Kindergarten Back to School Night Clearspring Elementary Home of the Huskies

Kindergarten Supply List 12X18 Book bag (Children should be able to open, fill and close easily) Two pocket folders Items you can DONATE: glue sticks markers white and brown paper bags ziploc bags (gallon, snack and sandwich) wipes (baby and anti-bacterial) paper-plates (non-wax coated, big/small) crayons pump soap hand sanitizer tissues colored pencils

School Hours Office Hours- 8:15-4:15 School Day – 8:50-3:25 Students may arrive no earlier than 8:40 Instruction begins at 9:00. Students must be in their classrooms or they will be marked tardy.

Daily Kindergarten Schedule *Arrival/Opening activities *Math Block- Whole group instruction, guided and independent practice, small group instruction, math centers *Literacy Block- Oral language development, phonemic awareness, letter and word study, Read Aloud, shared reading, literacy centers, guided reading groups, writing * Snack *Integrated Science & Social Studies *Lunch & Recess *Preferred Activities followed by dismissal *Specials- Art, Media, Music, and P.E. meet weekly

Snack Kindergarten will not be eating lunch until 1:00. Please send in a hearty, healthy snack with your child each day. Please make sure it is PEANUT FREE.

Folders Folders will be sent home daily with student work, fliers, and important school information. Please check these folders daily. Remove all student work, and please return forms as soon as possible. Any notes or lunch money should be put into folders. We will check folders each morning.

Behavior Chart Behavior charts will be stapled into daily folders. Each afternoon, we will stamp their calendar with the color they ended the day on. For example, if they showed responsibility, were respectful and safe their calendar would have a green (or blue!) stamp for the day. If they had some difficulty with the rules, their calendar would have a yellow stamp. If they had a lot of difficulty with the rules, their calendar would have a red stamp. Please initial the calendar at the end of each week. Students will receive a husky paw each week if folders are initialed. Please use the calendars as a way to celebrate and guide your child in our Clearspring expectations!

Guided Reading The end of the year kindergarten benchmark in reading is Level 6.

Guided Reading Bags Guided reading bags will be available for purchase this year. We will be sending a form home to purchase them. Please make sure your child reads the book(s) each night and returns their guided reading bag to school every day. We use these books each day for guided reading instruction.

Field Trips Our tentative field trips will be: October: Pumpkin Patch at Gaver Farm December: Imagination Stage February: Krispy Kreme April: In-school Science May: National Zoo

Money Please send all money in a envelope or a ziplock bag clearly labeled with your child’s name and the money’s purpose (cafeteria, field trip, etc.)

Volunteer Training There is a mandatory online training that all parents must take to be a classroom volunteer or a chaperone for field trips. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/childabuseandneglect/reportingchildabuse/story_html5.html

We will have two parties this year. Halloween Valentine’s Day Parties will consist of decorations, a game and a craft. We are no longer permitted to serve food. Each classroom will need 3-4 parent helpers to organize and implement activities. All volunteers must take the online training.

Forms There are forms that are posted on the website, that must be sent in if you want your child exempt from the Moyer Park, Yearbook photos, and the parent directory.

Report Cards New this year, Kindergarten will have 4 report cards. They will come home quarterly. P=Proficient I=In Progress N=Not Yet

Absences If you know your child will be absent, or if they are home sick, please e-mail your child’s teacher and cc Linda Baude in the front office to let us know. If your child has a change in dismissal plans, you must send a written note or call the office. Your child will not be permitted to ride another bus without a pass.

Lunch and Recess Your child will be assigned a pin number for buying lunch and cafeteria snacks. You may send a check or you may pay on-line. You will be notified when your balance is low. Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes for safety on the playground.

Change of Clothing Accidents happen….. Please send a change of clothes in a ziplock bag labeled with your child’s name on the outside. We will return the clothes at the end of the year.

Homework Your child will have a monthly homework calendar in their folder. We will check it at the end of each week and they will receive a paw for doing their homework.

Husky Paws By going above and beyond the Clearspring expectations, students will be awarded paper paws. Students can collect paws and “purchase” items or privileges from the paw cart bi-weekly. Students can save their paws to attend a school-wide special event (movie event, dance party, beach party etc.)