I am so excited to have your child in my class. I am looking forward to working with you, as well as with your child. Together we can make this a great year, watching your child discover, grow and have fun! Please read the following information regarding your kindergarten child:
Arrival: The children will enter at the green kindergarten door by the basketball court at 8:35 AM. I will be at our classroom door and/or monitoring the hallway. On the first day, dismissal will be at 12:45 PM out the kindergarten door. Thereafter, dismissal will be at 3:00 PM out the kindergarten door.
Backpacks: Please be sure to send your child with a backpack each day. The backpack should be large enough to fit a winter coat in it, and please, no backpacks with wheels. All coats, sweatshirts, sweaters, etc. must be put inside your child's zipped backpack. This is a precaution - to prevent the spread of lice and to help avoid clothing mix-ups. Your child has a red folder that will stay in his/her backpack. I am requesting that toys not be brought to school in backpacks, unless they are needed for a school activity - they are just too distracting for the children.
Folders: The children will be responsible for checking their folders each day when they come into the classroom. I will not go into the children’s backpacks, but I will remind them every day to check their folders before putting their backpacks away. (This is their first official kindergarten “job.") Please help by returning papers, homework, notes, etc. in the folder - not somewhere else in the backpack. Although Travell has gone mostly paperless, sometimes notes do come home in the folder. It would be helpful if you could also make it a daily habit to check the folder for notices from the office, homework, notes home, etc.
Snacks: If you choose, your child can bring in one nutritious snack each day. It is important to keep snacks simple, healthy and mess free. Some suggestions are: raw vegetables, fruit, crackers, goldfish, cheese cubes and pretzels. Specifically not permitted are peanuts (or any nut products), candy, desserts and drinks other than water. Please, please pack snacks separately from lunches. The children become easily confused as to what to eat and when. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Supplies: Please send in one box of tissues. Also, please send one container of Lysol wipes or Wet Ones hand sanitizing wipes. The class will be sharing them, so there's no need to label them with your child's name. The children will also need an old t-shirt (no buttons, please) to wear as a smock for Art class. It is best to send in a shirt that is a large size so that it fits over clothing. If you have as helps our Art teacher, Ms. Paduano, learn names quickly. Please send the smock in a gallon size Ziploc bag, and label the bag with your child's name as well.
Our Daily Special: We will be having special classes each day in Kindergarten. These specials include Spanish, Art, Music, Library and P.E. A copy of our Daily Special schedule will come home the first week of school. It can be helpful for you to put the schedule in a permanent place (refrigerator, cork board, etc.) so your child can remember what special to expect each day.
Notes to School: If there will be any change to your child's regular pick-up, please send in a note. This avoids any confusion for your child at the end of the day. If you forget to put it in writing, please call the office and leave a message with one of our secretaries. Email is a wonderful way to communicate, but I do not always have a chance to check it during school. This is why it is best to write a note or call the office.
Finally, please fill out the attached form and return it on the first day of school. I will keep this information on file for the year. If you need to give me any confidential information, please do so on a separate piece of paper so that I can file it for my use only.
Again, welcome to Travell! Here's to a great year!
Fondly,
Mrs. Tormey