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A
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Absence- If your child is absent from school, please call the office at (858) 755-1777 and inform us of your child’s absence and the reason for it before 9:00am.
Arrivals- School starts at 8:00am. There is NO supervision on the playground before 7:45am. Please help your child have a positive start to the day by arriving on time. If your child arrives late, you will need to go to the office, get a tardy slip, and walk your child back to the classroom.
Attendance- A successful school experience is the responsibility of the child, the parent, and the school. Your child’s progress, both academic and social, is influenced to a great extent by daily participation. Regular attendance without tardiness is a key.
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B
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Backpacks- To help your child carry messages and information to and from school, you are asked to provide a backpack labeled with your child’s name. Please look in your child’s backpack everyday to be sure you are not missing out on important information. No wheels on backpacks, please.
Birthdays- Children are invited to bring a simple treat to share on their birthday. We request that treats be small and low in sugar content. Rice Krispie treats, fruit snacks and small cookies are good examples. Please notify me before bringing in a special treat.
Book Orders- Each month you will have an opportunity to order books for your child from Scholastic Books. An order form will be sent home with a due date stamped on it. This is an inexpensive way to increase your child’s interest in reading and to grow your child’s library.
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C
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Clothing- Whenever possible, we will be going outside to play, so please have your child dress accordingly. In order to foster independence, select sweaters, jackets, and shoes that your child can handle easily and independently. Please label all of your child’s possessions. We recommend that an extra change of clothes be kept in your child’s backpack for unexpected accidents.
Conferences- Parent/Teacher conferences are held in November. We will discuss your child’s accomplishments, strengths and overall progress. Please feel free to schedule additional conferences at any time throughout the year if the need arises.
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D
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Dismissal- School ends at 2:45pm. There is NO supervision on the playground after 3:00pm. There may be times when you will need to pick your child up before the end of the school day (i.e. medical or dental appointments). Stop by the office first; they will have you sign your child out and will also call down to the classroom to have the teacher send your child to the office.
Daycare-Students who are dropped off before 7:45am and who stay past 3:00pm are required to go to extended day care. Parents are charged separately for this service.
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E
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E-Mail- You can contact me via email any time during the day
Emergency Cards- Your child will have an emergency card on file in the office; please keep all emergency information current.
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F
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Folder- Your child’s Kindergarten folder will come home each day in your child’s backpack. It may contain daily work or important school/class notices. Please look in your child’s folder EVERY day to be sure you are not missing out on important information!
Field Trips-Occasional field trips are planned as part of the instructional program. No child will be allowed to participate in field trips unless an official permission slip is signed and returned by a parent or guardian.
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G
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Grades- Students' grades are based on achievement and EFFORT.
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H
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Health Concerns- Please let us know of any special circumstances which may affect your child. We need to be aware of any allergies your child may have-especially food allergies.
Homework- Students will bring home a homework assignment sheet at the beginning of the week listing their homework assignments for the week. Homework will also be listed on the class website. There will usually be 10-15 minutes of homework Monday-Thursday. In addition, I ask that students read as much as possible.
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I
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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. If your child has vomited within 24 hours, or has any fever, we ask that you please keep them home.
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J
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Journey-Childhood is a journey, not a race. Enjoy your child’s journey!
Journaling- One strategy that will be used to help convey the vital concept that “print conveys meaning” is the frequent use of journal writing. In these journals the kindergartners combine their emerging writing skills with their drawing skills. As the children are exposed to a variety of phonics and reading experiences, journal entries will move from drawings and “phonetic” spellings towards more conventional writing.
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K
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Kindness- Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class as well as others with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying, and interrupting learning will not be tolerated.
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L
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Label- Please make sure and label all coats, sweatshirts, vests, sweaters, backpacks, etc. with your child’s name. Believe it or not, your child will not always recognize their own clothes in the Lost and Found.
Life Skills- Your child will be assessed in the following areas on the November report card: following school rules and directions, effort, getting along with others, showing respect for others, completing and organizing work.
Lunch- Hot lunch menu selections vary during the week and pizza is offered on Friday. Charges for food are separate from tuition. Hot lunch sign-ups are sent out in the Wednesday envelope.
Library-Our class will go to the library once a week to visit Mrs. Kwasniewski and discover all of the school’s wonderful books.
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M
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Music- Our music teacher, Mrs. Oldham, will be teaching the children the basics of music and will be sharing many wonderful songs with our class. We attend music once a week, but will be singing and enjoying music with the children on a daily basis in the classroom.
Mass- Church services for the school will be held every Friday at 8:00am. We encourage family and friends to join us.
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N
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Newsletter- I will post my weekly newsletter to the class website at the beginning of every week. It is important that you read the newsletter so you can keep your child prepared for the week's events. The newsletter will contain information about our classroom activities for the week.
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O
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Office Staff- Our office staff at St. James is Outstanding! They can be reached at (858) 755-1777.
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P
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Parties- We will have various parties throughout the year and will contact you to help with our celebrations.
P.E.- Kindergarten will have P E. daily with Mr. Elbers. The children are asked to wear sneakers on P.E. days.
Parent Council- We encourage you to join and participate in our wonderful Parent Council at St. James Academy. This is a wonderful way to get to know what’s going on during the school year.
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Q
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Questions- Since some of you are new to St. James this year, we’re sure you may still have some unanswered questions. Please feel free to contact us at anytime. You can do this in a variety of ways: send a note in your child’s folder, call the school, or email me (email is usually your best bet).
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R
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Recess- The children will be going out for recess 3 times a day. Please keep this in mind when helping your child select clothing for the day.
Report Cards- Students will receive a report card four times a year. The report card will give you an understanding of your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Grades are given for academic achievement and EFFORT.
Reading-Students greatly benefit from reading 15-20 minutes a day.
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S
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School Supplies- We share all of our supplies in kindergarten. Please do not label any supplies brought into the classroom. We may run out of certain items and will ask you to help replace them during the year.
Sharing- Each student will have the opportunity to share once a week. Students should bring in an object that correlates to the letter of the week. Please see sharing schedule for more details.
Snack- Please consider packing your child 2 snacks a day (one for morning & afternoon recess) in addition to lunch. Eating nutritious snacks are important for growing children and flourishing minds. Ideas for snack: water, carrots, cut apples, raisins, goldfish, wheat thins, pretzels, & vanilla wafers.
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T
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Tardies- Students arriving to school after 8:00am are considered tardy. You will need to go to the office, get a tardy slip, and walk your child back to the classroom.
Technology- Our class visits Mr. Powell in the Computer once a week. We also use computers on a daily basis in our classroom.
Toys- Have your child keep all toys, stuffed animals, and other play things at home (unless it is their show-and-tell day) as these things distract everyone’s attention.
Transportation- On occasion, you may need to make a change in the way your child goes home from school. On such days, you must send a written note that tells us the specific changes in your child’s method of getting home. We will not allow your child to deviate from the normal routine without written permission from you.
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U
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Uniforms-All clothing must be neat, clean, and well maintained. P.E. shorts may only be worn for during P.E. class. All uniforms must be labeled with student's first and last names.
Unique- Kindergartners learn that they are special and unique. Kindergartners have opportunities to describe how they are alike as well as different from one another. They share their culture and learn about different cultures within the class.
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V
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Visitors- St. James has a policy that ALL GUESTS (including familiar faces) are required to check in at the school office. This is for your child’s safety.
V.I.P.- Each student will have one week to share his/her very special self with new kindergarten friends. Please see V.I.P. schedule for more details.
Volunteers- We appreciate help from parents. Your assistance may be used in the classroom working with children, helping to prepare materials and assisting in planning and organizing special functions.
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W
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Wednesday Envelope- General school news including information about policies, activities, or other important news is sent out weekly in the gray envelope. It contains a weekly update from the principal highlighting upcoming events, and flyers announcing parish, community, and school activities. It is requested that the empty gray envelope be returned on THURSDAY each week.
Wish List- Throughout the year we sometimes need supplies above and beyond our classroom materials (such as baby food jars, note cards, etc.) We will let you know if and when we need additional items.
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X
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“X”static- So this is a little bit of a stretch, but “x” is a tricky letter. We certainly are ecstatic about teaching your child!!
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Y
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You- You can help to make your child feel successful this year by doing some of the following: Reading to your child is the single most important thing you can do. Ask questions when your child comes home from school like, “What did you work hardest on at school today?”, or “What are you the most proud of?”, or, “What are you getting better at?” These questions cause children to reflect on their learning which in turn helps them remember new information.
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.
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Z
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Zzz’s – 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 your child be alert and ready to learn each day!
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