Archive for September 1st, 2009
September 1st, 2009 | Author: Mrs. Monteiro
Welcome to Kindergarten at the Sheehan School!
I want to take this time to give you an idea of what a typical day will look like in our classroom at this early time in the school year. Each morning children arrive at school between 8:30 and 8:50. KM children are to drop their backpacks off in our classroom line which is directly outside the blue door by our classroom. The children then may play only on the blacktop area for morning recess. For the safety of all students we ask that parents remain off the playground during this drop off time so that the teachers on duty can see all that is going on and not worry about a stranger being on the playground. Mrs. Holbrook and I will be outside on the first few days of school to ensure a smooth transition and to greet the children. Once the children have established this routine we will no longer greet them until the bell rings at the beginning of school.
We will begin our day in the classroom by “signing in” and having a Morning Meeting where we will share stories, news, and do some quick counting and phonics activities. The children will then, very slowly, be introduced to the different centers in our classroom. By introducing the room slowly, the children will learn how to properly use materials and put them away which will foster independence in all children.
We will sit down together to eat our snacks and we will join Mrs. Petrucci’s and Mrs. Truman’s classes outside for recess for. As more and more of the room opens up for the children, they will also begin to have some time to make their own choices of games and activities.
Children should bring a healthy snack and drink to school each day. We ask that you save cookies, chips, candy, and cupcakes for home. We have several students in Kindergarten with food allergies. For this reason, please help us to remind kids NOT to share their snack with their friends! Your child’s snack should be sent separate from their lunch (when our day lengthens to include lunch) so that your child clearly knows what is to be eaten for snack and what is for lunch. Please do not send in any items that need to be heated up. Also, if the snack needs a spoon or fork you will need to provide one. We cannot provide snacks for children, so unfortunately if you do not send one, your child will not have one.
The special class schedule for September is as follows: Mondays-Art, Thursdays-Physical Education, and Fridays-Library. Beginning September 22, the children will also have Music on Tuesdays. Each special class will last 30 minutes. Borrowed library books must be returned the following Friday and sneakers will need to be worn every Thursday for Physical Education class.
As you can see, the children have “V.I.P.” (very important papers) bags to take home each day for correspondences. Please check these every day for notices from school and, any notes you need to send to me (or the office) should come to school in the bag as well. Please send the bags back to school every day even if they are empty. Mrs. Holbrook or I will check all of the bags each morning and return them to their mailboxes each day. This counts as a homework assignment in Kindergarten, so help your child remember this important job!
Any changes to your child’s dismissal routine (getting picked up rather than taking the bus, or getting off at a friend’s bus stop, etc.) need to come to me in writing in your child’s VIP baggie in the morning to insure the proper changes can be made to the bus and/or walker lists for the day. Please specify if the change you are making is for one particular day or for everyday.
We do not celebrate birthdays with snacks. However, your child’s birthday will be honored with a birthday pencil. In addition, you are invited to join us one morning to sing to your child and read one of your child’s favorite books in honor of their birthday. I will send a form home with your child prior to their birthday to let you know which day and time you can come in. If a family member is unable to make one of these times, you are still welcome to send in a book for us to read.
There are a few supplies that we would appreciate the children bringing to school. Each child needs a backpack large enough to carry their VIP baggie as well as snow pants, hats, mittens, etc. in the winter time (the popular L. L. Bean Jr. back pack is really not big enough come winter). We would also appreciate it if each family could bring the following items to school on Curriculum Night for shared use in the classroom: 1 box of tissues, 1 bottle of hand soap, 1 bottle of hand sanitizer, and 1 container of disinfecting wipes.
Parents often ask how they can get in touch with me during the day. Notes sent in your child’s V.I.P. bag will reach me daily. In an emergency, I can be reached by calling the school office. In a non-emergency, you can leave a message on my school voice mail and I will call you back as soon as I have a few minutes free. The best way to contact me is by email, which I check several times daily (address below). I also have a classroom web site/blog which has news and information about our class as well as a calendar. The address is below and you can also find a link to it from the Sheehan School site. You will be subscribed to receive email updates from our blog as well as “paperless” notices from the classroom using the email address you provide in the school directory. If you have a different, or additional email address you would like to use to receive news from the classroom, please email it to me so I can change/add it to my list. Also, if you would prefer to receive “hard copies” of notices rather than emails, please send me a note and we will provide that instead.
I look forward to a wonderful year with your children!
(781) 326-7500 x7100 (Sheehan office) x7005 (my voicemail) www.mrsmonteiro.com amonteiro@westwood.k12.ma.us or amy@mrsmonteiro.com both email addresses work! Also, check www.westwod.k12.ma.us/~kgarten for information about busses, lunch, curriculum, etc. Important Dates to Remember:September 7 No School – Labor DaySeptember 14 Picture DaySeptember 21 K stays until 3:10 on M, T, TH, and F and 11:50 on WSeptember 24 Curriculum NightSeptember 28 No School – Yom Kippur