Kindergarten 101
Absences ~ If your child is absent for any reason, please call the school or email me. If you cannot call or email, please send a note with your child when he returns to school. Otherwise, it will be considered an unexcused absence. Please be aware that not all absences will be considered excused by the office.
Birthdays ~ are so much fun! Your child will be acknowledged in few special ways on his or her special day. Birthdays that fall on weekends or vacation weeks will be celebrated on the school day nearest to the date. You are welcome to send in a snack for your child to share at recess. Please let me know a few days prior if you plan to do so. Per Wake County Public Schools policy, the treat must be store bought. Special request from yours truly: please send snacks that are already individually portioned (e.g. cupcake, cookie, aka no cutting necessary!).
Cafeteria ~ breakfast is $1.00; lunch is $2.00 and an extra milk is $0.50. The easiest way to pay for your child's meals and monitor what he purchases in the cafeteria, is to preload money on his account. You will receive an alert when the balance is low. If your child isn't planning to purchase on a regular basis, you may send cash/change in a sealed envelope or plastic bag labeled with your child's full name and my name. You are invited to eat with your child any time! Simply sign in at the office, put on a visitor sticker and take advantage of the family tables in the back of the cafeteria or our (quieter) outdoor seating!
Conferences ~ all parents are invited to attend parent-teacher conferences at the end of the first and third quarters. Please email or call me with questions or concerns at any time! I am happy to schedule additional times to chat in person as well.
Daily Folders ~ your child will have a folder that travels to and from school each day. Please use it to send dismissal notes, money or other relevant items as necessary. A behavior chart will be attached to the folder for your review. Kindly initial each afternoon.
Dismissal/Changes ~ it is important that your child and I know her typical dismissal plan. Once established, that will be her default transportation plan. If/when you need to change her plans, kindly let me know in the form of a note. TIMESAVER: simply print, cut and send this note as necessary! If plans change midday PLEASE CALL THE MAIN OFFICE as I cannot always check my email during the school day.
Email ~ the best way to get in touch with me is through my school email, which I check upon arrival and at the conclusion of the school day. I may not always be able to check or have sufficient time to respond during the school day. Please email me any time at [email protected]. If you have an emergency or change in dismissal plan mid-day, please call the school directly at 919-557-2770.
Emergency Contact ~ please complete all data sheets and emergency contact forms that come home. It is imperative we have all forms of communication for parents/guardians and emergency contacts in case of sickness or emergency.
Friday Folders ~ perhaps my favorite day as a mom, it's the day your child's completed work/projects come home. Please have your child take out his papers with you, it's a great conversation starter! This will also be the folder where you will find school announcements/paperwork. Unless otherwise indicated, all paperwork in this folder should be kept at home.
Good Fit Books ~ it is so very important that your child reads what we call "good fit books" - these are books that are not too difficult nor too easy, but at your child's instructional level as determined by formal assessments performed at school. I will assess your child's reading level every 9 weeks and keep you updated on it. Like your child's shoes, what fits in July will likely not fit by December! We will work together on finding good fit books in the Media Center and our classroom library. Please encourage your child to enjoy the books that fit right now ... as opposed to struggling with those she is not ready for YET. Those are books you can read with or to her, until she's ready to read them by herself! Please know that I would never discourage your child from challenging herself, but rather this is meant to protect her from reaching a level of frustration. All aspects of a child's ability to read and comprehend text deteriorate significantly when reading too far above one's instructional/independent level.
Homework ~ the daily expectation will be to read for 20 minutes, do a short academic activity and take time to be a kid. The kids work hard all day and our evenings are short! Please see the "Homework" tab under "Parent Support" for additional fun and creative ways for your child to reinforce and/or extend skills during track out or every day, as well as how best to support your child at home in the areas of reading and math. There is also a section that addresses what to do when homework goes awry. It happens. But I'd like - for everyone's sake - to avoid adding stressors to your family's evening. A good rule of thumb is when a single assignment goes past 10 minutes, draw a line where your child is to let me know. Certainly your discretion is key ~ if your child is nearly done and not fatigued, allow him to finish!
LABEL, LABEL, LABEL ~ please, please, please label anything that belong to your family/child and you expect back. Additionally, every time you send money, forms or notes, please put them in a sealed envelope or plastic bag clearly marked with your child's name, my name and the purpose (e.g. Joe Kid, Lunch Money, Mrs. Thaler). This ensures that we direct it to the appropriate place/person and - if lost - it makes its way back to us.
Media Center ~ We have Media every Monday! Please remember to pack those library books in backpacks Sunday night!
Medication ~ prescribed medication may only be administered after a "Physician Order for Medication" is completed by your child's doctor and filed with our main office. All medications with doctor's orders must be kept in the main office and administered only by authorized personnel. Students may not bring any medication without a doctor's note (including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicine and cough drops). A form must also be completed by parents for over-the-counter medication to be administered as well. These forms are available in the main office.
Newsletter ~ all teachers at Bryan Road will be use the same format to communicate with parents!
Report Cards ~ progress reports will be sent home at the end of each quarter and based on the following scale:
4 - exceeds targeted grade level standards [independently and consistently goes above grade level skills]
3 - demonstrates proficiency of grade level standards [independent following instruction]
2 - needs support to meet grade level standards [needs help to complete most assignments]
1 - insufficient performance of grade level standards
4 - exceeds targeted grade level standards [independently and consistently goes above grade level skills]
3 - demonstrates proficiency of grade level standards [independent following instruction]
2 - needs support to meet grade level standards [needs help to complete most assignments]
1 - insufficient performance of grade level standards
Snack ~ we will have snack in the morning. Please send a small snack that your child can eat quickly and neatly. Please refrain from sending candy/sweets for snack.
Specials ~ our class will have one enhancement each day of the week, including Media, P.E., Art, Music and Character Education/STEAM. For a detailed schedule please click the "Schedule" tab --> "Specials Schedule."
Student Check In/Out ~ please go directly to the office to have your child checked in late or dismissed early. The office staff will call the room to have your child meet you at the office. Our instructional day is from 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and we are very busy learning all throughout!
Supplies ~ we appreciate your willingness and generosity supplying our classroom with essential items. A copy of our supply list and wish list can be found at TeacherList. Just about all of the classroom supplies we ask for will be shared among our classroom, rather than belonging solely to your child. As such, this is the one time I ask that you do not label these items.
To, With or Alone ~ reading does not always have to look the same. Reading to someone, with someone (every other paragraph/ page) or alone are all options for your child. How you and your child choose to read can vary day to day or book to book.
Volunteers ~ are always welcome! Please read more about our volunteer needs here and security protocol if interested!