special item from home to share.  More information about the sharing program will come home at the end of September.

-On a half-day of school dismissal is at 11:15.  On half-days of school, the children will need to bring a snack to school for snack time.

-Birthday treats….Gladly!!  Please let me know a week before the party to avoid any conflicts.  Balloons and goodie bags are not permitted.

11.  During the first few weeks of school, do not be disturbed if you child:

            -is shy

            -complains of a stomach ache

            -talks about his/her pre-k experience or former teachers

            -is cranky

            -tires easily

            -does not talk much about what happened in school

These are all symptoms of tension and stress in a new situation and will disappear as your child becomes used to the teachers and classroom routines.  Be supportive, consistent, and sympathetic.  Remember that children thrive within structure and with clear limits, but at the same time resist change!

I know this is a LOT of information all at once, but I hope that it will help in the coming weeks.  I am available most afternoons from 2:45-4:30p.m.   If you ever have anything you wish to discuss with me, please give me a call (569-3494) or write me a note and I will contact you as soon as possible.  Your child is very important to me, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with a concern or question.  I look forward to working with you during the school year and meeting you on Tuesday, August 31.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Colleen LoCasto

Please take a few minutes to answer the attached questionnaire and mail back or bring to the open house.  This will help me to get to know your child better.  Thank you!

Questionnaire for Kindergarten Parents

Child’s name (As you want him/her called at school)

_____________________________________________________

Birthday:_____________________________       Age:___________

School District:___________________________

Address:                                                                 Telephone:

1.       How is your child being dismissed from school:  (Please circle for each day)

Monday          Tuesday          Wednesday                 Thursday        Friday

Car                  Car                  Car                              Car                  Car

Bus                  Bus                  Bus                              Bus                  Bus     

Extension          Extension          Extension                      Extension          Extension

2.      Please list the names and ages of child’s brothers and sisters.

3.      Has your child attended preschool or play-group experiences?  (Please give names and number of years attended.)

4.      Does your child have any difficulties with speech?

5.      Does your child have any health problems or allergies?

6.      Is your child afraid of anything?

What skills has your child acquired? (Please check the skills)

____Knows address

____Knows phone number

____Knows birthday

____Can say full name

____Can print first name

____Counts to… (how far)

____Knows the difference between left and right

____Knows the name of the 8 basic colors

____Can recognize numbers to 10

____Recognizes capital letters

____Recognizes lower case letters

____Recognizes letter sounds

____Can tie shoes

7.      What are your expectations for the kindergarten program?  What specific things would you like to see happen this year?

8.      Is there anything else that you would like to tell me about your child?

This will be an exciting year!  I look forward to getting to know you and your child.

A Few Read Aloud Suggestions for Starting School

The Night Before Kindergarten, by Natasha Wing

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, by Joseph Slate

Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come, by Nancy Carlson

When You Go To Kindergarten, by James Howe

Countdown To Kindergarten, by Alison McGhee

Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes

I Am NOT Going to School Today, by Robie H. Harris