Mrs. Urban's Pre-K Class
The ABC’s of
Pre-K
A Handbook for Mrs. Urban’s Class
Aa
Arrival Time
Drop off time is between 8:30 & 8:45 a.m. During this time, there will be teachers outside to assist your children and watch the Preschool scholars. If you arrive after this time, you must take your child to the main office.
Bb
Birthdays
We love to celebrate birthdays! On your child’s birthday, you are invited to come to school and read a literature book that you and your child have selected. I have found that it is special to gift wrap the book and let the child unwrap it at school. A picture of you and your child will be mounted inside the book, which will then be donated to our classroom library. The kids love reading the birthday books at school! You may also bring a special snack for the class to enjoy at that time as well.
Book Orders
Several times throughout the year, I will send home a Scholastic Book order form. If you wish, you may order items by filling out the order form on the back of the packet and sending it back to school with a check written out to Scholastic Book Clubs. Scholastic offers a large variety of types and levels of reading materials for your child at a great price. What a great way to build your home library! Every dollar in merchandise bought through the catalog earns a point for free materials and books for the classroom.
Cc
Calendar
At the beginning of every month, I will send home a school calendar. This will include the calendar from the cafeteria as well.
Conferences
Our first parent-teacher conferences will be held in November. If at any time throughout the year the need arises for an additional conference, please feel free to contact me so we can schedule one.
Circle Time
Throughout the day students will have several "circle times". During circle time, the students are expected to sit on the carpet squares and participate in calendar activities, shared writing, shared reading, choral reading, acting out stories, singing songs and other fun activities.
Dd
Discipline
Our classroom is a small community where teamwork and good relationships are expected. We will spend time learning class procedures and practicing them. Each student is expected to act within our standards of behavior. To establish good order and help the children learn self- control, they will be guided to respect themselves and their companions through specific directions, positive reinforcement, suggested new activities and responsible actions. Hanging in our classroom is a traffic light. All children begin on GREEN. If a child is having a hard time following the rules and is having a bit of a rough day, he/she will be moved to YELLOW. If I must speak with someone repeatedly throughout the day, he/she will be moved to RED. If your child has a red day, I will send home a note explaining what happened. Please sign the “red note” and return it to school the following day. We also have a blue “SuperStar” light. If your child is a Superstar, this means their day was spectacular! Children's colors can move throughout the day. This means that if a child is put on yellow, he doesn't necessarily have to stay there. He may "earn" his way back to green with positive behavior. This helps to keep our classroom atmosphere uplifting!
Dismissal
I dismiss from my outside classroom door between 3:05 and 3:10. If anyone, other than a parent, grandparent, family, or friend that I have already met, will be picking up your child at any time in the year, please let me know with a note in their folder. If your child usually rides the bus and you want to pick them up from school for any reason, please let me know so that your child doesn’t get placed on the bus. For safety reasons, I will not release any child to someone else unless there is a written note.
Ee
My e-mail address is [email protected]
Please feel free to e-mail me any time with questions or concerns.
Environmental Print
Environmental print can be sent in all year as an ongoing project. Anytime your child is able to read familiar logos, signs, brands, etc., please help him/her cut is out and bring it into school to share. We will hang the words in our classroom and use them in various literacy activities.
Ff
Field Trips
We will be going on various field trips throughout the year. If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know.
Fire and Safety Drills
Fire and safety drills are held twice monthly throughout the year. All students will participate and are expected to walk quickly and quietly to our designated area.
Gg
Guided Reading
Guided reading takes place during literacy center time. This is when the teacher will work with small groups of readers to teach and practice sight words, concepts about print, reading strategies and comprehension skills.
Hh
Homework
Your child will be bringing home homework on the first day of each week. Homework is due on the last day of each week. Homework will revolve around the letter of the week. Children are to draw or cut out and glue four pictures that begin with the corresponding letter for that week. They are also to “kidwrite” the name of the picture beneath it, sounding out the words they are trying to write. Please concentrate on focusing your child to sound out his/her writing. Simply spelling the word for them should be avoided. Homework will reinforce skills and concepts taught at school relating to proper letter formation and letter-sound relationships. It should be done in your child’s best work. A quiet place without distractions, necessary materials available (pencil, crayons) and a consistent routine of parent supervision, will make homework on enjoyable routine. Also, each student will have a RAH! book folder (Read At Home) . Children will choose a book from our classroom library to take home and read every night. Once the log on the book folder is filled, your child may choose a prize from the prize box! As the year progresses, we will also add a "Bag of books." This will include 5 leveled reading books that are on your child's independent reading level. They must read 3 of these books by themselves every night and record them on the reading log. This will help your child transition up from level to level. This is an integral part of your child's reading success.
Half Days
Dismissal time on half days is 1:00 p.m.
Ii
Illness
The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when decisions must be made first thing in the morning. It is important however, to keep your child home if he/she is ill. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy. If your child is out of school for any reason, please call the office or send a note informing us of the reason for absence. Any absences that are not reported will be considered "Unexcused".
Jj
Journals
One strategy that will be used every day to help convey the vital concept that print conveys meaning is Writer's Workshop. In these journals, the kindergarteners combine their emerging writing skills with their drawing skills. As the children are exposed to a variety of phonics and reading experiences, Writer's Workshop will move from drawings and inventive spellings towards more conventional writing.
Kk
Kindness
Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class, as well as others, with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying and interrupting learning will not be permitted.
Kid-Spelling
I lik skol.
When your child writes like this, be proud of him/her! They are using phonetic spelling and are moving towards becoming great writers.
Ll
Literacy Centers
During literacy centers, children practice reading and writing skills in small groups, at designated areas and in specific groups, while the teacher works with individual children or small guided reading groups. The center activities are designed to strengthen letter/sound knowledge, listening skills, oral language expression, rhyme, letter formation, print concepts, sentence skills, sight word recognition, word family knowledge and cooperation.
Lunch
We eat lunch at 11:20 every day. Students are able to buy lunch or pack a lunch. School lunch is $2.85. Reduced lunch is $.40. Milk is $.50. If a student chooses to buy lunch, they have the option to buy what is on the menu or any alternate item. Snacks may also be purchased.
Mm
Math
Math is fun! In Kindergarten, we use a lot of manipulatives at math time. Manipulatives help make learning fun by providing a hands-on tool for counting, sorting, patterning, graphing, measuring and adding. We have math every day in the afternoon. Practice counting to 100 by one’s, five’s, and 10’s. You can also practice number recognition up to 31. This will help strengthen your child’s math skills and prepare them for future math lessons.
Nn
Nurse
Our school nurse will tend to minor scratches and scrapes as well as sudden illness. For more serious injuries, she will contact you. Please be sure to send in any change of contact numbers in case she needs to get in touch with you.
Oo
Open the folder!!!!!
Make sure to check your child’s folder every night! Folders are given to every student at the beginning of the school year. These folders should always hold all homework, lunch money (in an envelope labeled with your child’s name) and important papers and communication between home and school. Folders should come to school every day in your child’s book bag.
Pp
Parent Involvement/PTO/Parties
Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school! There are five main parties each year: Halloween, Winter, 100th Day of School, Spring, and the Last Day of School. Room parents usually organize the events and coordinate volunteers and donations for the parties. Volunteers are needed to be “Room Parents”. If interested, please contact me.
Questions
If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, there are three ways to contact me.
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 609-264-9501 x103
Or – a note in your child’s folder
***Please note that my voicemail does not work at this time, so please do not leave any important messages on my machine. Either leave a message with the office to call you back or
e-mail me if you must reach me immediately. Thank you for your cooperation at this time...we are trying to get it fixed as soon as possible!***
Rr
Recess
We go outside for recess after lunch, as long as it is not rainy or snowy. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately to run (NO flip-flops) and appropriately for the colder weather.
Restroom
We have a bathroom in our classroom. Students are reminded to use the restroom before lunch, after recess, and before their special. Students give a thumbs-up signal if they need to use the restroom during a seated activity. Students are discouraged from leaving circle time or other group activities to use the restroom, unless it is an emergency. Please remember to dress your child in clothes that she/he can handle independently – a tough button, snap or belt can lead to an accident. Please send in an extra set of clothing for your child to keep in his/her locker. If your child is prone to accidents, it is a good idea to keep yet another set of clothes in his/her book bag, just in case.
Report Cards
Report cards are distributed four times a year.
Ss
Snacks
Since our lunch is early, many students are hungry for a snack in the afternoon. We ask that all parents send in a snack with their child daily.
Specials
Monday – Gym
Tuesday – STEM
Wednesday – Computers
Thursday – Music
Friday – Art
Tt
Talk to your child about their day
Kindergarten children are busy workers at school. As the year gets going, ask your child about what literacy center activities they did that day, what book they read in class, what game they played in gym, what kind of math manipulatives they used, what songs they learned in music or what they wrote about during writer’s workshop, etc.
Toys
Bringing toys to school is discouraged because they distract the children from learning. If a toy is accidentally lost or broken, feeling will be hurt. If a child does bring a toy to school it must stay in his/her bookbag. I will take away any toys that students may have during worktime. Students may bring books that are clearly marked with your child’s name.
Uu
Upcoming Events
You will be receiving updates periodically about upcoming events and supplies needed for those events.
Vv
Visitors
All visitors must sign in at the main office and get a visitor’s pass. This includes parents coming to read a birthday book, or room parents setting up for a party.
Ww
Writers Workshop
Writers workshop is a time period every day in which children engage in writing a variety of text. The process is guided by the teacher who provides instruction through mini-lessons and one-on-one conferences.
Water Bottles
Please feel free to send in a water bottle for your child. It must have a lid or be in a spill-proof cup. This should help alleviate some “germ-sharing”, especially during the winter months when colds and flu are prevalent.
Xx
Our students are eXtra special to us!
There are 12 children in our class. Keep this in mind when bringing in anything for the class.
Yy
You will need to teach your child how to tie his/her shoes!
Kindergarten teachers no longer have aids, so it takes a lot of time away from your child's educational experience if I have to keep stopping what I am doing to tie shoes. If they cannot tie, please send your child in slip-on or velcro shoes instead. Thank you for your help in this matter!
Zz
ZZZZzzzzzzzzz’s
Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give to your child. It will help them to be alert and ready to learn each day!
ZZZZip UP!
Please teach your child how to zipper their own coat. We no longer have aids in Kindergarten, so please put your child in clothing that he/she can maneuver.