Welcome to KM!

Because I know you all feel that getting instant updates from your child’s Kindergarten teacher is so critically important that you can’t even wait until you get in front of your desktop or laptop computer, (oh wait, maybe it’s just my addictions to playing with my site and my Android phone while my kids are napping ) I have added a mobile plugin to the website to make reading posts from your mobile device (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc.) even easier! Now when you visit mrsmonteiro.com from your mobile device, you will automatically be directed to m.mrsmonteiro.com, the mobile version of the site which has an easier-to-read-on-a-phone list of recent posts. Of course, if you prefer to see the full version of the website with it’s teeny tiny print on your tiny appendage device, you may scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link to see the full site. I hope this will make getting updates easier as you ride the train home from work (but remember, please don’t visit us while driving)!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year in KM! I’m looking forward to meeting all of my new friends on September 7! This web page was created as a way of (nearly instantly) communicating with the children in my class and their very busy families in this age of daily computer use and smart phones!

Included on the home page is my classroom blog which includes everything from current curriculum highlights to reminders about school spirit days. Using the buttons at the top of the page you will find links to our calendar, which includes both school wide and classroom specific events, Westwood’s Kindergarten Curriculum Standards, lists of books I recommend that are available for purchase through the current Scholastic book club order form, some fun and interesting sites for kids and families to check out, a photo gallery (the password for which will be given to parents on Curriculum Night), and a page with all the information you need to contact me. Down the right hand column you will also find links to the school’s, district’s, and DOE’s websites as well as the website where you can order books from Scholastic online, which may be useful throughout the school year.

There are several ways to stay up to date with this site. You could just bookmark the page…but…then you have to remember to check it often which can be difficult to do for today’s busy families. In fact, in the past I’ve found very few people remember to do this and it makes me feel sad when no one visits! A much more efficient way would be to enter your email address in the subscribebox on the right and you will receive an email when I post something new to the blog. I typically only post a few times a week and no one but myself (and my wonderful husband who helps with the code for the site when I get stuck) will have access to the email addresses you enter. So don’t be afraid of being bombarded with junk email! You can also unsubscribe yourself at any time and I will unsubscribe my former class every summer. Subscribing this way will also allow you to enter home and work emails for both mom and dad so you’ll never miss a beat! Another way would be to subscribe through an rss feed reader (like Google Reader) if you use one and are familiar with how they work. The rss feed button is at the bottom left hand corner of the page.

I would really appreciate your feedback about the site itself and about the content I post so I welcome families to post comments or questions back to me (or to each other) through the site! Don’t be alarmed if your comments do not appear right away as I must approve them to keep out inappropriate spam!

A little about me: I’m Mrs. Amy Monteiro. The 2010-2011 school year will be my 17th year working in early childhood education and 11th year teaching Kindergarten (my 10th in Westwood). I grew up in RI with my Mom, Dad, and older sister. I am still very close to my family. My Dad has worked in the computer field my whole life which is why I tend to be an “early adopter” and LOVE to find ways of integrating technology in my classroom. My Dad and I have another thing in common. We are both licensed skydivers! In fact, skydiving is how I met my husband! I have been married to Mr. Monteiro for 6 years and I have two wonderful children. Lauren, who will be 4 in November, and Carter, who will be 2 at the end of September. I’m sure you’ll hear all about my family as I tend to share a lot of stories about them with the class. I’m really looking forward to getting to know your children in the coming months, hearing their stories, and playing, and learning, and watching them grow!

I hope you are enjoying your summer! I am having a blast spending lots of time with my kids, Lauren (3 1/2) and Carter (almost 2). While they nap I am spending some time trying to update my web page. Please be patient while it is under renovation…I’m running into a few coding problems! See you in September!

We may be having a popsicle treat after lunch when we return to school tomorrow (IF I make it to Stop & Shop this afternoon!) since we won’t be having a morning snack. If you would prefer your child not have a popsicle with the class, please email me to let me know.

Our bus will leave school first thing in the morning. Please do not be late for school as we will be on a very tight schedule and cannot hold the bus for late arrivals, nor can we allow students to join us in route due to the number of groups moving between different locations.

We will be eating a picnic lunch (either at Buckmaster Pond if the weather is nice, or back at Sheehan if it is raining). Children should bring a lunch and a beverage in disposable containers. These bags can be transported more easily in large tote bags or coolers.
We will be spending time walking outside and therefore, if the weather calls for steady rain, we will have to cancel the trip. But if the forecast is for light showers, we will still plan to go so please check the weather before school and dress appropriately. In the case of light showers, please wear rain gear with a hood/hat. In the case of very warm weather, please apply sunscreen before sending your child to school.

Also, please send your child to school in their Westwood Kindergarten t-shirt…again!  Thank you!