This page contains answers to common questions about how our classroom runs.
- How can we communicate with you?
- When is a good time to speak with you?
- Homework?
- Drop off/Pick up?
- What does my child need for school daily (snack, backpack, clothing)?
- Why does my child's schedule change every Wednesday?
- How can I volunteer?
- How can I donate to the classroom?
- Birthdays?
- What curriculum do you use?
- What if my child is absent?
- Substitute teachers?
- What is your dicipline policy?
How can we communicate with you?
We believe in a true partnership between parents and teachers. We
do our best to keep you informed. Here are some ways we will keep
you up to date:
* Newsletters - A Kindergarten update will be sent home every
Friday in your child's Friday Folder.
* Webpage - Our webpage will be updated with the most current
newsletter and will include your child's weekly homework.
* Progress Reports will be sent out mid-trimester each
trimester.
* Report Cards will be sent home at the end of every trimester.
* Parent teacher conferences will take place at the end of the
first trimester. Thereafter, conferences will be conducted on an
as needed basis.
You may contact us anytime by phone (933-3767) or e-mail (AM:
kreid@buckeyeusd.org, PM: ltaylor@buckeyeusd.org). For a more
timely response, e-mail is preferred.
When is a good time to speak with you?
After instructional hours is the best time for us to meet or
receive phone calls. It is difficult for us to give you our full
attention when you drop off your child, or as we are sending the
kids off with their parents at pick up. We would be happy to
schedule a time with you after the kids are gone to have a more
in-depth conversation.
Homework?
Homework will be assigned on Fridays and is due back on Thursday.
Pages will either be sent home, or can be downloaded from our web
page.
Our book bag program is the key component of your child's
homework. It is important to read the books with your child EVERY
night. Your support is essential in helping your child to develop
the responsibility and good study habits that will help make
his/her school career a successful one.
Drop off/Pick up?
Parents cannot park in the bus turnaround to drop off and pick up
their Kindergartners. Please give yourself plenty of time to park
and get to the classroom on time. We are unable to release your
child to anyone who is not listed on the school emergency card.
Please add anyone who may pick up your child to this card.
If your child arrives to school late, or is checked out early,
you need to sign him/her in or out at the school office before
coming to the classroom.
What does my child need for school daily (snack, backpack, clothing)?
Your child needs to bring a non-perishable snack to school daily.
We encourage healthy snacks that your child can open easily by
him/herself. We CANNOT refrigerate or heat the students' food. If
needed, we will have a table designated as a nut-free zone, so
please be sure your child knows if there are nut items in his/her
lunch. Your child will also need a LARGE backpack, but NOT a
rolling one. Please be sure that your child adheres to the
school's dress policy (located in the parent-student handbook,
which can be viewed on the Silva Valley web page) and always
wears shoes with a strap around the heel. Girls will be more
comfortable on the playground with shorts under their dresses.
Note: Please do not allow your child to bring toys or sharing
items to school unless otherwise specified.
Why does my child's schedule change every Wednesday?
In order to meet the needs of your children, our district has
adopted an early release day every Wednesday for teacher
collaboration. We will be meeting as a staff and/or Kindergarten
team to brainstorm and plan for the optimal education of your
child.
AM Kindergarten will be released at 10:30 am. PM Kindergarten
will begin at 10:31 am and will be released at 1:15 pm.
How can I volunteer?
We love our parent volunteers! You make such a difference in your
child's education when you are involved. We always need one or
two parents to work during center time from 8:45-9:45 for the
a.m. class and from 1-2 p.m. for the p.m. class. If you can't
volunteer in the classroom, there are many ways to help out at
home as well. Just ask us and we'll give you a job to do.
How can I donate to the classroom?
We do a lot of projects in Kindergarten! If you are willing to
donate materials to our class, we will send home a supply list
each month with a requested item for you to contribute. Thank you!
Birthdays?
We love to help celebrate your child's special day. If you want
to bring in a baked good for the class, it must be store bought.
We cannot pass out home-baked treats. However, you may consider
bringing in small goody bags of non-food items instead. In either
case, please make sure that they are individually portioned and
easy to hand out to eager hands.
What curriculum do you use?
To ensure that the students are receiving similar instruction,
all the Kindergarten teachers meet once a month to plan the
following month's activities. Using the state standards as a
guideline, we pull from a variety of sources to meet the
instructional needs of the students. Our core materials
are provided from the following district adopted programs:
Language Arts - Houghton Mifflin
Math - Houghton Mifflin
Social Studies - Harcourt
Science - Scott Forseman
Health - Positive Action
Secondary programs that are often used in the classroom include:
Zoophonics
Explode the Code
Signs for Sounds
Scholastic Readers
Key Paragraphing
6+1 Writing Traits
Handwriting Without Tears
Accelerated Reader
Compu-cat
What if my child is absent?
Please be sure to report your child's absences to the school
office. This can be done at any time of the day using the
school's automated system.
Substitute teachers?
While no teacher wants to be away from her class, there are
occasions that require us to be. We all have other school
commitments that require us to be away from the students on
occasion. Generally, we are still on campus during those days and
can be reached by phone if needed. Thanks for your understanding,
and rest assured that we do our best to choose only the
very best substitute teachers.
What is your dicipline policy?
Kindergarten uses a modified version of the card chart used by
the rest of Silva Valley (see the online parent-student handbook
for more info). We also use a star chart to reward those students
who are making good choices. Please remember that every student
will occasionally break a rule. This is part of the learning
process. If at any time we have a concern about a student's
behavior, we will contact the parents.
