2014-2015 Handbook
Welcome to Indian Springs Kindergarten. If it is a new experience for you, we hope it will be a pleasant one. If you have had a child in kindergarten before, then you know that this is a year of physical growth, emotional maturity, mental growth and becoming more self-reliant. We want this to be a successful year with the teachers and parents working together for the child’s welfare.
The first weeks of kindergarten will involve getting to know each other, making new friends, becoming familiar with the school and school rules, and learning the classroom routines.
We will use newsletters and class notes as a means of conveying information to you about what we are doing and when we will be doing it. The class website, www.mrspendletonskpage.blogspot.com, will also be updated frequently.
In the following pages you will find things you will need to know to help you and your child get off to a good start. Please hang on to this handbook so that you can use it as a point of reference whenever questions arise.
Thank you,
Jana Pendleton
The A B C’s of Kindergarten:
Arrival to school each day- There is a morning routine that every child should follow upon arriving to school. Children arriving by bus should leave the bus and enter school through the door closest to the cafeteria and proceed directly to the gym/cafeteria. Children arriving in cars should also proceed directly to the cafeteria where teachers will supervise the children beginning at 7:45. Children arriving before must be enrolled in the YMCA before school program. Children arriving after 8:00 may go directly to the classroom. Parents may walk your child to the classroom for the first few weeks. This would be the first week of staggered enrollment and first week of daily attendance. After that, please let your child come in by him/herself. You must sign in at the office if you walk your child in and wear a visitor’s badge. You must also sign out when leaving the building. This applies to every visitor and is for the safety and security of all the children. A visitor is considered anyone who does not work at Indian Springs Elementary. Students arriving after 8:10 are considered tardy and must be escorted inside and signed in at the office.
Breakfast- Breakfast can be purchased each morning.
Class celebrations- Birthday party invitations may ONLY be sent through “class mail” or handed out in class if every child receives an invitation. This is to avoid hurt feelings.
Departure- Kindergarten is now a full school day. Children will be dismissed at . Car riders will be brought to the side doors at the pod at 3:05. They will be escorted to a first grade classroom by an adult and left with the teachers that are on duty. Please wait outside the school for your child. Parents may enter this car line from Oddfellow Dr.
Your child will be placed in your car by a teacher. If you need to pick your child up at another time, you will need to come in to the office and sign them out. If you know in advance that you will be picking your child up at a different time please send us a note in your child’s folder. Bus riders will be placed on the bus by a teacher at the end of the day. If you do not know your child’s bus number please check in the office or our school website (found by visiting www.scdek12.net) and let the teacher know.
Your child will be placed in your car by a teacher. If you need to pick your child up at another time, you will need to come in to the office and sign them out. If you know in advance that you will be picking your child up at a different time please send us a note in your child’s folder. Bus riders will be placed on the bus by a teacher at the end of the day. If you do not know your child’s bus number please check in the office or our school website (found by visiting www.scdek12.net) and let the teacher know.
Encourage Independence- Kindergarten students are capable of being more independent than we some times give them credit for. Please encourage them to be as independent as their age will allow. In our class your child will be asked to TRY things (zip coats, tie shoes, etc.) on his/her own and if unable we will gladly help. It is our job to prepare them for first grade where there is only one teacher and many other students.
Fees- The activity fee for this year is $23.00. If possible, everyone is encouraged to pay this fee to help with cost of supplies used in class and throughout the school.
Going on Field Trips- Each year kindergarten is allowed to go on 2 field trips depending on funding and gas prices. Teachers and aides supervise the children on these trips. We allow parents to attend some field trips. We will let you know ahead of time whether this will be allowed.
Helper- We no longer have a kindergarten assistant. However, we do have an aide, Mrs. Taylor, who is available to help different times throughout the day.
Illnesses and Absences- If your child becomes ill at school, we have an excellent clinic, staffed by Red Cross trained volunteers and a school nurse. You will be notified if your child is sick or injured. Please also keep in mind it is school board policy that any child who throws up or has diarrhea at school must be sent home.
If your child is absent for ANY reason, you must send a written excuse upon returning to school. If your child goes to the doctor, please get an excuse from the doctor’s office. After 7 absences, you must send a doctor’s excuse or the absence will not be excused. Please place this in your child’s folder so that we will be sure to see it.
Journals- Kindergarten journals can be used in our classroom for several different subjects. These will stay at school and will be returned at the end of the year. You will cherish these. They are a wonderful keepsake where you can track your child's progress and maturity.
Keep a sick child at home- If your child has run a temperature within 24 hours of the school day they are not allowed to attend school due to Sullivan County School Board policy. If your child is sent home from school with a temperature, for throwing up or having diarrhea they are not allowed to return to school the following day. We do this in order to keep sickness from spreading. This is a school board policy.
Lunch- School lunch will cost $2.10. At the beginning of each month your child will receive a lunch menu for the entire month. Lunch menus may also be found in the Living section of every Sunday’s newspaper. Children may choose a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of the entrée any day. Each child will have a lunch account. You may put money in the account. Money can be sent to school in your child’s folder and we will take care of having it deposited in your child’s account. Their lunch will be taken out of the account and you will be notified when your child’s account balance is low. Children may also purchase milk for 60 cents (this may change).
Children may pack their lunch and buy milk. The thermos bottles with a spout may be brought but we do ask that you not put soft drinks in these due to the fact they drip and spill all over the classroom and hallways.
You may come and eat lunch with your child at any time. Lunch begins each day at and lasts until . However, we do ask that you wait until the first few weeks are over so that children can settle into the routine and will not become upset when it is time for you to leave.
Moms: Homeroom Moms- Each year we ask that one or two moms volunteer to be the class homeroom mom. The homeroom mom/moms are in charge of all holiday parties. A letter will be sent home soon asking for these volunteers.
Naptime- We no longer have naptime in Kindergarten. We do have a mandatory 20 minute rest time each day following recess. Students are asked to rest at their seat with lights off while listening to soft music.
Our Class T-shirts- Our kindergarten class will be asked to order t-shirts later in the school year. Each kindergarten class wears a different color. Our class color is purple. We use these during field trips and special school events. This helps us identify each class.
Parties- Each year we have a Christmas party and End-of-the-Year party. We will have other small class celebrations, 100th day of school and Valentines Day, etc. Our principal decides which of the parties parents are allowed to attend.
Questions- If you ever have any questions please let us know. You can send us a note in your child’s folder, which will be answered promptly by note or phone call or you can call the school if it is urgent. You can also contact me through email at jana.pendleton@sullivank12.net . This is the quickest and easiest way to contact me and receive a response.
Remember to check your child’s backpack and take-home folder EVERY night. Please take out any work, notes from school, newsletters, etc. and take the time to look through these.
Show and Tell- Our Show and Tell will be only on certain times when it can be fit into our schedule. I will send a note home letting you know when these days will be.
Take-Home Folder- Folders should be transported to and from school in your child’s backpack every day. This is where all notes and money should be placed that is being sent to school. The folder will also contain a behavior calendar (discussed on another page). The calendar needs to be returned in the folder each day. We go through each child’s folder every morning and take out items that have been sent from home. This is our #1 form of parent-teacher communication! These are bought from the school office along with our journals.
Update information upon changes- Please always send us updated information whenever there is a move, phone number change, new cell phone, or new job. This is important in case of emergencies when we would need to get a hold of you. This also applies for those people that have been listed as emergency contacts.
Visitors- We welcome visitors in our classroom. However, with the increasing curriculum the majority of our day has to be devoted to teaching and learning. Due to this, we ask that visits be planned ahead of time (if at all possible). Please remember in the case of any emergency or concern you are welcome to call and speak to me at any time.
You and other families members may also come eat lunch with your child.
Write your child’s name on all of his/her supplies. We need names on backpacks, change of clothes, coats, glue bottles, etc.
Xtra clothes- We need an extra change of clothes for every child. Even if your child does not usually have accidents we still need a set of clothes. Clothes are needed for lunch spills, art accidents and potty accidents. A full set of clothes= shirt, shorts/pants, socks and underwear. When the season changes, we will ask for a new set.
yMCA before and after school care- This is provided by the Kingsport YMCA. It is not run by our school. If your child will need care before and after school this is a possibility. Information is displayed in the wall shelf in front of the office and is usually sent home through school mail.
Zzzzz….. Please make sure that your child gets a good night’s rest each night. Children can not be attentive if they are not well rested. They need to be prepared to learn and explore every day so that may feel successful and energized.
4 and 5 year old children today are very busy...moving from one activity to the next with high amounts of pressure, in some cases! Pediatricians recommend that kindergarten age children receive a minimum of 10 hours of sleep each night. Many children do not get anywhere close to this appropriate amount of sleep. According to the book, American Academy of Pediatrics Guide
Additional Classroom Information:
CLASS SNACKS
Due to increasing food allergies with the children, I no longer give a group snack. Therefore, each child is responsible for bringing his/her own snack each day. We will have a designated snack time every day.
Your child may bring a water bottle to class. We ask that these are kept in their backpack. It needs to be in a bottle that will not leak and is easily opened and closed by your child. Students will be given chances to get drinks from their water bottles or the water fountain.
