We have had a great first week in kindergarten! Our first day together with both the green and orange group was a success. We spent much of the morning meeting new friends and getting to know each other. We even got together with all of the kindergartners in Ms. Ferland’s class and Ms. Seyferth’s class for our first K-Sing of the year. Each Friday we all get together to sing some of our favorite songs.
This year we are lucky to have Ms. Giacchino and Ms. McCarthy working and learning in our room with us. Ms. Giacchino will spend the whole year with us and Ms. McCarthy will be with us until January when Ms. Boudreau returns from her maternity leave. We are looking forward to spending the year together with you and your family.
Our Classroom Website:
Welcome to our classroom website! In an effort to keep families informed and up to date on classroom happenings I have created this classroom website. Please check our website regularly to read about what we’re learning about and to find out about important dates for your calendar. The updated blog posts will take the place of printed monthly newsletters. I will also be posting pictures of the boys and girls in KB working and learning throughout the week. In your child’s Friday folder you will find a permission slip for your child to be photographed. Please sign this permission slip and return it in your child’s folder on Monday. Thank you!
Home/School Folders:
In order to foster ongoing communication, each child will receive a folder in which to carry school notices, classroom newsletters, and school work between home and school. This folder will travel home each Friday and should be returned each Monday. Please help your child to remember to pack his/her folder in his/her backpack each Monday morning.
Schedule:
For the first month of school, all Kindergartners will be dismissed at 12:30. They will have snack at school but not lunch. Starting September 30th we will begin our full day schedule. Group A (Green Group) will stay at school until 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. October 3rd will be the first long day for Group B (Orange Group). Students in the Orange Group will stay until 3:00 on Thursdays and Fridays. On the days that children stay until 3:00 they will have lunch at school. On the days that children do not stay until 3:00 they will be dismissed at 12:30 and will not have lunch at school. *Every Tuesday is a half-day. All students will be dismissed at 12:30.
Snack:
As some of you may already be aware, there are students in our class who have severe, life-threatening allergies to different foods. Peanuts, tree nuts, and products that contain peanut or nut oils pose the greatest risk for these students. For this reason it has been decided that KB will be peanut-free or peanut-sensitive environment. Please be sure to read all packaged food labels to ensure that your child is being sent with a healthy and safe snack. Please do not send soda, candy, or glass bottles. Please include any cutlery your child will need.
Arrival:
Children are allowed to enter the classroom at 8:20 AM. School begins at 8:35 AM. If your child is late, please check him/her in at the office with our secretary, Ms. Mariano. It is to your child’s benefit to arrive as close to 8:20 AM as possible. It allows for the smoothest and most comfortable transition from home to school.
Attendance:
It is very important that you call the school’s attendance line (617-559-9530) if your child is absent or tardy (after 8:35 AM). Please do not call the main office number.
Dismissal:
Children will be dismissed at the end of the day by the doors located near the playground to a family member, babysitter, nanny, or after school staff. Children who receive transportation will be brought to the front of the school to meet their van.Children going to Day After Day will be met by a Day After Day staff member in the back lobby. I have established a routine where I will shake each child’s hand and say good-bye at the back door once I have seen your child’s appropriate “pick-up” person. This routine is to ensure safety and promote social competence. Please be certain that I have shaken your child’s hand and have said good-bye before you take him/her. If you need to pick up your child early, please go to the office. Our secretary will call the classroom to notify us. If your child has a play date or is going to be picked up by somebody else, please send me a note or an email that morning.
What to Bring to School:
All children should bring a backpack and nutritious snack every day. Kindergartners should also bring a lunch to eat in the classroom during their full days. (You may also purchase school lunches. Menus are sent out monthly and are available online.) I also recommend sending a change of clothes to school in case of any accidents. Please write your child’s name on his/her change of clothes. Please do not send in any toys from home.
Birthdays:
We enjoy recognizing children’s birthdays in kindergarten! We will honor each child’s birthday with a birthday song and a small token (birthday crown, pencil). Due to a system-wide policy, we are not permitted to serve cupcakes or other food treats on children’s birthdays. Please do not send in any treats (edible or otherwise) in lieu of cupcakes. We will do everything we can to help your child feel special on his/her birthday in the classroom. Please send all invitations to parties through the mail unless the whole class is invited.
Conferences & Progress Reports:
Horace Mann School follows a system wide conference and progress report calendar. Conferences will be held two times this year. The first conference will be held in late October/ early November. The second conference will be held in March/April. As conferences approach I will be sure to send home a list of dates and times of the conferences. Progress reports will be sent home twice this year, in January, and on the last day of school.
Curriculum Night:
Curriculum night will be Thursday, September 19th at 6:30pm. I hope you will join us. We will present an overview of the Kindergarten schedule, routines, and curriculum. This is a great way to meet other parents in the class and hear what will happen in kindergarten this year.
Supplies and Wish List:
Thanks to all of you who ordered your school supplies for the school year through the School Kids Program, or who sent in school supplies on your first day of school. In kindergarten, students will share the supplies in order to minimize distractions, to facilitate necessary turn-taking skills, and to ensure that every student has the necessary tools for learning.
Sometimes there are items that we need for an activity or project, or for running our classroom, that are not readily available from school supply catalogs, or we might need them sooner than they could be ordered. I will post a list of needed items on our classroom website. Please know that there is absolutely no obligation to donate items, and that all students will have access to donated items. Please check the right side our website for a list of items on our wish list. Thanks!
From the Nurse’s Office:
If you have gently worn sweatpants and/or leggings and tops that you are willing to donate, we can use them! Rainy days, accidents, paint spills (the reasons are endless), sometimes cause children to need a quick change! You can send them directly to the nurse’s office. Thank you!
Keeping Connected:
It is important to me that I keep you informed about what is happening in the classroom through our classroom website and email. Please keep me informed of any event – big or small – (a new job, a new baby, business travel, etc.) as such changes may affect your child in school. The best way to get in touch with me is via email or a note. My address is: Courtney_Bonzey@newton.k12.ma.us
I wish you and your child a warm welcome to Kindergarten at Horace Mann!
