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The of Kindergarten A Handbook for 2011-2012

	Absence	If your child is sick please contact the office (248-449-1301) and inform them of your child's absence and the reason for it. If your child must leave early for an appointment, please go to the office to sign them out and the office will call for the children to come to the office.
	Arrival and Dismissal	School starts at 9:05. Children are not allowed into the building until 8:55. If you drop your child off please wait with them until 8:50, as there will not be adults available to supervise until this time. Kindergarten students that are car riders/walkers line up by the double doors located just to the right of the main entrance. For your child's safety please walk your child to the sidewalk/doors, the parking lot is a very busy place in the morning. Dismissal time is 3:51 p.m. Please wait outside the same double doors located just to the right of the main entrance to meet your child if you are picking them up. We suggest that you come early and park and walk to the doors to meet your child. The parking lot is a very busy place and for your child’s safety we would ask that you come to the doors to get them. If all the children have been dismissed and your child is still waiting, I will have them wait at the flag pole with the adults on dismissal duty or they will then go inside the office until you arrive to pick them up. If there are any changes in your child's normal pick procedure please contact the office no later than 3:00 p.m. and /or send me a note. I cannot take your child's word for it that they are not riding the bus that day and are being picked up. I have had many children get this confused and then end up missing the bus. So PLEASE send us a note or call the office. Please, do not call me directly during the day to inform of any changes, these messages go to my email account and if I am not at school or unable to check my mail I will not get the message before the end of the day. It is best to call the office.
	Backpacks	The only school supply that I require for my students is that all children have a regular sized backpack that is brought to school with them daily. The backpack should be large enough to hold a 1" 3 ring binder.
	Birthdays	Birthdays are special occasions for young children. If your child wishes, he/she may bring treats for the class on the day of or day nearest to their birthday. Please let me know a day or two in advance, so I can give you an exact number of children in the class and set aside some class time for the party. Birthday invitations can be distributed at school only if ALL the children from our classroom receive an invitation. Children’s feelings can get easily hurt when they feel left out.
	Book Orders	I will be sending home Scholastic Book Club Catalogs for you to purchase books for your child at a reduced rate (these prices are really hard to beat!) These clubs offer wonderful books and great prices. What a great way to build your at home library. If you choose to participate, when the book orders are due, please send the order form and check made payable to Scholastic Book Clubs to school in a sealed envelope in the money compartment of their PIRATE binders or use the new online ordering option.
	Communication	Communication between home and school is important. Feel free to contact me whenever you have a question or concern. You can reach me through the school office at 248.449.1300 and leave me a voice mail message (all voice mail messages are sent to our email accounts so I will be able to get your voice mail messages, even at home.) The fastest way to contact me is to send me an email at keby@novi.k12.mi.us. I check my email at home in the evenings as well.
	Conferences	Parent Teacher conferences are held twice a year. We will meet in the fall and again in the spring. I strongly encourage the children to attend and be involved with our conferences. Please look for more information to be sent home.
	Discipline	We work very hard as a class to make our classroom a safe and positive environment for all children. Our basic classroom expectations are: 1. Be polite and helpful. 2. Follow all directions. 3. Respect people and property. 4. Walk at all times. 5. Raise your hand and wait your turn to speak. 6. Keep body and objects to yourself.
	Email	My email address is keby@novi.k12.mi.us please feel free to contact me at any time.
	Emergency Contact Information	Please make sure that the Emergency contact information is kept up to date in the school office.
	Family	It is very important to me that the children and myself come together as a big family. We work together, play together, learn together, and much more. From the start, I encourage the children to respect, and help each other. With our classroom family, there are no limits to our accomplishments.
	GYM	We have gym every Wednesday and Thursday and the 3rd and 4th Friday of each month. Please refer to the monthly specials calendar. Children should wear tennis shoes on gym days or they may have to sit out and miss all the fun activities.
	Handwriting	We use D'Nealian handwriting in Novi. A handout on the proper formation of the letters in D'Nealian is located in your child’s PIRATE binder. Please practice this at home with your child.
	Homework	Children will have some homework in Kindergarten. I ask that you read with your child everyday. The children will have take home books they check out from me to read with you, weekly library books, and also will have a collection of small reproducible books that they will bring home each week to keep at home to reread. Children should also work on learning their Rainbow sight words.
	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 they are 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.
	Independence	Independence is a goal for children because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. Kindergarteners are very capable of doing many things on their own and I encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in our classroom. Please work on the following skills at home with your child: zipping, tying, dressing, etc...
	Join	Join the Village Oaks parent teacher organization the V.O.I.C.E (Village Oaks Interested Citizens & Educators.) Parent participation is important and valued.
	Keep Updated	You can keep updated on classroom happenings by reading the classroom newsletters in your child's PIRATE binder and also by checking out our website.
	Library	We will go to Library every Monday and on 1st Friday of each month. The children will have the opportunity to check out a new book each week. Children must return their books before they can check out a new book.
	Lunch	Our scheduled lunch time is 11:.55-12:35 Please help your child be prepared each morning by knowing if they are bringing their lunch, or have A or B lunch if buying.
	Math	We use the Everyday Math program. We work on our math during calendar time, we then have a math lesson and math center time. You will see very little math work coming home. Kindergarten math focuses more on hands-on activities through the use of manipulatives.
	Music	We have music class every Tuesday and on the 2nd Friday of each month.
	Newsletters	I will send home newsletters to keep you up to date on classroom happenings. These will be in the FROG binders and will also be available on our classroom website www.mrsebysroom.com .
	Open House	Open House will take on Wednesday, August 30 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. I look forward to seeing everyone there.
	Parties	There are three main parties each year in Kindergarten -- Halloween, Winter Celebrations, and Valentine's Day. Volunteers are needed and welcomed for these special parties, more information will be coming home after school begins.
	Questions	Please feel free to call, stop in, email, or send a note.
	Recess	Our planned recess time is after lunch from approximately 12:20-12:35. We will also have a recess time most mornings for approximately 15-20 minutes.
	Report Cards	Kindergarten report cards will be sent home 3 times during the school year.
	Snack	If your child needs a snack to get them through our long morning they may bring one in. We will have snack time each morning around 10:30. If your child brings their lunch please be sure they know what their snack is and what lunch is. I recommend packing their snack in a separate spot. Please be sure it is a small, healthy snack that can be quickly eaten, such as crackers, cookies, fruit roll-ups, raisins, apples, etc. We have a drinking fountain in our classroom so no drinks are necessary.
	Specials	We have four special classes the children attend during the week: Art, Gym, Library, & Music.
	Toys	Bringing toys to school is discouraged because they distract the children from learning. If a toy is accidentally lost or broken, children's feelings will be hurt.
	Unique	Each child in our class is unique and wonderful. In kindergarten we learn about how we are unique and special, and we celebrate our differences and similarities. We also learn about the different cultures within our class.
	Visitors	Village Oaks has a policy that ALL GUESTS (including familiar faces ) are required to check in at the school office. We welcome and encourage family involvement. It is important to remember that while this may seem inconvenient to frequent visitors, it is the goal and responsibility of the school to create a safe learning environment.
	Website	I have created a classroom website to keep parents and family members up to date on what we are doing. Our site can accessed at www.mrsebysroom.com Please check it regularly to find information about curriculum, special events, and school news. I will be featuring photos of our activities; it's the next best thing to being in our classroom each day. Please share this site with other family members so they can see what their little grandchild/niece/nephew is up to during their first year of school!
	eXperiences	We will have many wonderful eXperiences this year such as, crafts, projects, science experiments, making class books, and playing many fun learning games. They will all be fun and eXciting!
	Younger Siblings	It is in your child's and the program's 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.
	Zzzzs	Please 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!