Welcome to Kindergarten

Orientation!

Wexford Elementary School

Class of 2028
 Kid President“A Letter To A
Person On Their First Day Here”
Meet the Teachers
 Mrs. Michelle Kendrew
• Received Bachelor’s degree in Elementary
Education from Geneva College.
• Worked in Penn Hills and Quaker Valley
before coming to Pine-Richland.
• This will be my 11th year teaching
Kindergarten 
• My husband and I have 2 awesome kids!
Brandon just turned 10 and starts fourth
grade this year. Rebecca is 6 and will be
starting first grade!
 Mrs. Rachel Zimmerman
• Received both my BA in Communications
and MEd Elementary Education degrees
from Duquesne University
• This is my 4th year teaching
Kindergarten at Wexford.
• I live in Pine-Richland with my husband.
We are expecting our first baby this
December.
Language Arts/Reading Readiness
 Wilson Fundations
• Letters and sounds taught/reviewed:
letter/sound/picture cards & actions
• Word building : “tapping out” words
• Letter formation/Handwriting: skyline, plane line,
grass line, and worm line
• Sight words will be taught, a list of the 62
common sight words is in your orientation folders
• Word Families & Digraphs will be taught:
sh, ch, th, wh, and ck
 McGraw Hill Wonders
& Guided Reading
• McGraw Hill Wonders
– # Themes with strong focus on literacy skills
– Phonemic awareness activities
– Pre-decodable and decodable books

• Guided Reading
– Centers: Word Work, Writing, Listen to Reading,
Art, Computers, Math, Science/Social Studies
– Groups received on level- Small group instruction
– Book Room leveled books A-Z
– RazKids (online resource with leveled materials)
Math and Counting Skills
 Scott Foresman- Addison Wesley’s
enVision Math Series
• Covers 16 topics including:
– sorting, classifying, position and location,
patterns, number recognition and writing,
geometry, measurement, addition and
subtraction, money, time, calendar, and
graphing
 Science & Social Studies
• FOSS
– Trees and Fabrics kits that are inquiry based and
hands-on
• Houghton Mifflin- “My World”
– Seasonal/Holiday Activities
– Understanding leaders
– Recognizing symbols of USA
– Civic virtues
 Additional Curriculum
• Library: visited 1x per week(Mondays-
Mrs. _______).
– Books need to be returned each week
before checking out new books.
• Computers: 1x per week (Wednesdays-
Mr. Sargent)
 First Day of School:
August 26th

• All students must be transported to & from

school by car both ways on the first day.
• Start time: AM: 9:30-11:15 / PM: 1:00-2:45
• Students should bring a backpack & green
Home/School folder only (no supplies donations
on this day, please)
• For the first week of school, we will meet AM
students off of the bus and walk together to
the classrooms.
 Birthdays
• We love to celebrate birthdays, but
there will be no food inside the classrooms
for birthdays or for party celebrations.
• Alternate “treats” may be sent in (pencils,
stickers, etc), but not necessary.
• Birthday invitations may only be
passed out at school if there is
one for each child.
 Supplies
• Daily:
– Backpack
– Communication Folder
• *Mondays- Library book
• School Supplies Requests:
– See website for Kindergarten Supplies List
– “Nice Bucket Challenge”: If you are willing and
able to pick 1 or more item from our buckets
to donate to our class, you are more than
welcome to do so. We greatly appreciate your
kindness and generosity! You have until
September 11th to complete the challenge…
Good Luck! 
 AM Pick-up
• One way bus transportation is provided to school.
• Cars should not arrive to the pick-up line before 11:45 am
• At 11:55 am, Kindergarten is scheduled to exit the building
• Students will be dismissed by the curbside ONLY. Pull your vehicle AS CLOSE AS
POSSIBLE to the one in front of you to allow for more students to be dismissed.
• The teacher will read the sign that must be displayed in your vehicle’s window and
dismiss your child to walk carefully into the car. Cars need to have student name tags
placed visibly in car windows EVERY DAY!
• It is recommended (if possible), to have your kindergarten’s seat be in the back
passenger side of the vehicle. In any case, your child MUST enter the car in the back
passenger side.
• We also ask for safety purposes that drivers not be on their cell phones during the time
of dismissal. All drivers need to be attentive to students exiting the building and
getting into cars.
• Wait for the vehicle(s) in front of you to move before moving your own vehicle.
• We strongly encourage carpooling and having children practice buckling his/her own
seatbelts. Once students are safely buckled, please move forward.
• If you need to help your child with buckling OR you need speak with a teacher or another
parent, please pull over to the side/into a parking space.
• If you are late, your child will wait inside the school office for you.
 Wexford Map

BUS LOT
Mrs. Zimmerman’s
Pick-up

Student Drop-Off Mrs. Kendrew’s Pick-up

 In the event of rain or other
inclement weather:

• *Mrs. Kendrew will begin dismissing students into their cars

starting at the first pillar near the school’s entrance. 4-5
students will be dismissed along the curb near the awning. Once
students are secure in their seats, please continue to exit the
parking lot in the order you were parked.

• *Mrs. Zimmerman will dismiss 3-5 students into their cars

nearest the school’s entrance in the bus parking lot. The first
car in the line should park so that your passenger side doors are
visible and your child’s name is visible to the awning. Once
students are secure in their seats, please continue to exit the
parking lot in the order you were parked.
 PM Drop-Off
• PM students should arrive by car in the Student Drop-off
Lot(between 12:55 and 1:05)
• Students should remain INSIDE their cars until a teacher
comes outside. Remind students to WALK into the building at all
times.
• If your child is late, please walk inside with him/her to receive a
tardy slip.
• PM dismissal time for buses or for car riders is 3:45.
 More Dismissal &
School Visit Info.
• Early Dismissals
– AM and PM: If a child needs to leave school early, please send
in a note for the teacher. You will need to sign your child out
at the office.

• Please inform your child’s teacher ASAP about how he/she

will be going home from school. Daycare centers are not
responsible for letting us know.

• AM and PM: For safety precautions, when entering the building

and coming to the classroom for any reason, you must sign in at
the office, turn in your keys, and get an ID badge.
 Absences &
Parent- Teacher Communication
• Requesting an Absence due to vacation/trip
– A request form can be obtained on Wexford’s Website
– It must be completed and submitted to school prior to
your child’s absence
– More than 10 absences/tardies will result in being
contacted by the District

• Returning from an absence (not previously requested)

– If your child is absent, please make sure your child has an
excuse when he/she returns to school.

• If you need to contact your child’s teacher during the school

day, please call the school. Email is only checked before and
after instructional times.
 Thank you for coming!

Are there any questions?

We are looking forward to a great school year!