North newton Elementary School “Shaping the World, One Student at a Time”

Front office Staff Shane Whitener, Principal Jill Hager, Instructional Coach Gina Styers, Data Manager Monica Lofland, Finance Officer

Kindergarten teachers Adriana Botero Danielle Gold Kristin Fernetti Shana Smith

North newton vision & mission Shaping the World, One Student at a Time Mission North Newton Elementary will ensure that each student succeeds!

Be Prepared Act Responsibly Respect Others Keep Safe BARK Expectations Be Prepared Act Responsibly Respect Others Keep Safe

Core values All children can and will learn. Through our family atmosphere based upon mutual respect among students and staff: Diversity is celebrated. Risk-taking is encouraged. A compassionate and safe environment is fostered. Everyone feels a sense of belonging. Community and parental involvement are essential for our success.

Preparing for Kindergarten Academics….. Know letter names and sounds (refer to the Letterland handout) Count and recognize numbers 0-100 Be able to write name correctly using ONLY a capital letter at the beginning Identify 2D/3D shapes & colors Correctly hold/use scissors Months of the year and days of the week

Preparing for successful behavior… Practice giving your child 2-3 step directions Practice 2-3 steps in a sequence: Ex. Brush your teeth, pick up your toys, and then make your bed. Practice basic social skills -sharing -please, thank you -taking turns -tattle telling (big/small problem)

Health information: Nurse Jennifer is our School Nurse!!! Parents have 30 calendar days to provide proof of immunization and health assessment. Students cannot attend school after 30 days until immunization information is provided!

Keep your contact information up to date In case of emergencies, we need: Current home phone number Current work number Pager or Cell phone number Phone number of an emergency contact *If any of these numbers change, please notify the office immediately!

North newton expectations and policies: All visitors must sign-in at the front office before visiting the classrooms or going to the cafeteria. Parents must get in the car line when picking up students after school. NO WALKING UP TO THE BUILDING. Parents will not be allowed to walk students to class after the first week of school. No early check-outs after 2 pm without a doctor’s note/appointment card.

Lunch information Your child will be eating lunch at school on the staggered days. You must send money if you are planning to buy lunch the first day. Lunch currently costs $2.25 and Breakfast costs $1.25. Pay weekly or monthly. Free and reduced lunch forms will be distributed. Help your child begin to learn how to open a milk carton and to carry a tray. Please do not bring in lunch from outside vendors.

Staggered entry Only ½ of the class will enter each day for a total of 2 days. You will receive a start date over the summer in the mail. School begins Monday August 28th.

Computers Physical Education Library Music Art Drama Specials Computers Physical Education Library Music Art Drama

volunteers We love volunteers! If interested, you will need to complete a volunteer form and submit $6 for a background check. Any time that you could donate to help in your child’s classroom would be appreciated. We need volunteers to be classroom assistants, tutors, chaperones for field trips, lunch buddies, and much more.

World culture school Each grade level has a specific cultural focus: Kindergarten: 1st Qtr-North America, 2nd Qtr-Europe and Antarctica, 3rd Qtr-Africa and Asia, 4th Qtr-Australia and South America 1st Grade: Africa 2nd Grade: Australia 3rd Grade: North America 4th Grade: South America 5th Grade: Asia

Dual Immersion Class/Visiting International faculty (vif) Kindergarten has a Spanish speaking VIF teacher from Colombia, Ms. Botero, who partners with one of our English speaking teachers. This is a 50-50 Dual Immersion class where students will receive half their instruction in English and the other half in Spanish. This will be our third year implementing this program. We will have an application process to determine which students will participate in this program. More information to come about this.

2nd Annual International Festival Tomorrow 10:00-1:00 Food samples from around the world Global games and activities Students will be displaying global projects they have completed in class. Will conclude our Soles for Souls project.