Mrs. Laura’s and Ms. Cindy’s Class

1. Mrs. Laura’s and Ms. Cindy’s Class Taylor County ElementaryKindergarten Kick OffJuly 25, 2013

2. Items to Take Care of Tonight!! 1. Fill out the Transportation Information on the clipboard on Ms. Cindy’s desk. • Have your child pick out a “LEADER” folder. Use a sharpie to complete the information on your child’s bus tag (in the folder). Please have your child wear the nametag the first week or so of school. • Fill out all forms in the folder and give to me or Ms. Cindy. • If your child has any custody restrictions or food/other allergies please write down the information on a note card, located on Mrs. Sallee’s desk. • Leave supplies in tub near door.

3. LEADER Folders The “LEADER” folders helps us stay organized and communicate with one another. Please look at these each night. Items in the left pocket are to be “left” at home. Items in the right pocket need your attention and need to be returned “right” back to school. The “storage locker” is for bus notes and money. Please send all permission slips, lunch money, bus notes, book orders, or other important items in this clear bag so that we can find them immediately. Your “LEADER” will help them get to school safely! Please remember to date all notes, especially notes pertaining to transportation changes. I would love for you to write me a note about your child . Just include anything that would help me to know him or her better.

4. Transportation/Pick Up • The pick-up cards are for parents/guardians who will pick their child up from school. Each parent will receive three pick-up cards to place in different vehicles and/or to share with emergency contacts. Persons with pick-up cards MUST be on the pick-up list. Pick-up cards are available in the gym tonight. • If your child will be going home with someone else, riding a different bus, or their normal routine changes, I MUST have a WRITTEN note from you stating how your child will get home. (notes are provided) No child will be allowed to change their routine without written permission. If no note is received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation. Please make sure the note is in the clear storage of the LEADER folder and not stuck in the backpack.We do not go through backpacks, only folders. • Please note custody restrictions on an index card before you leave tonight.

5. Early Release Fridays • We will have Early Release Friday EVERY Friday at 12:50. Please be sure that you let us know if your child’s transportation plans will differ on Fridays. • Students may participate in Friday Wrap-Up until 2:50 pm. However, you must pick them up – there is no bus transportation from Wrap-Up.

6. Discipline • We will go over classroom rules and procedures at the beginning of the year. We will discuss making good choices and bad choices and the consequences of each. We prefer to use positive reinforcement and catch children making good choices in order to help them learn how to be responsible for their own behavior. Positive behavior will be noted with praise, incentives, Cardinal Cash, treats, etc. • We are implementing “The Leader In Me” program school-wide this year. This is a character education program to help children learn and use positive habits to encourage responsibility, respect, and teamwork. I will be sharing more about this program soon.

7. Discipline In the beginning, we will give several verbal/visual reminders while the children get used to the routines. We will also review, emphasize, and practice the appropriate Leader habit to help the children know what behaviors are more beneficial. After several verbal warnings, the child will have their clothespin moved to yellow on our stoplight. If the child continues to break the rules, he/she will have their clothespin moved to red. If the child continues to make bad choices and not follow procedures, they will be moved to the top of the stoplight. This means the child will receive a conduct cut. If the child gets on red or to the top of the stoplight, I will send a note explaining what happened for parent to sign and return. ←Made Bad Choices- Loss of treat/privileges, Note home (working with student to make good choices.) ← Needed reminders/warning (working with student to make good choices) ← Made good choices, followed rules. Children will color a box on their discipline chart each afternoon so you will know how they did that day.

8. Reading We will be using “Daily 5” for reading this year. Daily 5 is simply a management system to help students practice the strategies and skills to learn to read. 3 ways to read: Read the pictures, read the words, or retell the story. I PICK: Choose books that fit their interest, purpose and level of reading. In addition to whole group lessons focusing on reading skills & strategies, children will choose from five activities to work on each day: read to self, read with a partner, word work, listen to reading and writing. Ms. Cindy & I will be listening to students read & teaching reading strategies one-on-one or in small groups. Please read to/with your child every night!!!

9. Math We will be doing math in a similar manner to Daily 5 reading. We will cover the concepts listed in whole group instruction. Students will practice these concepts & skills in assigned math centers. This will allow for students to work on the skills they need to practice. Math Concepts: Recognizing & writing numbers Number sense and number combinations Counting by 2’s, 5,’s 10’s to 100 Recognizing odd and even numbers Using tally marks, charts &graphs Beginning addition and subtraction Recognizing, continuing, and creating patterns Using measurement Developing math vocabulary We will also do calendar math each morning to explore many math concepts. It’s important that children learn to problem solve and really understand numbers.

10. Writing • In writing we use inventive spelling. That means we only write the sounds we hear. For example, “I love my mom.” might look like “I lv mi mom.” Our goal is to build a risk free environment where kids are authors and they learn as they are developmentally ready. • If a child feels safe and knows we will encourage and guide, then he or she is willing to write letters to communicate a message. • As they learn sight words and begin reading, then conventional spelling overtakes “kidspelling”. Please ask your child to read what they have written and praise their efforts. • When they say, how do you spell ____? Ask them how they think it is spelled. They will begin applying the sounds they know and become the author instead of the adult. • We will teach spacing , writing a list, labeling a picture, sentences, beginning, middle and end and many other concepts.

11. Science & Social Studies • We will be integrating Science and Social Studies into our reading, writing, and math content, and learning centers. We will also be doing hands on activities as well as integrating arts & humanities in our science and social studies.

12. Special Classes Students will visit special classes each week. TCES offers library, gym, music, art & technology. Our schedule rotates each week. We will send home a calendar with the schedule each month. * On P.E. days please make sure your child wears tennis shoes and dresses appropriately.

13. Grading Students are assessed informally each day and formally as necessary to determine their needs. Modifications are made if necessary for the student to be successful. Each nine weeks, students are assessed over letters, sounds, writing the letters from memory and the sight words covered as well as other skills in reading. In math we will assess over numbers, counting, writing numbers, adding subtracting, etc. We send home report cards every 9 weeks. Instead of A’s, B’s, and C’s we give the following grades: E/+ = Exceeds Expectations M/ = Meets Expectations NMT/- = Needs More Time to master skills • Students will also take a test on the computer referred to as MAP. This assessment is given 3 times a year and shows math and reading progress. We will send home a report each time explaining the results.

14. General Information • School begins at 8:00 am. • Students should go to the cafeteria or gym if it is before 7:50. • Breakfast is $1.00 and lunch is $ 1.75.If you pay for your child's meals, please send the money in the plastic pouch in your child's Leader folder. Please note on the money form what the money is for so that we will know to put it in your child's lunch account.Each child will receive a lunch number, so you may pay for your child's meals by the week or month if you would like.

15. General Information • We will have a milk break every day. Milk is .30 per day or your child may bring their own drink (no soft drinks) from home. • If you send milk money for your child, please put it in the plastic pouch in your child's LEADER folder with a note stating how much money you are sending for milk on the money form and we will keep a record of it at school. • Each family/child will be responsible for supplying their own snack each day. If you are willing, send in a few snacks that are individually wrapped. We will put these in a container for students who forget theirs.

16. Parent Involvement • We love to have parents help in our classroom, but you must have completed the volunteer training to be in the classroom or to chaperone field trips. Information is available in the LEADER folder. • Parents may also help at home. We always have things to cut out, books to label, magazines to sort, class books to put together, etc. • Please write me a note and let me know if you will be available to help in the classroom or at home. You are needed! • Please clip and save the box top logos from food products. We can turn them in for cash to purchase items for the class.

17. Staying Connected Newsletters will be sent home each Monday. We will communicate important information in the newsletter. We may send home other information throughout the week soplease be sure to check your child’s folder daily. Please feel free to call me at school (465-5691) and I will return your call as soon as possible. You may also e-mail me through our school's website (laura.sallee@taylor.kyschools.us) but please remember that I may not have time to check my e-mail until after school. Please do not e-mail transportation changes. If I have a substitute he/she will not have access to my e-mail. Please send a note with your child or call the office! If you need to reach me after school, my home number is 403-2521. You are welcome to call prior to 9:00 pm.

18. Family Resource If your child needs to take daily medication, you will need to contact the Family Resource Center before the first day of school so they will be able to have their meds on the first day of school. Please take a t-shirt voucher to take to the gym tonight to get your child’s kick-off t-shirt. If you have any needs, please let me or the FRYC know and we will try our best to assist you.

19. Items to Take Care of Tonight!! 1. Fill out the Transportation Information on the clipboard on Ms. Cindy’s desk. • Have your child pick out a “LEADER” folder. Use a sharpie to complete the information on your child’s bus tag (in the folder). Please have your child wear the nametag the first week or so of school. • Fill out all forms in the folder and give to me or Ms. Cindy. • If your child has any custody restrictions or food/other allergies please write down the information on a note card, located on Mrs. Sallee’s desk. • Leave supplies in tub near door.

20. All Aboard for a great year in Kindergarten!