Friday Note 8-11-17

FRIDAY NOTE (8/11/17)

Events of the Week:  Wow!  The first two days of school have already come and gone.  You won’t believe what all we have learned so far!  I hope your little ones had as much fun this week as I did.  They really are a great group of kids!  We are working on routine activities, such as using the bathrooms, eating in the cafeteria, walking quietly down the hallways, and so on.  The children have made much improvement in only two days.   

Important Dates:

• Sept. 4 - No School-Labor Day
• Sept. 11 - No school
• Sept. 11 - Math Parent Night (more info to come)
• Sept. 12 - No school - Teacher Professional Development Day

Reminders:

• We will have P.E. on Monday and Wednesday.  Coach Wise asks that your child wear tennis shoes & appropriate clothing on these days due to the activities they will be doing.

• If you have not reviewed the items in your child’s packet that was sent home Tuesday night, please do so and return the signed forms on Monday.  

• Mrs. Ramey has asked that no toys be brought to school (even for inside recess).  I will provide toys and activities for inside recess times.  Sorry for the confusion!  This is a new rule this year.  

• Please place an extra outfit (including socks and underwear) in your child’s backpack.  Sometimes accidents happen and it is better to have extra clothes and not need them.  

Next Week:

• Our theme will be All About Me & My Community.  We will play the Name Game to learn everyone’s names.  
• We will continue working on routine activities, such as using the bathrooms, eating in the cafeteria, walking quietly down the hallways, following the classroom rules, etc.  
• We will work on our fine motor skills, such as tracing, cutting, and using glue neatly.  We will also do a lot of name-writing practice.

Important Info. & Reminders

CLASSROOM BLOG

This year I will use a weekly newsletter to keep you informed.  In an attempt to help the environment, we try to communicate through a classroom blog.  Our blog will contain information about what’s going on in our classroom.  Occasionally I will post group pictures of our class on this blog.  Your child will not be photographed alone, nor will he/she be identified by name.  Also, last names are never used on the blog.  Our classroom blog is up and running.  I have entered the email addresses that you provided to me at Open House to subscribe you to the blog.  Be sure to verify the email from FeedBurner to activate your account.  

ABSENTEE POLICY

Please be sure your child is at school and on time each day!  If you know your child will be absent, please let me know ahead of time or send a note from home.  In the event your child is sick, please call the office (743-4810) or email me.  If your child has been sick, we must receive a doctor’s note if you wish for your child to stay in at recess!  

BREAKFAST & LUNCH

Kindergartners will be eating lunch from 11:00-11:20.  If you plan to join your child for lunch, please notify the office as early as possible for lunch count purposes.  Also, please check-in at the office when you arrive.  If you will be eating a school lunch with your child, you will need to purchase a lunch ticket in the K-4 office.  Mrs. Ramey asks that you do not bring carryout food for yourself or your child.

The price for breakfast is $1.50 and lunch is $2.00.  You can check your balance on www.myschoolbucks.com.  If you send breakfast/lunch money to school with your child, please send it in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and “lunch money” written on it.

BIRTHDAYS

If your child celebrates his/her birthday during the school year, please feel free to send treats to share with the class.  In order to include every student, please consider sending peanut free snacks.  A little secret I’ve learned is to send individual treats such as cookies or cupcakes.  It is hard to cut up a cookie cake and make sure that each student gets an equal amount.  Birthday invitations may not be passed out in class, unless EACH child in the class is receiving one.  

POLICY REMINDERS

• Students will report directly to our classroom upon arrival.  Breakfast will be served in the classrooms.  Please notify me if you do NOT want your child to eat school breakfast at school.
• Students may not be at the school before 7:45 a.m.  If they arrive after 8:05, they will be considered tardy.

• If you will be picking your child up after school in the circle drive, please use the nametags that were sent home at Open House.  Since each child will be safely escorted to your car, these nametags really speed up the process.  
• Also, please remember that if you plan on your child doing anything different than the normal routine at the end of a day (for example, getting picked up instead of riding the bus like usual), please send a note or call the office before 2:00.  We cannot allow a child to do anything different without permission from you, so this will make everything run smoother.  Thanks for your cooperation!
• In an effort to promote the safety and welfare of our students, parents picking up PreK-4 students should use the north circle drive and parents picking up 5-8 students should use the south circle drive. For some, this will mean two separate pick up locations but we are trading convenience for much greater security.

Seesaw is an app we are using in our classroom to share what we are learning.  Seesaw is a digital portfolio of your child’s work.  The students and I can take pictures and videos and upload them to the app.  Then you will receive an email notification that your child has a new post.  You will only be able to access your child’s portfolio.  The students and I are very excited about using this app.   I sent out an email yesterday about how to sign up but if you haven’t had time to do so yet I have attached a paper copy of how to get set up.

Have a Great Weekend!!

Mrs. Vaughn