Mrs. Laura’s and Ms. Cindy’s Class Taylor County Elementary Kindergarten Kick Off July 31, 2015

Items to Take Care of Tonight!! 1.Fill out the Transportation Information on the clipboard on front table. 2.Get a folder. Use a sharpie to complete the information on your child’s bus tag (in the folder). Please have your child wear the nametag the first week or so of school. 3.Fill out all forms in the folder and give to me or Ms. Cindy. 4.If your child has any custody restrictions or food/other allergies please write down the information on a note card, located on Mrs. Sallee’s desk. 5.Leave supplies in tub in back of room. 6.Get a voucher and stop by the gym for your child’s t-shirt and to get your pick-up cards – must turn in papers to get your voucher.

SAFARI Folders The “Safari” folders helps us stay organized and communicate with one another. Please look at these each night. Items in the left pocket are to be “left” at home. Items in the right pocket need your attention and need to be returned “right” back to school. The “trunk” is for bus notes and money. Please send all permission slips, lunch money, bus notes, book orders, or other important items in this clear bag so that we can find them immediately. Your “LEADER” will help them get to school safely! Please remember to date all notes, especially notes pertaining to transportation changes. I would love for you to write me a note about your child. Just include anything that would help me to know him or her better.

Transportation/Pick Up The pick-up cards are for parents/guardians who will pick their child up from school. Each parent will receive three pick-up cards to place in different vehicles and/or to share with emergency contacts. Persons with pick-up cards MUST be on the pick-up list. Pick-up cards are available in the gym tonight. If your child will be going home with someone else, riding a different bus, or their normal routine changes, We MUST have a WRITTEN note from you stating how your child will get home. (notes are provided) No child will be allowed to change their routine without written permission. If no note is received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation. Please make sure the note is in the clear storage of the LEADER folder and not stuck in the backpack. We do not go through backpacks, only folders. Please note custody restrictions on an index card before you leave tonight.

Early Release Fridays We will have Early Release Friday EVERY Friday at 12:50. Please be sure that you let us know if your child’s transportation plans will differ on Fridays. Students may participate in Friday Wrap-Up until 2:50 pm. However, you must pick them up – there is no bus transportation from Wrap-Up. They must be signed up in order to attend. If your child will be attending Friday Wrap-Up, please get a form tonight.

Discipline In the beginning, we will give several verbal/visual reminders while the children get used to the routines. We will also review, emphasize, and practice the appropriate Leader habit to help the children know what behaviors are more beneficial. We are using the clip chart system this year that corresponds with the 7 Habit Framework. Everyone will start on “Let’s Learn” each day and have the opportunity to go up and down the chart. Students may be working hard to display the seven habits in their behavior and even go off the chart onto my lanyard. If a child isn’t being proactive and makes bad choices they will move their clothespin down. If a child moves down to Teacher choice, we will work together to come up with the best consequence or it may be an instant time out, loss of treat/treasure box, loss of some playtime or a conduct cut. However, a student can decide to make better choices and move back up the chart. The behavior form will indicate the position at the end of the day but the previous events will be noted in comments. There will be a behavior chart that your child will color in each in his/her binder, please check it daily and discuss it with your child.

Reading We will be using “Daily 5” for reading this year. Daily 5 is simply a management system to help students practice the strategies and skills to learn to read. 3 ways to read: Read the pictures, read the words, or retell the story. I PICK: Choose books that fit their interest, purpose and level of reading. In addition to whole group lessons focusing on reading skills & strategies, children will choose from five activities to work on each day: read to self, read with a partner, word work, listen to reading and writing. Ms. Cindy & I will be listening to students read & teaching reading strategies one-on-one or in small groups. Please read to/with your child every night!!!

Math We will be doing math in a similar manner to Daily 5 reading. We will cover the concepts listed in whole group instruction. Students will practice these concepts & skills in assigned math centers. This will allow for students to work on the skills they need to practice. Math Concepts: Recognizing & writing numbers Number sense and number combinations Counting by 2’s, 5,’s 10’s to 100 Recognizing odd and even numbers Using tally marks, charts &graphs Beginning addition and subtraction Recognizing, continuing, and creating patterns Using measurement Developing math vocabulary We will also do calendar math each morning to explore many math concepts. It’s important that children learn to problem solve and really understand numbers.

Writing In writing we use inventive spelling. That means we only write the sounds we hear. For example, “I love my mom.” might look like “I lv mi mom.” Our goal is to build a risk free environment where kids are authors and they learn as they are developmentally ready. If a child feels safe and knows we will encourage and guide, then he or she is willing to write letters to communicate a message. As they learn sight words and begin reading, then conventional spelling overtakes “kidspelling”. Please ask your child to read what they have written and praise their efforts. When they say, how do you spell ____? Ask them how they think it is spelled. They will begin applying the sounds they know and become the author instead of the adult. We will teach spacing, writing a list, labeling a picture, sentences, beginning, middle and end and many other concepts.

Science & Social Studies We will be integrating Science and Social Studies into our reading, writing, and math content, and learning centers. We will also be doing hands on activities as well as integrating arts & humanities in our science and social studies.

Special Classes Students will visit special classes each week. TCES offers library, gym, music, art & world language. Our schedule rotates each week. We will send home a calendar with the schedule each month. * On P.E. days please make sure your child wears tennis shoes and dresses appropriately.

Grading Students are assessed informally each day and formally as necessary to determine their needs. Modifications are made if necessary for the student to be successful. Each nine weeks, students are assessed over letters, sounds, writing the letters from memory and the sight words covered as well as other skills in reading. In math we will assess over numbers, counting, writing numbers, adding subtracting, etc. We send home report cards every 9 weeks. Instead of A’s, B’s, and C’s there will be a key on the report card indicating whether your child is above or at grade level or whether he/she is progressing or needs help with specific skills. Students will also take a test on the computer referred to as MAP. This assessment is given 3 times a year and shows math and reading progress. We will send home a report each time explaining the results.

General Information School begins at 8:00 am. Students should go to the cafeteria or gym if it is before 7:50. Breakfast and lunch are free for all elementary students this year. Please see the included information sheet concerning meals. If you send money for your child to have extras, please send the money in the plastic pouch in your child's SAFARI folder. Please note on the money form what the money is for so that we will know to put it in your child's lunch account. Each child will receive a lunch number, so you may pay for your child's meals by the week or month if you would like.

Snack We will have a milk break every day. Milk is.40 per day or your child may bring their own drink (no soft drinks) from home. If you send milk money for your child, please put it in the plastic pouch in your child's LEADER folder with a note stating how much money you are sending for milk on the money form and we will keep a record of it at school. Each family/child will be responsible for supplying their own snack each day. If you are willing, send in a few snacks that are individually wrapped. We will put these in a container for students who forget theirs.

Parent Involvement We love to have parents help in our classroom, but you must have completed the volunteer training to be in the classroom or to chaperone field trips. Information is available in the SAFARI folder. Parents may also help at home. We always have things to cut out, books to label, magazines to sort, class books to put together, etc. Please write me a note and let me know if you will be available to help in the classroom or at home. You are needed! Please clip and save the box top logos from food products. We can turn them in for cash to purchase items for the class.

Staying Connected Newsletters will be sent home each Monday. We will communicate important information in the newsletter. We may send home other information throughout the week so please be sure to check your child’s folder daily. Please feel free to call me at school ( ) and I will return your call as soon as possible. You may also me through our school's website but please remember that I may not have time to check my until after school. Please do not transportation changes. If I have a substitute he/she will not have access to my . Please send a note with your child or call the office! If you need to reach me after school, my home number is You are welcome to call prior to 9:00 pm.

Family Resource If your child needs to take daily medication, you will need to contact the Family Resource Center before the first day of school so they will be able to have their meds on the first day of school. Please take a t-shirt voucher to take to the gym tonight to get your child’s kick-off t-shirt after you have completed your paperwork If you have any needs, please let me or the FRYC know and we will try our best to assist you.

Items to Take Care of Tonight!! 1.Fill out the Transportation Information on the clipboard on front table desk. 2.Get a folder. Use a sharpie to complete the information on your child’s bus tag (in the folder). Please have your child wear the nametag the first week or so of school. 3.Fill out all forms in the folder and give to me or Ms. Cindy. 4.If your child has any custody restrictions or food/other allergies please write down the information on a note card, located on Mrs. Sallee’s desk. 5.Leave supplies in tub in back of room. 6.Get a voucher and stop by the gym for your child’s t-shirt and to get your pick-up cards – must turn in papers to get your voucher.