1. Welcome to KG! Orientation Tuesday, September 8, 2015

2. Morning Routine If your child is coming in car line, please follow the directions given to you regarding drop off. Once you drop your child off, please exit the parking lot. It is not helpful to you or your child if you park in the church lot to watch your child during morning recess. The teacher/parent volunteer will assist children out of the car and to the lower lot for recess. Rainy day drop off will be on lower lot. The bell rings at 8:15; all children need to be in line for the “Pledge of Allegiance” or will be marked late.

3. Dismissal In your child’s folder you will find a name tag. On the back of the name tag, please write your child’s normal means of dismissal re: Wissahickon Bus #36. Your child should wear this tag for the first 2 weeks of school to help all faculty make sure they are going home the correct way and to avoid any confusion. If for any reason your child’s dismissal changes, please email me at jgallo@sainthelenashool.org and contact the school office through email at pcissone@sainthelenaschool.org and phone at 610-279- 3345. Please do not notify the school or me after 2:30 as the information may not be received.jgallo@sainthelenashool.org pcissone@sainthelenaschool.org

4. Adjustment Time Each child adjusts to Kindergarten differently. Please be patient with your child through this transition. Even children who have been in full day programs go through some type of transition. Kindergarten is a whole new world! This adjustment period may take about 3 weeks. Our working together will help make this transition a smooth one!

5. Snack/Recess Each child is asked to bring a snack each day. This should be a simple snack, not a small lunch. Cups are provided for each child for water, but you may send in a juice box or water bottle. Snack time is usually at 10:15. Please pack snacks separately from the child’s lunch in their backpacks. When they unpack in the morning, snacks are placed in seat sacks. Pretzels are sold daily for the children to purchase. If you would like to purchase a pretzel, please send $.50 in the labeled bag in your child’s folder. This collected first thing in the morning. Please pack an extra snack just in case because sometimes pretzels do sell out. The children go out daily for recess at 10:30 all year long. Please dress your child appropriately with jackets, hats, gloves, etc. as colder weather moves in!

6. Lunch/Recess Please pack your child’s lunch daily in a labeled lunchbox. Counter is available daily for children to purchase snacks, drinks, ice cream, etc. Prices will be given to you through the email blast. If your child is buying counter, please put money in an envelope labeled with child’s name and “counter”. This should be placed in your child’s lunchbox. Kindergarten goes to lunch at noon to give the children extra time to get settled and time to eat before going outside for recess. Eating lunch in the cafeteria with the other children is a new experience for them! Again, the children go outside every day for recess, weather permitting. You will receive information regarding the hot lunch program which usually begins the last week of September. Menu and prices will be sent to you through email. If your child is ordering hot lunch, please send exact amount in the labeled bag in your child’s folder. The bag should be placed in your child’s take home folder. Lunch orders are collected first thing in the morning.

7. Communication Communication is vital during a child’s early years in school. If there are any changes at home i.e. new baby, parent traveling, etc., please let us know. Please know you may contact me through email jgallo@sainthelenaschool.org or leave a message at the school office at 610-279-3345 for any reason. I will return emails/phone calls as soon as I am able.jgallo@sainthelenaschool.org Mandatory conferences are held in October, optional in January, and mandatory end of year in June. If at any time you would like to schedule a conference outside this time frame, please contact me. Communication is also done through your child’s take home folder. Please check this folder daily for papers coming home. It is important that your child bring his/her folder to school each day. Please remember that all correspondence coming to school should be in an envelope labeled with your child’s name, grade, and what it pertains to i.e. Janet Gallo, KG, Home and School Dues. If your child is going to be absent due to illness, please email me. Also please email Mrs. Cissone at pcissone@sainthelenaschool.org, or call Mrs. Cissone at 610-279-3345. An absent note needs to be sent in with your child upon returning to school.pcissone@sainthelenaschool.org If your child is going to be absent from school due to a trip, please notify me ahead of time as well as the office. The weekly email blasts will be sent out on Wednesdays. Please be sure to open all attachments that are sent each week.

8. Specials The children will attend “specials” each week. The schedule for specials is as follows: –Gym: Tuesday –Music: Wednesday –Library: Thursday –Computer: Monday -Art Express: TBD We do ask for volunteers in Library and Computer; all necessary clearances need to be complete to volunteer.

9. Guest Reader Each week, we ask parents, grandparents, other family members to come to the classroom to be our guest reader. This year our guest reader days will be Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The guest reader will come to the classroom at 2:20-2:40 to share 2-3 books with the children. A treat may be shared with the children at the end of the guest reader’s visit. We need a volunteer to schedule our guest reader times. Children may not leave with the guest reader. This has been a kindergarten tradition for years but the only way we can keep it going is if all readers have received the state mandated clearances and attend the workshop on September 30.

10. Birthdays! Everyone loves a birthday celebration! A child may bring in a treat to share with the class for his/her birthday. Cupcakes, cookies, pretzels, fruit are some choices. Please keep it simple. Please be aware of allergies in the classroom. I will notify you of any allergies in the room. We will sing “Happy Birthday” and treats are usually given at morning snack.

11. Homework Homework is assigned to children in Kindergarten on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. It will begin the week of September 21 and more will be explained about homework at “Back to School Night”.

12. Special Days Please check the school calendar on the school’s website www.sainthelenaschool.org for upcoming events. The calendar is updated regularly. When having special classroom events or events with KW, we will notify you of dates and the homeroom parent will notify you as to what may be needed. www.sainthelenaschool.org Special Days include parties for holidays, which will not be on the school calendar, our Mother’s Day Tea, and our Father’s Day celebration. Other special days include our Kindergarten play which is held during Catholic Schools Week and our closing program in June which is the culmination of Kindergarten.

13. School’s Website Please go to the school’s website at www.sainthelenaschool.org to check the calendar for upcoming events, no school days, and early dismissal days. www.sainthelenaschool.org It is important for you to check the calendar on early dismissal days regarding bus transportation. Not all districts provide transportation on early dismissal days. You can find weekly updates on our webpage. Go to www.sainthelenaschool.org, click on the faculty tab, then find Mrs. Janet Gallo under Kindergarten. This will remind you of upcoming events, homework, what’s happening in the classroom academically for the week, and more. www.sainthelenaschool.org Also, please check Sister Cathe’s page regularly for other information.

14. Stationery Supplies The children are provided with the following stationery supplies at school: –2 folders @ $1.50 each: $3.00 –2 pencils @$.50 each: $1.00 –Seat sack: $13.00 –Scissors: $1.50 –Glue: $1.50 –Crayons: $3.25 –Copybook: $1.85 –Journal: $2.00 Total due: $27.10 (if you have the seat sack from an older sibling, you may send it in) –Please send in a check made payable to “Saint Helena School” or cash (please send in exact amount) by Monday, September 21 in a labeled envelope.

15. Child of the Week In your child’s folder you will find a date for your child to be the “Child of the Week” On Monday, your child will bring in a poster decorated with pictures from his/her life. The pictures can have captions; you can decorate it however you like. During our morning meeting, we will discuss the poster and hang it in the classroom for the week then in the hall for a week. It is important that your child brings the poster on their assigned week; if we follow the schedule, it will take us to May, so please be prepared!

16. Art Fee In addition to the stationery supplies fee, we ask you to send in a separate art fee. The art fee is $20; please make check payable to “Saint Helena School” or send in cash (please exact amount) in a labeled envelope by Monday, September 21. The purpose of the art fee is to cover additional projects we do throughout the year i.e. Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.

17. A couple of things : Please send in a coloring book for your child for rainy day recesses. Please plan to attend “Back to School Night” on Monday, September 21. We will discuss curriculum, our daily schedule, and homework and its expectations.

18. Thank you!! Thank you for the opportunity for working with your children. Please know we are here to support you and your child through this wonderful year in Kindergarten! We will all learn so much as we journey through this year together! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have! Have a wonderful year in KG!