Transcript Welcome to Mrs. Vlacovsky’s Kindergarten

Welcome to
Mrs. Vlacovsky’s
Kindergarten
2013-2014
Dunbar Primary School
731 Dunbar Road
Tallmadge, OH 44278
330.633.4515
Welcome!
On behalf of Tallmadge City
Schools, I would like to welcome you
and your kindergartner to Dunbar
Primary School. I look forward to the
great beginnings from which we are
about to embark! I believe that a
child’s first experiences with school
can influence their outlook on learning
for life.
Contact Information
• In the event that your
child will be absent,
please call the school
at 330.633.4515 prior
to the start of school
• I can be reached at
the number above extension 4019
• I can also be reached
via e-mail:
[email protected]
Our Classroom Website
1. Go to www.tallmadgeschools.org
2. Select Dunbar from the list of
schools.
3. Click on the Teachers tab and select
Vlacovsky, Erika and you’re there! This is
where you can find important information
about what is happening in our room.
Dunbar Primary School Behavior Expectations
Location
Expectations


Hallways
Cafeteria

Use walking feet

Keep all food to self

Stay on the right
side

Sit with feet on
floor, bottom on
bench, and facing
table

Stay in seats until
dismissed

Be Safe

Be Respectful

Raise hand for help

Use quiet voices
and feet

Wait your turn in
lunch line

Keep hands to
yourself

Use quiet voices

Talk to those at
your table

Wait your turn
patiently for
restroom and
fountain

Keep hallways
clean

Keep lockers closed

Be Responsible
Playground
Go directly to your
location


Stay within
playground
boundaries
Ask permission to
go in building and
report back
Restrooms

Keep feet on floor

Keep water in sink

Wash hands

Carefully close door

Sit with feet on
floor, bottom on
chair

Use equipment as
instructed

Walk
Knock on stall door

Wait your turn

Give others privacy

Eyes on speaker

Use quiet voices


Wait patiently
Use appropriate
voice

Be quick

Use good listening
skills
Freeze on first
whistle, walk to line
on second whistle

Flush toilet after use 

Return to room
promptly

Report problems to
an adult
Return what you
borrow

Clean up

Report problems to
teacher

Play fair-follow rules

Include everyone

Voices off for
dismissal

Use restroom
before going to
lunchroom

Get all utensils, milk
etc. when first going
through line

Put away
equipment


No toys or items
from home

Trash in trash can

Use appropriate
amount of soap and
paper towel
Clean up after
yourself and look on
floor around you
Keep hands and
feet to yourself

Take turns with
playground
equipment
Use good manners


Keep body safe


Classroom
Take care of
property
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
The idea behind this is that everyone has an
invisible bucket that is carried around with
them each day. When others are kind, the
bucket is filled. When others are unkind, they
have “dipped” into our bucket causing us to
feel sad or upset. This is a great way to work
in our Dunbar Primary School expectations: be
safe, be responsible, be respectful. Using the
classroom meeting platform, we will have
valuable, meaningful conversations as to what
it means to be safe, responsible and
respectful and how conducting ourselves in
those manners fills the buckets of others.
Home-School Connection
Folder
The Home-School Connection Folder helps
parents/teachers/students communicate with each
other. This folder will go back and forth from
home to school everyday. The “Return to School”
pocket is to be used for any notes or
correspondence from home or for anything that
needs to be returned to school (permission slips
for example). The “Keep at Home” pocket is for
papers that can be kept at home.
**Send to school each day**
Supplies
The $25.00
one-time supply
fee (due by
September 30,
2013) goes
toward materials
such as: crayons,
markers, colored
pencils, glue,
pencils, erasers,
etc.
I ask that everyone to
send in:
• a box of tissues
and choose one of
the following:
• A box of Ziplock baggies
(snack, sandwich, quart or
gallon)
• 1 bag of dry beans (for
our exploration table)
• Clorox/Lysol wipes
Bus Tag
Please have your child wear
the bus tag at least for the
first two weeks of school. It
is important to have this on,
as it is our way to help ensure
that your child gets to the
proper bus and also to the
proper classroom. The tag is
be worn on the outside of
their book bag. After that
time, have it available inside
the book bag for a while. As
soon as your child fully
understands the individual bus
procedure, the tag may be
discarded.
Attire
Please realize that when your child comes to
school, he/she will be involved in a wide variety of
activities. Be sure that your child is dressed so
he/she can actively participate. Play clothes and
comfortable shoes are encouraged as proper dress
for school. Be sure that the clothing your child
wears is something that he/she can
button/unbutton, zip/unzip, tie/untie. This is
extremely important especially when using the
restroom to prevent accidents. Sneakers and
rubber-soled shoes are a MUST for P.E. class!
Extra Clothes
• We work hard and play hard in kindergarten.
Spills, accidents, and dirt/mud will happen.
• Sending in extra clothing (labeled with your child’s
name) will allow your child to stay comfortable all
day every day and prevent you from having to miss
work in the event of an accident (accidents are
not limited to the bathroom sometimes they
happen in the cafeteria when trying to open milk
or other lunch items).
• Please replace extra clothes that have been used
so that we always have a fresh supply. Extra
clothes will be kept in the top of your child’s
locker.
Breakfast
Students who are eating breakfast at
school must stop in the kitchen and grab
a “brown bag” of breakfast on their way
to their classrooms. You must
communicate with your child on
whether they are supposed to get
breakfast or not. I cannot monitor this do
to the fact that they have to get their food
before coming to the classroom in the
morning. Breakfast is $1.75.
Snack
Snack Suggestions:
•
•
•
•
•
Small Ziplock bag of pretzels
Dry cereal
Cheese crackers
Fruit snacks
Granola bars
Tip:
One parent shared with me that
they have their child be
responsible for choosing five
snacks, one for each day of the
week, and putting them in a
plastic container to prevent them
from being mushed. What an
excellent way to help your child
develop a sense of responsibility!
Since we are attending school
all day, I feel the children will
need to have a small snack break.
Please send a small snack that
will be easy for your child to
handle and finish in 5 minutes or
less. Please avoid any snack that
creates lots of crumbs or would
take a great deal of time or
effort to finish. Also, drinks are
not needed as we will be using
the restroom and getting drinks
near our snack time. Let your
child know in advance what you
have packed for snack so he/she
will know to look for it!
Lunch
12:30-1:00
Our kitchen serves lunch for those who wish to buy:
Student lunch is $2.50 (milk is included). Use EZ Pay to
manage your child’s account based on how many lunches
he/she will purchase. For example:
5 day lunch ticket = $12.50
10 day lunch ticket =$25.00
15 day lunch ticket = $37.50
20 day lunch ticket = $50.00
Children who pack their lunch may purchase milk for
$.50. Please put the $.50 in their lunch bags/boxes so
it doesn’t get lost when going to the lunch room.
Lunch-Continued
I will be sending home your child’s Identification
Number soon so you can set up an account. Until then,
send cash or check in an envelope labeled with you child’s
name, room number (19) and “lunch money” in your child’s
Home-School Communication Folder. I will make sure the
kitchen receives it.
Recess
1:00-1:30
We will be going outside (weather
permitting) after lunch. Please make sure your
child is appropriately dressed for the weather
conditions so they can enjoy their time outside.
Specials
Along with your classroom teacher, your
child will have the opportunity to work with
other teachers as part of our program:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
No Special
8:45-9:35
9:35-10:25
8:45-9:15
9:35-10:25
P.E.
Ms. Brooke Gustavel
Art
Mr. Cory Blackiston
Library Mrs. Brenda Hussing
Music Mr. Jay Singer
Birthdays
I plan to acknowledge
each child’s birthday. If
you would like to send in a
birthday treat
(peanut/tree nut free),
please let me know. If
your child’s birthday is in
the summer, you can
choose to celebrate the
half-birthday or else we
will celebrate at the end
of the school year with an
“Un-Birthday” celebration.
Many children will have
parties and want to invite
classroom friends.
Because we are concerned
with the feelings of all the
children, we do not permit
children to distribute
party invitations at school
unless you are inviting the
entire class. Please see
the Dunbar Directory for
individual student
information.
Writing
Our class will be
using D’Nealian
manuscript for
writing. It may be a
little different from
the manuscript you
are used to, so I
have included a copy
for you. Research
has shown that this
method helps in the
transition from
manuscript to cursive
writing.
This is what D’Nealian
looks like:
Writing Journals
Your child will have a writing journal in which to keep his/her journal writing. The writing
journal will come home at the end of each grading period. The contents will be in order by the
date they were completed, which will allow you to see the growth in your child’s writing over
time. Please keep all of your child’s work in this notebook. Do not take any pages out
or change the order that they are in! Your child will keep adding work to this notebook
throughout the school year.
At the end of each 9-week grading period, I will evaluate your child’s writing. I will mark
each of the developmental stages I observe in your child’s writing on a checklist (you will see
this when your child brings his/her writing journal home). You will notice that your child can
be working in several different stages at the same time and may even move back and forth
between stages throughout the year. It is important that each child be allowed to explore
writing at their own pace.
When your child’s writing journal comes home, please take the time to look through this
important writing and have your child share these early writing experiences with you. You will
be amazed at the growth you will see!
Please return your child’s notebook during the week that it is sent home. It is needed at
school to store your child’s work!
Poetry
Notebook
I would like to develop a
Poetry Notebook with the
children this year. Once a week
(usually Fridays), we will add a
poem to the binder and the
children will have many
opportunities to read and reread
their poetry collections. The
Poetry Notebooks will be stored
in the children’s book bags- that
way it will always be at school
when we need it. You will have
the opportunity to be a “Lucky
Listener” when your child brings
the notebook home nightly.
Please sign the Lucky Listener
paper. This will be one of the
best ways to help your emerging
reader develop reading skills!
Treasure Books
Treasure Books are paper copies of books that help
teach a particular concept, reading strategy, or support
the curriculum. Treasure Books start out as books
that we keep in our Book Bins at school for independent
reading time and special days when we get the
opportunity to visit another classroom and read to our
“buddies”. After we have had lots of practice, the
books are sent home to be placed in your child’s
Treasure Bag (your child will be making one of these to
bring home sometime late September). These are
books that your child can read to you as a bedtime
story. At the end of the school year, they will have
quite a library!
Scholastic Book Clubs
In your child’s Home-School Connection Folder is
an order form for a book club geared toward children
in Kindergarten. The clubs offer great deals on
excellent literature for our emerging readers. The
club provides an opportunity for our classroom library
to grow by earning bonus points for each order
placed. If you wish to place an order, please send it
in (or order online: www.scholastic.com - our class
activation code is: HZ3JQ) by the due date with a
check made payable to SCHOLASTIC for the total
amount. The ordered items should arrive
approximately 2 weeks after the order deadline. The
first order is due by Tuesday, September 20, 2013.
New order forms will be sent home periodically.
Homework
In your child’s Home-School Connection
Folder, there is a star with a paper book
clipped to it. Over the weekend, work with
your child to complete the star activity and
the Special Me book. We will be sharing our
stars to get to know one another as we build
our classroom community. The Special Me
book will be our first book that we will learn
to “read” during our first week of school and
will be our first book in our book bins.
Please turn these items by
Monday, August 26, 2013
In Closing…
I look forward to working
with you and your
kindergartener this school
year. If you have any
questions or concerns, please
don’t hesitate to call, send a
note, or send an
e-mail:
[email protected].
It is important that we
keep the lines of
communication open and I
welcome your input.
Together we can make this an
Outstanding Year!