Kindergarten Classroom Information
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We start school each day at 8:40 when the second bell rings. We dismiss each day at 3:25 prior to the bell ringing at 3:30. I will walk the children out door 2, (the same door you will be dropping students off) to meet you. Students riding the bus and going to the BASE program will be picked up by a staff member.
Students need to make sure to tell me goodbye with before leaving me and let me know they see you! I don't want them to run off without me making eye contact with the person picking them up. This helps me make sure that I see you, and your child gets to you safely! Since I have several children to say goodbye to and need to make sure everyone is safely with the right parent, your child may need to wait patiently a few minutes to tell me goodbye.
Specials:
We do have “Specials” in Kindergarten. Our “specials” are Music, P.E., Art, Health and Wellness, and Library.
Daily Folders:
To help us communicate and help your child learn responsibility they will bring home and return their daily folder, Daily Folder, EVERYDAY. Their daily folder will include a calendar in which they can earn a sticker everyday. It will be a quick easy way for us to touch base on how your child’s day was each day. Daily folders will also contain At Home Work for their At Home School Days. The learning packets will go out each Wednesday for A Cohort, and Thursday for B cohort for the following week. Please remember this is not to be done over the weekend.
Please initial each day so I know you have seen your child’s folder. The sticker indicates if your child kept their clip on “green” for the day.
Behavior System:
I use a behavior management system that includes 4 levels; “Surf’s Up” -all students start on this level each day. If they are behaving above average, I will have them “surf” up to “Cowabunga” with their individual surfboard clip. Students will “surf” down to the “Warning-Shark Zone”, when not making good choices. At this point, I will talk with the student about smarter choices. If a student continues to make poor choices he/she will be asked to “surf” down to the “Wipe Out” level. At this level I will contact home about the behavior and the student will not receive a sticker on the daily calendar. I also have the student reflect on the behavior and discuss smarter choices. I will specify with a note on the calendar in the Daily folder as to why he/she moved his/her surfboard.
Behaviors including any type of aggression will automatically result in an email/phone call home. They may need a consequence such as sitting out/missing out on an activity, or a portion of it, as well as a follow through from home to encourage positive behavior choices!
Thank you so much for your support in this area.
Super Stars:
I love to use positive reinforcement in our classroom. Throughout the day your child has the opportunity to earn a “Super Star” and put it in the “Star Jar”. This is simply a piece of paper with a picture of a starfish on it! As they are “caught” making great choices, I will have them put their star in the jar. They can earn several stars during the day! At the end of the day I will pull out random stars. Those students, whose stars are pulled, will choose a treasure from the treasure bucket!
All students will get to bring home the stars they earned. Receiving the star is a reward in itself. Please understand that this is a, “caught you being great” system. Some days go too fast and I may not get stars or treasures distributed at the end of the day. I keep the star collection growing in the jar and they have more chances to get drawn for a treasure the following day. As the year goes on and your kindergartner becomes more familiar with all the expectations, star distribution slows down and I may choose to draw names for prizes once a week and they only take home their stars once a week.
It is a fun way to reinforce the great choices they make each day! Families in the past have sometimes chosen a special place to keep all their star rewards at home too, like a jar or a bulletin board to display to family and friends. They are typically very proud of the “Super Star” they earn!
Snacks, Water and Backpacks:
Please send you child with a small healthy snack (nothing that requires a spoon or fork) that can be eaten in 5-10 minutes and a Backpack EVERYDAY! Students must bring in water bottles each day.
Birthday Book Basket Exchange:
This year at Prairie Crossing we are implementing a new birthday policy. We are going to celebrate your child in many ways on their special day, however, are eliminating the traditional sweet treats. Instead of bringing treats, I am asking that each family donate a wonderful children’s book to put in a special “Birthday Book Basket”. On your child’s special day he/she may choose a book from the basket to take home! Please purchase a book in the $5.00-$10.00 price range to donate to our basket! If possible, please bring the books by the end of the first week of school. Thank you so much for your contribution!