August 12, 2010

 

Dear Pre-K Families,

 

I’d like to invite you and your child to our open house/ orientation on Tuesday, August 24^th  from 12:00 to 1:00pm.  It will be a great opportunity for the children to explore the room, get to know me and each other while the school is a bit quieter.  (There will be a Response to Intervention Academy will be going on in the Health room at this time. About 20 teachers may be breaking for lunch in the library.)  You can stay for the whole time or just a little while - whichever works for you.  Being able to experience a new setting while having your support tends to reduce separation anxiety on the first day of school and beyond.  The school phone number is 464.5386 and our classroom extension is 12.  You are welcome to call me at home at 464.6358 or email me at cdix@wcsu46.org if there is ever anything you wish to discuss.  Please feel free to contact me if you are unable to attend the orientation and would like to arrange a different time to visit the classroom with your child.  

 

Below is some general information that is good to know prior to the start of school, as well as throughout the year.  I know it is a lot but please take a few minutes to read everything and perhaps save this letter for future reference.     

 

Maternity Leave:  At the beginning of October, I will be taking a four month maternity leave until the end of January.  Bethany North, who has a child at Dover School, will be our long term sub.  She will visit the classroom and get to know the class prior to my leaving.  Bethany was a long term sub for a Kindergarten class in Wilmington last spring and she has a birth through age 6 Vermont state teaching endorsement.  We are confident that the class will be in capable hands while I am away.  Most likely, Mrs. North will be coming to orientation so you will get a chance to meet her.

 

Classroom Info:  When school starts, the children may begin to arrive at 8:00am and must be in the classroom by 8:20 when the bell rings.  Please sign your child in on the sign in sheet (below the parent board) each morning.  According to VT state licensing regulations the children must wash their hands upon entering the classroom in the morning and I will make sure they wash hands after coming in from the playground, before snack time, and after using the toilet.  You may collect your child in the Pre-Kindergarten room at 11:15.  At 11:25 I will walk any child not yet picked up to the bench in the front hall to wait by the office.  During the first week of school, I will have our schedule of specials (music, P.E., etc) for you.  Most of these will not start for Pre-K until the end of September or beginning of October to the give the class time to adjust.

 

Transportation:  I know that getting the children to and from Pre-K is very challenging due to the fact that they are not legally permitted to ride the bus.  In years past friends and neighbors set up carpools to help share the work of getting the children to and from school and on to daycare or home.  These arrangements seemed to work very well for most families.   Please let me know if you need any help finding a carpool. 

Here are a few guidelines we have to make sure that all of the children safely get where they need to be.

• If you plan to have someone else (besides parents or legal guardians) pick up your child you must send a written note or contact the office.  You can send a permanent note giving specific people permission to pick up on set days (or any day) and I will keep it on file.
• If no written note or phone call is received, I will be expecting you or their carpool/ride as usual. Please do not rely on your child to tell us who is to pick them up, as they often forget or become confused and can relay information incorrectly.    
• You are welcome to leave car seats or boosters on the bench in the front vestibule by the office in the case that someone else is picking up.  Please write your child’s name someplace visible on the car seat or booster. 

 

 

 

Daily supplies:  Please send your child to school with:

·         a bag to carry things from home to school and back every day.  We will also be making a carrier for papers in class during the first week of school.

·         safe, comfortable shoes (like sneakers) for playing outside or in the gym.    

·         a healthy snack.  Please make sure that fruits and veggies are peeled or sliced as needed at home.  We have a small refrigerator in our room that can hold individual items (like dairy products) but not whole lunch boxes.  Please avoid snacks that contain a lot of sugar or artificial coloring as they tend to make it difficult for children to focus for the remainder of the day.  Let me know if you are interested in school breakfast or snack.

·         a change of clothes to be left at school or in their bag.  All kinds of accidents happen and it is best to be prepared for anything.  If you think your child may need them, wipes can be a good thing to leave in a back pack as well.  I cannot go in to the bathroom to help the children but I can help with clothes outside or pass things into them if needed.

 

We have all the pencils, markers, crayons and paper the children will need in our classroom.  There are many, many toys and activities.  Please have your child leave personal toys at home as it makes sharing easier.  Books are great to bring and share! 

 

Family Tree:  Every year we make a family tree in our classroom.  Please send in a family photo (or two if you do not have one of everyone together) for the bulletin board which will remain up all year.  A 4x6 (more or less) is a good size.  These pictures allow the class to learn about each other and they are also very helpful for the children to look at when they are feeling a bit homesick!  If you can bring a picture on the day of orientation, it will help me to be able to have the tree ready for the first day of school.   

 

Birthdays: We celebrate each child’s birthday with a card and a song at snack time.  Your child is welcome to bring a treat to share with the class if you’d like.  A cookie is okay, fruit is even better but please, no cupcakes as they are really messy.  If your child’s birthday is on a weekend or vacation, I like to make a plan with you for what day to celebrate.  We celebrate summer birthdays during the last two weeks of school.  Birthday parties can be a sensitive subject.  If the whole class is not invited (which, of course, is absolutely fine and reasonable) I prefer to have no discussion of the party at school.  Please make sure your child is aware of this. 

  

I strive to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment for the children to work and live as a team in our classroom.  I believe this is accomplished by introducing the Pre-Kindergarteners to the behavior expectations we have for the citizens of the Dover School.  I will always contact you if there is ever any issue that needs to be discussed.  I send home a monthly calendar with information about what we are learning in school as well as class letters and notes as needed.  Don’t worry; they will not be as long as this one!  I also post the letters on our class website www.doverschool.net and as well as recent classroom photos.  A form will be sent home at the beginning of the year to give or refuse permission to use your child’s photo on the website.  If there is anything you’d like to add to a theme we are working on or if you have a special interest or talent to share with the class, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I will be happy to fit in any additions.  Feel free to visit anytime and see what we are learning in Pre-Kindergarten.  

 

Best Regards,

             Carrie Dix