Dear Families
Welcome to our Junior Kindergarten Program. We are dedicated to offering a year in Junior Kindergarten that will be filled with challenges, fun, celebrations of learning, and growing together as a supportive classroom and school community. We work as a team in our efforts to promote your child’s success and happiness in school. We ask for your patience as we work together to establish procedures and routines which will be unique to our particular classrooms.
Readiness
It is important for your child to be able to do the following independently: unbutton and unzip pants when going to the restroom, knowing how and when to use tissue to clean their nose, express needs, share, display appropriate social behavior, and follow directions and rules. These personal skills help to encourage your child’s self-confidence, independence, and ability to pay attention to his/her personal needs.
Arrival
School hours are from 8:15 -11:30 am. Please have your child in the room between 8:00-8:10. Arriving later than 8:10 is stressful on your child and delays or disrupts our 8:15 starting time. It is important that we begin our school day at exactly 8:15. We encourage parents to leave their child at the door and to teach their child to unload their folder and snack into the appropriate baskets each day to foster their child’s independence. Please have your child use the restroom right before leaving for school each day.
Late Arrival/Early Pick Up
Children arriving later than 8:15 am MUST check in through the school office. If you need to pick up your child before school is dismissed at 11:30 am, you must sign him/her out through the school office.
Dismissal
It is important for us to know how your child is to go home from school each day. For the protection of the children, the teacher must be notified in writing if there is a change regarding pick up. It is also important that your child is picked up ON TIME. Students who are left waiting very often become afraid that something serious has happened and that they may never get picked up. While as adults we can imagine that traffic, losing track of time, transportation problems, etc. may arise, young children imagine the worst and feel abandoned.
Backpack
Backpacks must be standard size (without wheels).
Please label it and his/her lunchbox in a prominent place with a permanent marker. Many days, your child will have papers, projects, or important notes to bring home. To assure that your child gets home with all of these items we ask that he/she bring a backpack to school every day. Be sure to check the contents every evening and remove ALL papers.
Homework
Each child will receive a homework packet in a folder on Monday. Please help your child to care for this folder as it is expected to last the entire school year.
Please read the homework directions carefully with your child. Encourage your child to do his/her very best work when completing the assignments. Look it over for mistakes and have the child correct them before handing the work in.
*Keep ALL homework papers until Friday.
Return homework packet stapled inside the folder. The reading logs are due back on Fridays as well inside the folder.
Illness
Please DO NOT send your child to school when they are sick!!! When this occurs, you are risking the health of all the other children and teachers in the class. This often ends in a vicious cycle of illnesses being spread throughout the classroom.
Rules
*listen when another person is talking
*raise your hand to speak in class
*keep your hands to yourself, and out of classmates’ personal space
*take turns and share during free time and recess
*use kind words with one another, inside and outside of the classroom
*enter the classroom and other rooms quietly
*be respectful to adults, classmates, and other students at school
*put toys and classroom materials away after using them
GREEN = A Great Day
YELLOW = A Warning
ORANGE = “OOPS” – 5 minutes out during recess
RED = “WOOPS” – 10 minutes out during recess
**Any behavior that is intended to be intentionally threatening to others or defiant will be cause for the student to be sent to the administration office.
Celebrating Positive Behavior/Exemplary Work/Being a Good Friend:
*Verbal praise
*Daily recognition of exemplary work, behavior or act of kindness
* Periodic awards/certificates
Our discipline plan focuses on highlighting positive behavior in a variety of ways. Students who may have difficulty with their behavior will have many opportunities to observe appropriate behavior being recognized so that appropriate behavior will be contagious and the norm for all students.
Behavior Sheet
A behavior sheet will be kept in your child’s folder. Each day the sheet will receive either a stamp for A Great Day or a written description of the infractions of a rule.
PLEASE KEEP THE BEHAVIOR SHEETS IN THE FOLDER ALL MONTH.
Share
Students may bring one item to share when it is their assigned share day. Students are responsible to remember their day to share. I will list share days in my Monday note and also remind them. The item can only be out during the designated share time and then must go back into their backpack.
Snacks
Nutritious snacks are to be eaten at morning recess time. These are not provided. Place them in the snack basket inside the classroom door each morning. It is helpful if you label your child’s snack with their name.
Communication
Each week a Monday Note will be sent home to inform you about what is going on in class. Read and enjoy. Parent-Teacher conferences, phone calls, notes, and e-mails are methods we will use to keep you informed of your child’s progress. If at any time during the school year you have a question or concern, please do not hesitate to contact the teacher. We want to work as partners in providing the best education for your child. We are interested in any information which may affect your child’s well being. We need to know if he/she is happy, sad, or frightened about anything. Changes in family life, such as loss of a pet, death in the family, a new baby, separation/divorce or exciting upcoming events can affect your child’s behavior at school. It would be very helpful if you keep us informed of anything that affects your child. We do not necessarily need to know the nature of the concern, only that your child might need some extra attention or understanding.
If your child is absent for any reason, please call the school office.
Church/Sunday School
Our class keeps records of Church/Sunday School Attendance based on what he/she tells me on Monday morning. Please refresh your child’s memory before coming into class on Mondays. It might be helpful to write it down on a scratch piece of paper and place it in your child’s folder on Monday.
Book Clubs
We will order from selected book clubs once a month. Please send cash or checks payable to the appropriate book club. Send it in a sealed envelope labeled with your child’s name and the intended purpose of the money.
Birthdays
A simple birthday snack may be shared at school on or around your child’s birthday. We prefer individual treats (cookies, muffins, donut holes, etc.) Please do not send a whole cake or juice, as it is difficult for the children and teacher to handle. Also, please send napkins for each child if needed. Please inform the teacher a few days in advance to avoid conflicts.
Toys
NO TOYS are to be brought to class unless it is your share item for the day.
Treasure Box
This is something the kids get really excited about. The box is filled with items you might find in a birthday party treat bag such as plastic rings, pencils, rubber balls, etc. Donations of any items for this box are much appreciated. If you child has a “green” day, he/she will a sticker at the end of the day. When your child saves ten stickers, he/she may show them to me and take a trip to the treasure box. You will see a chart in your child’s folder for their sticker, please leave it in the folder until it is full and I will give your child a new one.
OPEN HOUSE
I will be having an Open House on Wednesday, August 26th from 12:00 – 5:00 pm. This will be a very informal afternoon where you and your child may come and take a look at the classroom, bring in school supplies (kleenex, wipes, etc.), take photos, and ask any last minute questions. We have planned this afternoon so that everyone will feel a little more comfortable on the first day of school. Please call to set up a 10 minute meeting time, (949)830-1461 ext. 209 or (949)709-4072.
Blessings,
Laura Loranger
Junior Kindergarten Teacher
