Dear Kindergarten Family,

WELCOME TO CENTENNIAL PUBLIC SCHOOL.

That very special person at your house is almost ready for his/her long awaited first day of school. I understand that you and your child may have met this day with excitement or apprehension (or a little of both) and I hope that this letter will help you to know what to expect in kindergarten this year and answer any questions you may have. I will do my best to make the transition to school a comfortable and enjoyable experience. My name is Miss Bridget Huppert. This will be my fifth year teaching at Centennial. I have an endorsement in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Coaching from Peru State College. I also have my Masters Degree in Education from Peru State College in Curriculum and Instruction. I am confident that your child will experience a loving, caring atmosphere at Centennial. I am looking forward to working with your child this year and helping him/her to achieve his/her full potential.

Parent/Teacher Relationship
I believe that a good parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success. Throughout the year I will communicate with you through notes, telephone calls, weekly newsletters, and parent-teacher conferences. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can call me at school (5342321 ext. 148), send me a note, or call me at home (402- 855-6086).

Parent Participation
Throughout the school year there will be a variety of special classroom activities and celebrations. I encourage you to attend these activities when possible and to support them by sending needed supplies or treats. Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school.

School Attendance
Your childs regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial to his/her success. Most kindergarten learning activities are group oriented and involve interaction with classmates. Therefore, it is next to impossible to make up work at home. I trust that you will view school as a priority and see to it that your child attends every day except in cases of illness or emergency.

School Hours
Kindergarten students attend school from 8:20 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. Students are allowed in the classrooms beginning at 8:05. If you ever need to pick up your child from school, please meet your child either in the lunchroom or by the classroom door.

Changes in Transportation
If you plan to pick up a child that normally rides the bus or you wish for your child to ride a different bus than usual, you must send a written note. Do not rely on your child to tell me this information, because children often become confused and relay messages incorrectly. If no note is received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation.

Outdoor Recess
The children will be going out for recess every day unless it is raining or extremely cold. Please keep this in mind when helping your child to select clothing for the day. Also, we are fortunate to have a variety of playground equipment, including several pieces for climbing. Please keep this in mind when selecting shoes. Little girls dress shoes are less than ideal if your child chooses to play on this equipment. These shoes also tend to be slippery on days when the blacktop is wet. For the most part, if your child is well enough to be at school, he/she is well enough to participate in outdoor recess, if properly dressed. In fact, the germs that cause colds thrive more readily in the heated indoor air and it is beneficial to go outside and get some fresh air. However, on those occasions when you feel it is best for your child to stay indoors, please send a written note and I will make arrangements for your child to wait in the office while the class is outside.

Money
On occasion it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Always send money in a sealed envelope with the following information written on it: 1. Your childs first and last name. 2. The amount of money. 3. The purpose for the money (lunch, milk, book order) 4. Miss Huppert This helps me tremendously and reduces the likelihood of errors. Also, if the envelope is left on the bus or dropped in the hallway, this information will help the money be returned to our classroom.

Book Orders
Your child will be bringing home a form to order books about every other month. If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send the correct money or check made out to Centennial Public School in an envelope. These orders provide a convenient way for parents to buy quality books for their children at a low price. As an added bonus, for every dollar that is spent on books, our classroom earns bonus points to purchase books and computer software for our classroom. Please do not feel obligated to purchase any of these items. It is completely up to you.

Birthdays
Birthdays are special occasions for young children. If your child wishes, he/she may bring treats for the class. Due to peanut allergies, we cannot allow any treats with peanuts, peanut butter, or peanut oil. I encourage you to send wrapped treats with a label showing ingredients so that we can be sure all treats are safe for everyone to enjoy. No homemade treats! See the attached list for approved Birthday treats on the next page! Some children with summer birthdays celebrate their 1/2 birthdays. That is up to you. Parents sometimes come for lunch on their childs birthday. You are welcome any day. If you do plan to stay for lunch, please send a note so I can include you in our daily lunch count. Please do not send birthday party invitations to school unless the entire class has been invited or you include all girls or all boys in the invitations. Although it may seem like a convenient way to distribute invitations, it can result in hurt feelings for those not invited.

Discipline
Establishing good classroom discipline is essential to each childs success, confidence, and well-being. Every child should feel that the classroom is safe and secure; free from all threats of physical or emotional harm. In addition, it is important that each child learn to develop self-discipline and good work habits, to resolve conflicts peacefully, and to think independently. We will be focusing on helping your child become a responsible citizen and using logical consequences that will occur when class rules are broken. Examples of logical consequences would include time-out away from the class activity for disrupting or bothering other children, recess time used for cleaning or repairing damaged property, or loss of the privilege to use the public restroom for misbehavior in the restroom. (We have a restroom in the room your child could always use.)

Camera?
Each year Ive had students beg me to take photos of the projects theyve done or special moments in our classroom. You may send a disposable camera with your childs name on it. Be sure it has a flash for indoor use. I will take photo s of your child

as I see him/her complete special projects. Ill send the camera home when it is finished for you to develop and enjoy. This is optional.

Milk Break
We have a milk break with a small snack at about 9:30 each day. Your child can choose chocolate or white milk. Milk tickets worth 20 milks can be purchased for $10.00. You can purchase milk tickets on the evening of the 13th when you come to visit. You can also put money in your account that pays for lunch and breakfast. Breakfast is served each morning also. This is optional and is a part of our school lunch program. The cost is $1.75 per breakfast meal and may be at a free or reduced rate if you qualify for this. Lunches cost $2.50 per meal. We eat lunch at 11:30. We depend on parents to furnish a box of crackers (Ritz, Cheez-its, Graham Crackers, Club Crackers, Goldfish crackers, animal crackers) about 4 times during the year. I will let you know about a week in advance to give you time to get to the store.

Supplies
Book bag 2 glue sticks 4 pencils P.E. shoes (to be left at school) a beach towel for resting a 2-pocket folder a box of 8 or 12 crayons a one-time-use camera (with flash)

Book bags & Folders

Your child will need his/her bookbag and folder every day. I will send notes home on a regular basis. These notes will include occasional show and tell assignments, and any information that will be helpful to know for your childs success in school that week. The folders that work best have the pockets at the bottom of the folder. We have found that our papers do not fit in those folders with the pockets on the sides. Please check the folder after school each day.

The end
In closing I would just like to say that I am looking forward to a great year working with your child. I suggest that you save this letter for future reference. Enjoy the last days of summer with that very special kindergarten child at your house. Sincerely,

Miss Huppert