Ms.

Stones ABCs
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*Absent - please call the school (502) 485-8387 to let me know. A note stating the reason for the absence must be brought to school as soon as possible to avoid an unexcused absence. *Attendance is so important. In kindergarten, much of the work we do is oral or hands on, so it is impossible to make up everything that your child will miss.

*Birthdays are recognized during morning announcements, and students will receive a certificate. We will recognize summer birthdays at the end of the school year. Please do not send birthday party invitations to be distributed at school, unless all children receive an invitation. If you would like for your child to celebrate with the class please let us know in advance. Because of our busy schedule we can only dedicate about 15 minutes at the end of the day to birthdays. All cakes or cupcakes must be store bought.

*Communication is important. Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment, or concern. You can reach me by phone (502.485.8387), in person, by email at Karen.stone@jefferson.kyschools.us, or by note. *Discipline policy is explained in the JCPS Handbook (you will receive it at the beginning of the year). We work hard to make the classroom a positive and safe place for all. In our classroom we will be using a bucket filling system. The entire class will be rewarded once they have received a full bucket (a tin bucket with pompoms). Drops may be added to the bucket by students and staff for positive behavior and kind deeds. Students with difficulty following classroom or school rules or adjusting will be dealt with on an individual basis. My desire is to focus on their positive behavior, in order to build a positive classroom community. *Dismissal will be at 3:45 pm. Walkers will exit at the rear of the school where the preschool playground is located, bus riders will be escorted to their buses (for the first few

weeks) located in front of the school, and car riders may be picked up at the gym. If at all possible please use one of these three methods to retrieve your children. Students picked up from the classroom prior to dismissal will be tardy. There are also a lot of things going on in the classroom at the end of the day and having children picked up from the room could cause disruption.

*Emergency numbers or contact persons change, please inform the office and me in writing. *Extra change of clothes, which may be kept at school, for unexpected accidents. The clothing does not have to be a uniform but they do need to be the uniform colors. Label each of the items and place them in a labeled zip-lock bag. While your child may not have accidents, many things can and do happen during the course of our young learners day that may cause them to need a change of clothes. If clothes are sent home please replace them. *Field trip information will come home in your childs daily folder. Please sign and return with any necessary fee if applicable. *Folders will be sent home daily with your child. Please check it daily for behavior reports and any classroom / school communication. *Grades Kindergarten students do not receive grades; however we do use a rubric to reflect the students comprehension of the information taught. The rubric is as follows:
The work was turned in and completed according to the required

directions. The work completed shows that the student has an understanding of the content. The work was completed; student is working towards the understanding of the content. However has not mastered the skill.

More Practice. The student completed the work, or not. He or she may have not followed the directions. The student does not have an understanding of the content.

Finish/Return

The student did not complete the assignment and needs to

finish the assignment at home and return it back to school.

*Health information regarding any special circumstances, which may include medication that may make your child sleepy, a death in the family, etc. Also, please let us know of any allergies your child may have, especially food allergies. *Homework will be found on and attached to the weekly newsletter. Homework will be sent home for the week on Monday. Homework is to be completed daily and turned in on Friday. Reading is to be done daily and recorded on the reading log. While homework is not graded it is recorded and is reflected on the report card. *Independence is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. Kindergarteners are very capable of doing many things on their own and I encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. Please work on the following self-help skills at home with your child: zipping, tying shoes, dressing, etc.
***Journals

writing takes place almost every day in kindergarten. One way we accomplish this

is through writing stories in our journals during writers workshop. Encourage your child to write at home for a variety of purposes. Keep in mind, pretend writing is practice for the real thing! updated by reading the classroom newsletter every week and checking the folder every day for other notes and information. *Library visits for our class will be once a week with our media specialist Ms. Macnamara. Once checkout begins for kindergarteners (I will notify you when this will be), your child will check out a book when we visit the library and return it within the following week. If your child forgets to return the book, he/she will not be allowed to check out a new book until it is returned. *Lunch prices are $2.40 (breakfast$1.75). When sending lunch money to school, please send it in a baggie or envelope in their folder. Please write your childs name on the baggie or envelope. This allows them to set it down on my table and go about their morning routine without having to wait in line for me to collect everyones money.
**Keep

*Math for the kindergarten curriculum engages students in making sense of mathematical ideas, and provides students with mathematical experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics that will continue throughout their school career and lives. Many of our math concepts are covered through our daily calendar routine. Daily, we will have a whole group math instruction, after which students

will work in math centers while I meet with small groups of children for guided math. These math groups will be fluid and flexible, changing from day to day or week to week, based on the needs of students and the Math Investigations Curriculum. *Medication can not be brought to school by students on the bus (not even cough drops or Chap Stick). If your child needs to have medicine administered, a form must be filled out and both the medicine and the form are to be left in the office.

*Newsletter will be sent home on Mondays to keep you informed about what is happening in our class. A copy of the Jefferson County Public School calendar can be found on the JCPS website, or furnished upon request. *Open House information will be sent home soon. Sign-up for class parties, room parents and so on will happen at that time. * P.T.A. here at Chancey has a great tradition of being very supportive of the students, their families and teachers. However all of the great things that they do cannot be done without you. The P.T.A is always looking for volunteers however; we (our class) would like to do our part by having 100% classroom participation towards membership (if not more). Feel free to ask relatives and friends to join.

*Questions? Please feel free to call, stop in, email, or send a note. karen.stone@jefferson.kyschools.us W (502.485.8387) C (502.387.7769) *Report cards for Kindergarteners will be sent home 6 times during the year, at the end of each six week reporting period. *Recess for Kindergarteners will be at least 30 minutes each day, barring inclement weather. If weather prevents us from going outside, the children will have a free choice play period in the classroom. *Rest period will consist of 20-30 minutes each day. This will phase out as the children become more accustomed to attending school for a full day. *Reading is the key to everything that we do. It is very important life skill. We will be working on reading skills in several ways, everyday. Students will read in groups, one on one with teacher/assistants, buddy read and adult read aloud. Each night, students need to practice reading. They can read books (by reading the pictures) or be read to; asking your child questions about the book is also beneficial. Practicing reading is so very important for children. Students will also be participating in Reading Workshop daily (formally know as literacy centers). Students will receive daily reading instruction and then allowed to practice the skills learned while I meet with small reading groups or conference one on one with students. The

reading workshop approach allows for more individualization, and combines reading and writing; making a more seamless approach to teaching literacy.

*Snack period will be each day beginning on the first day of school. I will provide snack for the first week of school, and then we will begin to follow the snack calendar. I will send home a snack calendar for your child to bring in snacks for the class. PLEASE DO NOT SEND SNACKS WITH PEANUTS ON THE INGREDIENT LIST. Please provide cups and utensils if needed and keep the number of students in mind when purchasing. Thank you!

Thanks for your support, together we will make this a wonderful learning experience for your child. *Toys are discouraged at school, because they distract the children from learning. If a toy is accidentally lost or broken, feelings get hurt.

Never underestimate the power of a kindergartener. Talk to them daily, studies have shown that children who do not receive 30 minutes of conversation daily in their homes do not develop the necessary vocabulary to become successful readers.

Volunteers and visitors must register in the office and pick up a badge. Visitors are always welcome to join us for lunch. Fast food is not allowed in the cafeteria. You may sign in at the office and meet us in the cafeteria. *Vacations are wonderful opportunities for your family; however, please try not to schedule these when school is in session if at all possible. The school system usually counts these as unexcused absences. *Volunteers are always welcome. Please feel free to let me know when you are available and what your interest might be. In class volunteer opportunities include but are not limited to reading to the class, helping with individual students, reading aloud, art projects or clerical work. These are just a few suggestions if there is something that you like to do please let me know.
*

*Writing is something that we will practice a lot this year as we learn the letters, their sounds, and how to decode words. As you look at your childs writing, you will see something called developmental spelling. I will send home some information on the developmental stages of writing in a few weeks after the initial onslaught of paperwork has died down.

Parents and family members may e in at the office is required.

Xit and enter via the main school entry. Signing

Your ideasand suggestions are welcome! *Younger Siblings if you would like to volunteer, we ask that you do so WITHOUT younger siblings. I feel that this will allow your child to fully focus and give you the opportunity to spend some special time with your kindergartener. Thank you for making sitter arrangements in advance.

Zzzzzzzs make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child.