Welcome to Our Hive the Best Place to Bee...

ABC's of Kindergarten!

Home | OCPS-ADDitions | Classroom Expectations | We are busy doing... | Parents Page | Class Schedule | Class List | Meet Mrs. Perry | Grade Level Expectations | Contact Me | Supply List | ABC's of Kindergarten! | My Favorite Story for Parents! | Top Ten Signs of a Good Kindergarten

Wolf Lake Elementary A Handbook for Mrs. Perrys Class 2006-07 Absences: Excessive absences hinder a childs progress. If your child is absent, you must send a note to the school when he/she returns. Please include your childs name, teachers name, date of absence, and the reason for the absence. These notes are kept in the students permanent folder in the office. ADDitions Volunteers: Please remember OCPS requires each person to reapply each year. If you are going to chaperone a field trip you must be a registered ADDition prior to attending. Arrival: Your child should come to school no earlier that 8:15 A.M. There will be no adult supervision until that time. 1st Bell: 8:30 A.M. Tardy Bell: 8:45 A.M. All students are to be seated and ready to begin our day at 8:45 A.M. Attendance: A successful school experience is the responsibility of the child, the parent and the school. Your childs progress, both academically and socially, is influenced to a great extent by daily participation. Regular attendance without tardiness is a key. Backpacks: Your childs backpack should be big enough to hold a pocket folder. Backpacks help your child carry folders, notes, projects, and all books to and from school. Please check your childs backpack DAILY. Rolling backpacks do not fit in our cubbies, so they will not be allowed. Please label your childs backpack with their first and last name. B.E.E. Book: The B.E.E. Book is a three-ring notebook that your kindergartner will use everyday to develop organizational skills and learn responsibility. This book is a way of maintaining effective communication between home and school. It aims to eliminate lost notes, work and letters from myself and the office. Your child should return his or her book empty each day. All notes, forms and homework should be sent back to school in the pocket of your childs B.E.E. Book. So if you want to know what the buzz is in Mrs. Perrys class, check out your childs B.E.E. Book. Birthdays: I know how special birthdays are for you and your child. I will recognize birthdays at school in an appropriate manner. Please let me know ahead of time if you wish to send in a special snack for the class on your childs birthday. I will celebrate summer birthdays in May. Please do not send in party invitations to school for distribution unless all students are invited. Book Orders: I will send home Scholastic book orders each month for you and your child to look over. If you want to place an order, please make checks payable to the book clubs. Please send the order form and payment back to school in a sealed envelope marked with your childs name. I cannot place an order before it has been paid for. This is an inexpensive way to add to your childs home library. Buzzy Bee: Buzzy is our class mascot and he will travel home with your child the night before it is your childs snack day. Buzzy loves spending time with all his friends in kindergarten and at their homes. When Buzzy comes to visit your house, be sure to take him where ever you go. In Buzzys bag there is a notebook, please share with us everything you and Buzzy did together. We will read your adventure when Buzzy returns to school with you the next day. Now remember moms and dads, anytime Buzzy comes home with your child, it is your snack day tomorrow! Clothing: Kindergarten is a busy place that sometimes can get messy! Dress your child so they are ready for action! In class, students will be cooking, painting, using markers and glue, working with play dough, and other messy stuff. Please select clothing that is both comfortable and appropriate for these activities. Also, our floors and playground equipment can be slippery; I would recommend that your child wear tennis shoes everyday. Please label clothing (coats, sweaters, hats, etc.) and backpacks with your childs name. These items are frequently misplaced and its easier to get items back to their owners if they are labeled. Communication: Everyday, your child will take home an agenda and B.E.E. Book and be expected to return it each day. Inside the agenda you will find any important information regarding your childs performance and behavior. Please review and sign your childs agenda each day. If you need to contact me you have three options: 1. Note: please write/place any notes in your childs agenda. This is the easiest way! 2. Phone: please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as I can. Remember, it may be after school that I get to your message so please call the office if it is an emergency. 3. Email: I check it periodically throughout the day. Discipline: Our classroom is a small community where teamwork and good relationships are expected. Establishing good classroom discipline is essential to each childs success, confidence and well being. Every child should feel that the classroom environment is safe and secure, free from all threats of physical and emotional harm. In addition, it is important that each child learn to develop self-discipline and good work habits, resolve conflicts peacefully, and think independently. In order for all children in our class to learn, they need rules and guidelines to follow. I believe that working together, we can make a difference in this process. A separate sheet with a conduct contract will be sent home. Dismissal: Please remember to NOTIFY US IN WRITING if there are changes in the way your child will be going home from school. Without written instruction from you, we will send your child home in the usual manner (we cannot accept verbal changes from your child or sibling). If there is a change in your childs pick-up please call the office. If it becomes necessary for your child to leave school early, he or she must be signed out in the office. Please send a note if you anticipate a need for your child to leave early. Upon your arrival, the office staff will call your child to meet you in the office. Dress code: Students should be dressed in accordance to the OCPS dress code. Email: You can contact me at school via my email address at -this will be given out at open house-. Please keep in mind that while I try to check my email daily, I sometimes miss a day here or there. If you need to discuss something urgent or inform me of changes in transportation, please call the office instead. Mrs. Perrys school email:_________________________________ *Please note-I cannot check my yahoo email from school. Only use mrsperrysbusybees@yahoo.com at night or over the weekend. Field Trips: We take several educational field trips during the year. A permission slip will be required anytime that we will be taking a bus for a field trip. If we do not receive a permission slip, your child will not be allowed to go with the class. Remember you must be a registered ADDitions volunteer to go on the field trips. Guests: In an effort to protect all of our students, guests must sign in at the office and receive a visitors pass. If you are volunteering in our classroom, I ask that you do not bring other children with you. Many times, I will ask that you work with small groups or individual students, and being responsible for children other than those in our classroom can often be a distraction. Homework: Throughout the year your child will receive homework assignments to complete. These assignments are a great way for you to get involved in your childs education and see what strides we are making in the classroom. Often times, it will require the entire family getting involved. Every little bit that you can do to help your child at home will reinforce what we are learning at school. It is important that your child has extra school supplies at home to complete homework (crayons, pencils, scissors and glue.) Homework will begin in September, more information coming soon! Illness: Please do not send your child to school is he/she has a temperature. If your child becomes ill at school, you will be called to come and get your child. We need at least two working phone numbers at all times in order to contact you in case of illness or emergency. Jumping to Conclusions: Please do not jump to conclusions when your child comes home telling you about an incident that happened at school. Take time to investigate the situation and deal with it responsibly. If you dont believe but half of what you hear about school, I wont believe but half of what I hear about home. Kindness: Students in my classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class, as well as others, with kindness and respect. Hitting, fighting, name calling, bullying, making fun of others, bothering others and interrupting learning will not be permitted. Lunch: We will have the cost of breakfast and lunch for you at Meet the Teacher. *Please follow the money procedures in M. Menus are sent home each month. We encourage parents to pay for lunches by check in advance, either weekly or monthly. Please attach all lunch money in your childs agendait is the first thing they do when they come into the classroom! Please keep track of your childs account so charges dont incur. If your child brings his/her lunch from home, please label the box or bag. You are always welcome to join us for lunch, however, PLEASE GIVE US A FEW WEEKS TO ESTABLISH OUR ROUTINE BEFORE VISITING. When you arrive, please sign in at the office and meet us at the entrance of the cafeteria. Lunch times will be available at Meet the Teacher. Our lunch period is 30 minutes long. You and your child will dine at one of the guest tables located in the cafeteria. Medications: If your child needs to take medicine during the school day, the parent must bring it in, along with a note indicating how much and when the medicine needs to be taken. The nurse is the only person allowed to administer medicine to the children. Money: Periodically, your child will bring money to school for lunch, field trips, book club orders, etc. When sending money to school, be sure to use an envelope or Ziploc bag clearly marked with the following information 1. Your childs first and last name 2. The amount of money 3. The purpose for the money (lunch, book club, field trip) 4. Teachers name Please send exact change when sending cash and make all checks payable to the school (unless otherwise noted). Please put any money coming into the classroom in your childs agenda. Newsletters: Our class newsletters come out every other week on Fridays. It will contain information about our units, classroom activities, announcements and upcoming school events. Notes: Look for notes from the office and from me to come home in your childs B.E.E. binder. Outside: Your child will have outside time daily, weather permitting. Please dress your child appropriately for the weather. Participation: Throughout the school year, there will be a variety of special classroom activities and celebrations. I encourage you to attend these functions when possible and support them by sending in needed supplies or materials. Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value his or her education. PTA: All parents are encouraged to join the schools PTA. It is a vital part of our schools success. Parties: We will have various parties throughout the year. Our room parent will contact you to help with our celebrations. Questions: Since we are all new to Wolf Lake Elementary, Im sure that you may still have some unanswered questions. If you want to discuss something that will take more that 15 minutes, please call me at school to set up an appointment. I want to be here to help you in any way that I can. Read: Read to your child daily and let your child see you reading daily. Restrooms: We have restrooms in our classroom and your child will have the opportunity to go at various times throughout the day. Unfortunately accidents will happen and we will make sure that your child is sent to the nurses clinic for a change of clothes. Room Parent: If you would like to be a room parent, please let me know. Secret Sack: This is a fun way that we will be combining show-n-tell and homework. Periodically your child will bring home a sack with a letter on it. Please let your child bring something that starts with that letter. Help your child prepare a clue about his/her object. The other children will try to guess the object. Secret Sack provides a meaningful show-n-tell experience. Shoes: It is very important to wear comfortable shoes. I suggest closed toed sneakers for all of our kindergarten activities. Snacks: In kindergarten we will eat snack every morning after specials. At the beginning of each month you will receive a calendar from me. Your childs name will appear approximately every 18 school days on our snack calendar. You are responsible for providing a nutritious snack/drink for the entire class. Attached you will find a list of snacks that we love in kindergarten. If you miss your childs snack day please send in a non-perishable food item for our snack cabinet. Dont forget to bring Buzzy back! Special Classes: Kindergarten children attend various special area classes throughout the week. You will receive a schedule outlining the exact times and days your child will be attending these classes at the beginning of the year. Tardies: Students late to school (after 8:45 A.M.) are considered tardy. I keep a record of these tardies and will document them on your childs report card. If your child arrives after 9:00 A.M. they must go to the office to receive a tardy slip. Toys: Bringing toys to school in not acceptable because they distract the children from learning. Unique: Each child is unique in personality and academic development. Please try not to compare him or her to others. Volunteers: I feel that it is very important for a child to know that his or her parents support their education. As such, I will try to provide many opportunities for parents to volunteer and visit our classroom. Your support can be exhibited in a number of ways. These include helping with parties, assisting with special projects, sending in treats or party goods, chaperoning field trips, reading to the class, and preparing materials at home. I also enjoy having our parents come to school to help the children learn. Beginning in September, you will be given the opportunity to volunteer to help during our learning center time. Please remember that your presence in the classroom should not be a distraction. Please make sure your child knows that your are here to help, rather than to simply visit. Water Bottles: As part of our Brain Smart training, we have learned the importance hydration plays in learning. Please send in a container of water every day. Label the bottle or container with your childs name. Each child will be encouraged to drink plenty of water throughout our learning day. Website: Wolf Lake Elementary School has a website which can be accessed at www.ocps.net. Click on visit our schools. Check in regularly to find information about curriculum, special events and school news. Our class website can be accessed at: http://mrsperrysbusybees.tripod.com Wish List: Throughout the year we sometimes need supplies above and beyond our classroom materials (such as baby food jars or toilet paper rolls.) Extra items that you think we might be able to use are always welcome! Unexcused Absences: Any absence that is not accompanied by a written explanation will be recorded as unexcused. Excessive absences will be reported to the administration for further investigation. You: You are your childs first teacher and you play an extremely important role in your childs education. Younger Siblings: It is in your childs and the programs best interest to have our parent volunteers available without younger children. This not only allows your full attention to be focused on the class, but also allows for some special time between you and your kindergartner. Thank you for making childcare arrangements for younger siblings. ZZZZZs: Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift your can give to your child. It will help them to be alert and ready to learn each day!