ABC's of Kindergarten
A
About the Teacher
My name is Mrs. Rita Whalen and I am thrilled to be your child's
teacher and a part of this very important first year of school. I hope that
your child has an exciting, challenging, and successful year!
I am a graduate of Holy Family University where I received a
Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Currently I am working towards a
Master’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education at Holy Family as well.
This year will be my ninth year as an educator and I have worked in both the
public and private school settings.
For fun, I love reading and spending time with my family and
friends. My husband and I have a 16-month old daughter , Francesca, whom we
adore and she keeps us very busy!
Absences
Your child’s regular and prompt attendance is important to his/her success in
school. Please view school as a top priority, and make sure your child
attends everyday except in cases of illness or emergency. Whenever your
child is absent you must call the school’s absentee number (215-671-8659) and
when your child returns to school he/she must have a note explaining the
absence. If possible, try to plan trips during our scheduled breaks.
Arrival
School begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. Children can come to class beginning at
7:45 a.m. Older children will be at the doors to let the Kindergarten
children in. Parents are not permitted to walk children to their
classrooms.
Art
The children will have Art each “E“ day.
B
Behavior Calendars
A behavior calendar will come home each night for you to review and sign. In
our classroom we have a traffic light that the children will use to monitor
their behavior. If your child is on green that means he/she had a “great”
day. You will know that he/she received a green because his/her calendar
will be colored in green for that day. If his/her name is on yellow that
means it was a “so-so” day. If your child’s calendar is colored red that
means he/she didn’t have a very good day and needs to make better choices the
next day. The reason(s) for the red will be explained on the calendar.
Children who earn four green days for the week will have the chance to pick a
prize from the Classroom Treasure Chest.
Book Orders
I will be sending Scholastic Book Orders home with your child once a month.
This is a chance for you to buy quality books for your child at low prices.
If you would like to order, fill out the form and send it back to school
along with the correct amount of money in an envelope with your child’s
name. We usually receive our books in a week to ten days.
Birthdays
Birthdays are special occasions for kindergartners, If you would like to
have your child bring treats for the class on his/her birthday, please send a
note or email three to four days in advance. Along with the treats you may
also send in drinks, cups, and napkins. We celebrate summer birthdays at the
end of the school year. Party invitations may only be passed out at school
if everyone in the class gets an invitation.
C
C.A.R.E.S
St. Christopher School has a before school and after school program called
C.A.R.E.S. If you would like information about the program, please contact
the office.
Calendar
A school calendar will come home monthly highlighting special days and events
for that particular month.
Centers
Centers are a very important part of our day. By participating in centers,
each child has an opportunity to work at his/her own pace. Centers are
created for children to practice skills they have already been taught
independently, with a partner, or in a small group setting. They are meant
to be fun! Some of the centers your child will visit each day are:
Media (computer and listening center)
Book Center
Art Center
Math Center
Building Center
Writing Center
Prayer Center
Teacher Center:
(a small group works with the teacher for guided instruction.)
Clothing
Please send a change of clothes in a gallon-size ziploc bag with your child’s
name on it in case of an accident. If an accident should happen the clothes
needing to be washed will be sent home. Please be sure to send in a change
of clothes again...JUST IN CASE!
Communication Envelopes
Each Wednesday, your child will bring home a blue envelope containing
important information from the office. Please go through the papers and
return the envelope the very next day.
Computer
The children will visit the computer lab each “B“ day. Your child will also
have the opportunity to use the classroom computers during centers. Our
classroom computers are programmed with age appropriate materials that
reinforce math readiness and reading skills.
D
Dismissal
Our day ends at 3:00 p.m. Your child will go home one of three ways. He/she
may be a walker, car rider, or bus rider. Once you have stated how your
child will go home, a note will be needed to change dismissal lines. PLEASE
PUT A NOTE IN YOUR CHILD’S FOLDER STATING HOW HE/SHE WILL BE GOING HOME.!!
Donations
Please see our attached “Wish List.” It is not required for you to make
donations, but we would gladly appreciate any donation you would like to make!
E
Emergencies
You will be notified by phone if an emergency should arise at school. Please
be sure that both I and the school office have a complete list of numbers
where you can be reached, and the names and numbers of others you would like
me to call if I cannot reach you.
F
Field Trips
Throughout the year we will schedule field trips to enhance our curriculum.
A letter will come home to you explaining the purpose and cost of the trip.
Depending on the trip and space available, we will also ask for parent
volunteers to join us.
G
Guests
At different times throughout the year I will be asking for “guests” to come
in and visit our classroom. Sometimes our guests will be asked to help us
with special projects, other times to be a celebrity reader.
Gym
The children will have Gym each “E” day. Please be sure your child wears
his/her appropriate Gym uniform on that day.
H
Hands-On Learning
I feel that the best way to help a child learn is to make learning fun.
Important concepts can be learned by doing meaningful hands-on activities.
There are times when seatwork is required and necessary, but our classroom
will also be an active learning environment.
High Frequency Words
Each week your child will be required to learn a list of new words. These
words must be committed to memory and your child must be able to read them as
soon as he/she sees them. Please review new lists as well as words that have
already been learned each night. Learning to read will be much easier for
your child if he/she memorizes the high frequency words.
Home and School Association
I encourage all parents to join our Home and School Association.
Homework
Although your child will not be required to do formal homework, he or she
must review the work that has been done that day and sent home with an
adult.
I
Involvement
Please stay involved in your child’s learning experience. YOU are the BEST
teacher your child will ever have.
J
Journals
We will use our journals for our writing workshop activities. Journals will
periodically come home for you to share and review with your child. It is
amazing how much growth you will see when looking through the journals.
K
Kindergarten Team
Our Kindergarten Team consists of Mrs. DiCicco and myself. We collaborate
weekly and work closely with one another to ensure that from the moment your
child enters our classrooms to the very end of the day, we make learning fun
and exciting!
L
Library
The children will visit the school library each “A” day. The children will
have an opportunity to check out a book at that time.
Lunch
Our class will have lunch each day from 11:15 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. in Holy
Family Hall. Each child must have a small towel to place on their lunch on
Your child may buy lunch through our school lunch program (menu and envelope
comes home every two weeks) or bring lunch to school each day. Milk may be
bought at school $.30) as well. Please be sure your child has a coloring
book to use on rainy days.
M
Morning Meeting
We begin each day with our Morning Meeting. This is a great time to greet
each other, sing songs, listen to a great story, and talk about the day’s
activities. This is also the time we share our Morning Message.
Morning Message
In the beginning of the year, I write a morning message to the children on
the board. We read the message together and look for specific letters and
words. We count the number of words in each sentence. We also talk about
capital letters and punctuation. Students listen for beginning, middle, and
ending sounds and chunks. This activity also gives students the opportunity
to see the teacher model writing.
Music
Our class is scheduled to have music each “D” day.
N
Newsletter
At the beginning of each week I will send home a class newsletter. Here you
will find all the skills/concepts that are being covered for each subject
area. Birthdays and other helpful information for the week can be found here
as well. Please be sure to look for it in your child’s folder!
Nurse
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful nurse at our school. She will tend
to minor scratches and scrapes, as well as sudden illnesses. For more
serious injuries she will contact you. Please be sure she is aware of any
medications your child may need to take.
O
Outdoor Recess
The children will be going outside for recess after lunch every day unless it
is raining or extremely cold. Please keep this in mind when dressing your
child each day.
P
Parent Conferences
Although Parent Conferences will be scheduled throughout the school year, you
should feel free to contact me ANYTIME with questions or concerns regarding
your child’s progress.
Parties
We will be planning various parties to celebrate different events throughout
the year. Again, letters will be sent home to inform you and to ask for
volunteers and donations.
Principal
Our school Principal is Mrs. Kilbride.
Q
Quick Goodbyes
Quick goodbyes (at home, in the car, or at the bus stop) will leave drier
eyes!
R
Rules
We make our classroom rules together during the first week of school. By
having students make the rules (with the teacher’s guidance), they feel a
sense of ownership and will be more likely to follow them. Our rules are
based on RESPECT. Respect yourself, others, and the environment.
Report Cards
Your child will receive three report cards this school year. The report card
will show you your child’s progress both academically and socially.
S
Siesta Time
Your child will rest each day for about twenty five minutes. During this
time some child sleep while others simply “read” a book. It is a quiet time
for everyone.
Snack Time
Our class will have snack time each time at 10:05a.m.-10:20a.m. At this time
your child may eat his/her soft pretzel purchased through the school ($1.00
each week, sent in on Friday for the upcoming week) or a snack sent in from
home. PLEASE be sure the snacks are healthy. The children DO NOT need a
drink for snack time.
Spanish
Your child will learn Spanish this year as well. He/she will learn to say
and understand basic vocabulary (greetings, colors, numbers, days of the
week, months of the year). Vocabulary will be taught through games,
activities, songs, and poems.
Supplies
The supplies your child needs for this school year are:
-change of clothes
-school bag, lunch kit, and folder
-roll of paper towels, box of tissues, and baby wipes
PLEASE BE SURE THAT ALL SUPPLIES (THOSE THAT YOU SEND IN AND THOSE PROVIDED
BY THE SCHOOL ARE CLEARLY LABELED WITH YOUR CHILD’S FIRST AND LAST NAME.)
T
Teamwork
We are a team working together to help your child learn and be successful.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child
this year. I will communicate with you through newsletters, notes, phone
calls, conferences, progress reports, report cards, and the daily behavior
calendar. Feel free to contact me anytime at school (215-673-5787) or you
can also email me anytime at:
whalenrita77@yahoo.com
Transportation
Please send a note to school if you must change your child’s means of getting
home for a particular day. DO NOT rely on your child to tell me. If I do
not receive a note than I must send your child by the usual dismissal plan.
Treasure Chest
As stated earlier your child will be rewarded for good behavior by choosing a
prize from the treasure chest. I buy small toys for the chest. If you would
like to donate some prizes it would be greatly appreciated!
U
Units of Study
Please see the handout titled Kindergarten Academic Curriculum (given at Back
to School Night) to read about the skills/concepts your child will learn
about this year.
V
Vice Principal
The Vice Principal of our school is Mrs. Tremper.
Volunteers
As stated above, I will be asking for volunteers throughout the school year
for different events and activities. I know many of you work during school
hours but it would be helpful if your could volunteer to prepare things for
us at home and send them in with your child. (I would send home all needed
materials of course!)
W
Website
Please visit our website regularly at www.saintchris.angelcities.com and then
click on teachers and find my name. The website will be updated each with
important information. With your permission, I would also like to share
pictures of the children in our class.
X
eXperiences
Kindergarten is such and exciting time! We are learning about the magic of
books, letters, numbers, poetry, songs, science, social studies, art, music,
gym, religion, computers, Spanish, and rules. Enjoy this year and let your
kindergartener know how important school is to you.
Y
You!
You can help to make your child feel successful this year by reading each
night with them. This encourages them to be good readers. Remember to
discuss the school day with your kindergartener. Ask questions like, “What
did you do in centers today?” or “What did you learn today?” Ask about new
friends, songs, Spanish phrases, etc.
Z
ZZZ’s
It is important to make sure your child is getting a good night’s sleep.
Establish a bedtime routine that allows your child to get 10-12 hours of
sleep each night.