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- What time does school start at each day?
- What happens if my child arrives late to school?
- I need to speak with you, may I do so at the door?
- I have mail to give you, what should I do?
- May I come inside with my child when the entry bell/whistle sounds?
- I need to pick my child up early from school , what must I do?
- My child will be away on a certain date(s), what do I need to do?
- What time does school dismiss?
- Can my child bring toys to school?
- Can my child bring a snack other than fruit/vegeatable/dairy to school?
- Can my child bring something other than water to drink?
- Will I have the opportunity to volunteer at school?
- May I bring younger siblings when I come to volunteer?
- What do I need to do when I come to volunteer?
- May I send in an edible or non-edible treat for my child's birthday?
- Will my child receive instruction from any other teachers?
- My child is ill, what should I do?
- What happens if it raining outside before school begins?
- Is homework mandatory in Kindergarten?
- My child doesn't talk to me about school, what should I do?
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What time does school start at each day?
Morning Kindergarten begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. and Afternoon Kindergarten
begins promptly at 1:00 p.m. An entry bell will ring or a whistle will be
blown promptly at these times, and your child must safely and immediately
line up in a single file line (along with his/her classmates) ready for
entry. Please say your "good-byes" and give your child his/her belongings
to carry inside a few minutes prior to the entry bell/whistle. It is your
child's responsibility to properly carry his/her own belongings. We urge
and insist that you do not do this task for your child. Allowing him/her to
care for his/her own belongings instills a sense of responsibility.
When the bell/whistle sounds, we (or our assistants) will meet and greet the
children at our entry door (which is labelled and located to the side of the
the main Kindergarten doors, facing the primary playground/flag pole) and
invite the class inside. This is not the time to speak to your child nor to
me. Please remember: "QUICK GOOD-BYES, DRY EYES!" Keep you good-byes and
any conversations/comments/instructions brief, specific, and to the point
prior to the line-up.
We understand that initially (especially, during the first few weeks of
school) this time may cause you and your child considerable distress and
anxiety; however, rest assured, it will ease and become stress-free and a
regular part of your daily routine.
The Kindergarten playground yard is supervised between 8:45 and 9:00 a.m.
and 12:45 and 1:00 p.m., respectively by either a kindergarten teacher or an
assistant. Prior to these times, the yard remains unsupervised. Should you
bring your child to school prior to these supervised times, you must remain
on the yard with your child.
Being on time for school is extremely important, crucial, and essential.
Please ensure that your child is outside on the Kindergarten playground yard
at least 5 minutes prior to the entry times, respectively. Our instruction
begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and we respectfully ask you to
be empathetic to us, our instructional program, and our students.
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What happens if my child arrives late to school?
Should your child arrive late to school, you must first go directly to the
office (using the school's main doors) and sign your child in with the
office staff. Your child will be given a "late slip". Then, you will
quietly accompany your child to his/her cubby where he/she will quietly
unpack his/her belongings, put on his/her indoor shoes, and walk to our
classroom. He/She will quietly enter our classroom and deliver the late
slip, along with any other mail for us, to our mailbox. Finally, he/she
will join the class without interrupting. You may not enter the classroom
and must exit the school using the main doors.
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I need to speak with you, may I do so at the door?
No, this is a completely unacceptable time to speak with us. Should you
have a concern/issue that you need to discuss with us, you may contact us
via an e-mail (we check our e-mail daily) or a phone call to the school
(where you will leave us a message with the office staff; we check our
office mailboxes for messages throughout the day)or a note (that your child
will deliver to our "Pelican Parent Post" mailbox for us). Again, we check
this mailbox frequently. Upon receiving your message, we will contact you
through your preferred means of corespondence at our earliest and promptest
convenience.
Whichever means of correspondence you choose, please indicate your name, the
means for which you wish us to contact you, a contact number/e-mail address,
a time frame of your availability, and a brief but specific reason for your
contact. Should you need to arrange a face-to-face conference with us, we
will discuss a mutually appropriate time and date for both you and
ourselves. Usually, we are available for conferences between 8:30 to 8:45
a.m. and 3:45 to 4:30 p.m.
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I have mail to give you, what should I do?
We have a mailbox entitled, "Pelican Parent Post", for any and all
communication from parents to be placed. ALL mail for us needs to be placed
there including letters, notes, forms, and money envelopes. Any
mail that you send to school for us needs to be given to your child to be
put in this mailbox. Thus, prior to entering the school, remind your child
that he/she has mail to deliver to us (at home, give the mail to your
child to put inside his/her backpack in a special place; allowing him/her to
put it in his/her backpack will serve as a reminder of where the mail is
when he/she is unpacking at school).
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May I come inside with my child when the entry bell/whistle sounds?
No, you may not. We firmly adhere to this and will not allow for any
exceptions. We understand and empathize with the anxiousness that you and
your child may (especially, at the beginning of the school year)
experience; however, establishing this requirement (entering school each
and every day independently) consistently and immediately from the outset
will instill within your child a sense of responsibility, confidence, and
maturity. Furthermore, entering school independently is an expectation of
the Kindergarten curriculum and of our instruction.
Should your child be unable to enter the school independently on a given
day, we will insist that you bring him/her home and return the next day to
try again.
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I need to pick my child up early from school , what must I do?
For those few occasions when you need to have your child leave school early,
you MUST first visit the office (via the school's main doors) and sign your
child out with the office staff. The office staff will call us in our
classrooms, and we (or our assistants) will accompany your child to meet you
in the office. PLEASE DO NOT COME TO OUR CLASSROOM.
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My child will be away on a certain date(s), what do I need to do?
During those times (few, we hope) when you know ahead of time that your
child will be away from school, you MUST send us a note. The note must
contain the follwing information: your child's name, the date(s) of
absence, the reason for his/her absence, and your signature. Should you not
send a note to school, the office staff will contact you each day of your
child's absence inquiring as to his/her whereabouts. This phone call is a
requirement of our, "Safe Schools" policy.
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What time does school dismiss?
Morning Kindergarten dismisses at 11:36 a.m. and Afternoon Kindergarten
dismisses at 3:30 p.m. We will do our best to dismiss your child to you
promptly at this time; however, there may be times (due to extentuating
circumstances such as classroom activities, slow preparations by your child
at his/her cubby, inappropriate behaviour, etc.) when your child may be a
few minutes late. Please remember that we dismiss your child, not the bell.
Prior to dismissal, your child must independently prepare himself/herself
for dismissal (packing belongings, removing indoor shoes, dressing in
his/her outdoor clothing, etc.). Once he/she has finished preparing at
his/her cubby, he/she will then sit on a hallway bench (along with the other
kindergarten classes) and await a teacher or an assistant to dismiss
him/her. Please arrive at school for pick-up promptly (a few minutes ahead
of time is best) and present yourself in front of our classroom's entry door
(side door facing the flag pole).
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Can my child bring toys to school?
No, toys are not allowed to be brought to school. Toys are distractions and
can easily be misplaced/lost or damaged.
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Can my child bring a snack other than fruit/vegeatable/dairy to school?
No, he/she may not. Your child must bring to school daily a SMALL, NUT-
FREE, SEED-FREE, AND SEED OIL-FREE classroom snack along with a bottle of
water (WATER ONLY). Furthermore, the fruit cannot be of tropical origin.
Thus, no pineapple, mango, papaya, guava, etc. Please note that should your
child come to school with a snack that is not of fruit and/or vegetable
and/or dairy origin or is a fruit that is from the tropics, he/she will not
be required to leave the unopened and questionnable/unsafe snack in his/her
backpack to return it home. Acceptable snack options include the following
items: any non-tropical fruit, cut-up vegetables, yogurt drinks, yogurt
tubes, yogurt cups, cheese strings, cut-up cheese pieces/cubes, cottage
cheese.
*BANANAS ARE PERMITTED EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE FROM THE TROPICS.
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Can my child bring something other than water to drink?
No, he/she may not. Water is the only acceptable beverage. Your child may
choose to bring a plastic and secure small water bottle from home or he/she
may wish to use our classroom water fountain.
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Will I have the opportunity to volunteer at school?
YES! YES! YES! AND YES, AGAIN! Throughout the school year, there will be
many opportunities for you to volunteer/lend your expertises/actively
participate in our classrooms, and we, along with the children welcome your
assistance in making our Kindergarten experience a successful one. You will
have the opportunity to sign up for as many activities as you wish during
our, "Curriculum Night".
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May I bring younger siblings when I come to volunteer?
No, you may not. Remember why you are coming. Younger siblings are
unintentionable distractions to you, us, and the children.
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What do I need to do when I come to volunteer?
You must first visit the office (entering through the school's main doors)
and sign yourself in as a "visitor". You will be given a "Visitor" name tag
which you must wear visibly. Then, you may come to our classrooms. Please
be on time and do not come to the classroom before your scheduled time.
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May I send in an edible or non-edible treat for my child's birthday?
No, you may not. Regarding any edible treats, such as cake or cupcakes,
many children suffer from food allergies/intolerances, and therefore, to
ensure the safety of all our students, we kindly ask that you
respect this rule. Regarding non-edible treats, such as loot bags, we
kindly ask that you refrain from sending these in as well. There are simply
too many children that you would need to provide for and unintentionally,
children can be forgotten or overlooked. We consider birthdays to be very
important and special events in all of our students' lives; and thus, as a
means of recognizing and celebrating them, we will honour each child's
special day with a serenade of "Happy Birthday", and he/she will select a
wrapped gift (gender-neutral book) from our "Birthday Box".
Regarding birthday invitations, if your child has birthday party invitations
to distribute, we respectfully ask that you do so after school hours. It is
not appropriate nor will we allow invitations to be passed out during school
time. We need to protect the feelings of the children who do not receive an
invitation.
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Will my child receive instruction from any other teachers?
Yes, your child will have gym with Mr. Feigenbaum if he/she is in the
morning class and from Mr. Chauhan if he/she is in the afternoon class.
Both morning and afternoon classes will have library with Mrs. Hess.
Beginning in January, the Senior Kindergarten children will receive
swim instruction from Ms Johnson and a yet-to-be-determined second
instructor.
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My child is ill, what should I do?
KEEP HIM/HER AT HOME! Furthermore, do not send him/her to school until
he/she is feeling better. Ill children serve as distractions to us/our
health, our instruction, the other children/their health, and the other
children's learning. Moreover, sick children are understandably moody and
unproductive. They cannot learn at their best.
Should your child need to stay at home due to an illness (or any other
reason for that matter), please contact the office immediately and inform
the staff; otherwise, the office will contact you to inquire of his/her
whereabouts.
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What happens if it raining outside before school begins?
During the supervised yard duty times, the teacher/assistant on duty will
open the entry doors and allow your child to come in and quietly sit down on
one of the hallway benches.
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Is homework mandatory in Kindergarten?
No, homework is not a requirement in Kindergarten. However, we do provide a
"homework" for those wishing some extra work. Please keep in mind that we
only provide work that has meaning and purpose. We do not believe in nor
will we provide any work that we consider "filler/busy work" and as the name
implies, unmeaningful. Any work that we send home serves to strengthen and
reinforce essential skills currently being taught or previously taught at
school. Your child needs to master these skills upon exiting Kindergarten.
Whether you choose to participate in my homework program or not is entirely
at your discretion.
However, we will insist that you and your child read daily for 10 minutes,
along with a follow-up discussion about what you have just read (topics
include: favourite character, story elements-who the characters were/where
the story took place/what happened in the story-problem and solution, did
you like the story-why/why not, etc.).
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My child doesn't talk to me about school, what should I do?
Each and every day find a few minutes to sit down (without any distractions)
and engage in a meaningful conversation with your child about his/her day at
school. During the discussion, actively listen with both your eyes AND your
ears and do not interrupt your child when he/she is speaking.
You must facilitate this daily conversation and provide your child with
specific and direct questions-by this we mean keep each question "closed"
and very specific-a question that will have only one answer. We discourage
open-ended questioning as there are no boundaries for your child's responses.
An example of a closed question: "What centers did you visit today?" (allow
for your child's response) "What center did you like best?"
*if your child is still experiencing difficulty responding prompt him/her
An example of an open-ended question: "How was your day?" "What did you do?"
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