The ‘s
of
Kindergarten
A Kindergarten Handbook
ABSENCE
· If your child is ill, please call the office at 717-273-3731 BEFORE 9:00 AM, inform us of your child’s absence and the reason for it. This is for your child’s safety. When the child returns to school, send in a written excuse explaining the absence and indicating the dates.
· If a student must leave early for a doctor’s appointment, go to the office to sign him or her out and the secretary will call the student to the office. Never send another person to pick up your child without informing the secretary or the classroom teacher.
· Absences due to family vacations require a special form filled out in advance of the trip by the parent/guardian. This form can be obtained from the office or on the Lebanon Catholic School website: www.lebanoncatholicschool.org
ATTENDANCE
For a successful school year both academically and socially, it is important that your child be at school each day.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL - REGULAR SCHEDULE & BAD WEATHER
1. REGULAR SCHEDULE - Children should arrive from 7:45 – 7:55 AM. School begins promptly at 8:00 AM. If they are late, they must report to the office for a late slip.
Dismissal is at: 11:15 AM for half-day Kindergarten
2:30 PM for Elementary Dismissal
Please pick your child up promptly in car line. Make sure your name sign is in your car window. If you come after 3:00 PM, your child will be waiting in the office.
2. BAD WEATHER (MODIFIED 2HR. DELAY) SCHEDULE –
Dismissal is at: 1:00 PM for half-day Kindergarten (No Lunch)
ART
The children will attend a 30 minute art class each week.
BACKPACK
To help your child carry messages and information to and from school you are asked to provide a backpack without wheels. Students will be given a communication folder from the classroom teacher to send notes and information to you and for you to send notes to us here at school. Please have your child remove the notes and papers from the backpack and folder daily to share with you.
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are special occasions for young children. If your child wishes he/she may bring a treat for the class. We will celebrate summer birthdays during the last few weeks of school. Send in healthy treats, fruit snacks, rice krispies treats, no cakes.
BOOK ORDERS
Every month book order forms will be sent home for you and your child to look over. These clubs offer wonderful books at reduced prices…they make wonderful gifts and are a wonderful way to build your home library! If you choose to order, please make the check payable to the book club. Parents can now order online.
BUS STUDENTS
If your child normally rides the bus home from school but you want them to go in car line, we need a note from you or you can call us at school. We will not send a child into car line without a note.
CALENDAR
A calendar of school events and a lunch menu are located on the school website. A calendar listing events specific to our classroom will be given out each week in our newsletter.
COMPUTER
We are fortunate to have a 30-minute computer class each week. We also have computers and a Smartboard in our classroom. We use a variety of age-appropriate programs that reinforce math, readiness and reading skills. Children will work on the computers during center time.
CONFERENCES
Parent/Teacher Conferences are held in December. (Check the main school calendar for specific dates.) You will preview your child’s work and discuss their accomplishments, strengths, and overall progress. Please feel free to schedule additional conferences at any time throughout the year if the need arises.
DISCIPLINE
Our classroom is a small community where teamwork and good relationships are expected. Since this is a new school experience for most kindergarten students, we will spend time learning class procedures/routines and practicing them. Each student is expected to act within our standards of behavior. To establish good order and help the children learn self-control, they will be guided to respect themselves and their companions through specific directions, positive reinforcement, suggested new activities and responsible actions.
You can contact us via our email addresses:
kpastal @lebanoncatholicschool.org
rnelson@ lebanoncatholicschool.org
We will check our email on a daily basis. If you need to discuss something urgently, please call us at the following numbers:
Mrs. Pastal: 273-3731 X 334 Mrs. Nelson: 273-3731 X 335
EMAIL BLASTS
Please be sure to view and read all email blasts that are sent out. This is one of our school’s main means of communication with our parents about school events.
EMERGENCY CLOSING
If schools are closed for a snow day or any emergency, we follow the decision of the Cornwall-Lebanon School District. ONE CALL NOW will be implemented and you will receive this info.
Also check radio station WLBR 1270 AM, and Channel 8 on TV. Parents can telephone Lebanon Catholic School at 717-273-3731 and select option 6 for update information, or check our website at www.lebanoncatholicschool.org
FIELD TRIPS
We plan several field trips that are both fun and educational for the children. Buses will be used for transportation. We need parent volunteers on the trips, and chaperones will be chosen on a first-come/first-served basis. Please return permission slips (and money if necessary) as soon as possible after they are sent home. Return permission slip and any money to school in an envelope with your child’s name and what it is for.
GYM
Our class will have a 30-minute gym class each week. The children are asked to wear sneakers (no wheelies) and play clothes on gym day.
HANDBOOK
Please read the Elementary Handbook found on the Lebanon Catholic School website.
HANDS-ON LEARNING
We feel that the best way to help children 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. Our class will be an active learning environment!
HELP AT HOME
Your child is expected to know these readiness skills:
YFull name
YAddress
YTelephone number
YParents’ names
Y Basic colors
Y Counting to 10
Y Printing first name beginning with a capital letter and the rest lower case
HELP AT HOME
When time permits, work on these skills also:
YReciting the alphabet
Y Shape names
YBirthday (month & date)
Y Identifying numbers to 10
YIdentifying letter names and sounds
Y Tying shoes
Your extra help at home really makes a difference!
HOMEWORK
A homework newsletter will be sent home each Friday to let you know what activities we will be doing the coming week. Children should complete the work by themselves, under your supervision, and return it the next school day! Completing and returning homework helps build a sense of responsibility and prepares them for the homework they will have to complete in later school years. Homework should be your child’s best work. Place homework papers in the Communication Folder.
Occasionally we will ask your help in completing “family homework”. It’s called that because the whole family is encouraged to get involved in doing it.
In a few weeks, your child will be bringing home reproduced books that they have worked with in school to share with you. These take-home books promote home involvement and allow for reinforcement of book concepts, reading strategies and beginning comprehension skills. You will find these books in the Communication Folder. Please take time to enjoy his special reading time with your child and keep all books in their special “reading shoebox.”
ILLNESS
The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when the decision must be made first thing in the morning. It is important, however, to keep your child home if he/she is ill. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy.
INDEPENDENT READING
Because children learn to read by reading, they need plenty of opportunities to read independently. By giving the children time to read both at school and at home, we can work together to provide a literature rich environment and a life-long love of reading.
JOURNALS
One strategy that will be used to help convey the vital concept that “print conveys meaning” is frequent use of journal writing. In these journals the kindergarteners combine their emerging writing skill with their drawing skills. As the children are exposed to a variety of phonics and reading experiences, journal entries will move from drawings and “inventive” spelling towards more conventional writing.
KINDNESS
Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class as well as others with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying and interrupting learning will not be permitted.
LIBRARY
The children go to the library for 30 minutes each week. They are allowed to take out one book to read at home. They must return their books the next library class in order to get a new one. There will be a fine for each day it is not brought back. If a book is lost, you will have to buy a new book.
LITERACY CENTERS
During literacy centers, children practice reading and writing skills while the teacher works with individual children or small guided reading groups. The center activities are designed to strengthen letter/sound knowledge, listening skills, oral language expression, rhyme, letter formation and cooperation.
LUNCH
We will eat lunch (usually) at 12:25-12:55 each day. Children may bring a packed lunch from home or buy a school lunch. Make sure you have money in your child’s POS lunch account, as money will not be accepted. You will be notified when to add more money to the account. Kindergarteners do not get ice-cream.
MASS
Each month we have a school Mass in the gym. Check your main calendar for exact dates and time. Everyone is welcome to celebrate with us.
MATH
The kindergarten mathematics curriculum provides students with mathematical experiences that help them develop number sense and a positive attitude towards mathematics that will continue through their school career and their lives.
MUSIC
We are scheduled to have a 30 minute music class each week where the children will learn many wonderful songs. Of course, we will be singing and enjoying music with the children daily.
NURSE
We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful nurse, Mrs. Gruber, at Lebanon Catholic 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 to send in any changes of contact numbers in case she needs to get in touch with you.
OFFICE
If you need to contact us, call the school at 717-273-3731 and the office will transfer your call to our voice mail. If it is something important they will contact us and we will talk to you directly.
ONE CALL NOW
All weather related instances, emergencies and school-wide notifications will be communicated through this automated system through voice messages, emails and text messages. This will be our main means of communication to all faculty, staff and parents.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Your support of activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school. We are always happy to have your help for special activities in the classroom. We will try to let you know at least a week ahead of time if we need help. Requests for help will be in our weekly homework newsletter. We hope that you can come and join in the fun!
PARTIES AND CELEBRATIONS
There are a few main parties each year: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day and the End of Year celebration. The room parents usually organize these events and coordinate volunteers and donations. The smaller parties would be: 100th Day of School and Easter. We will let you know how many students we have in our classes. Please keep this in mind when sending in things to be distributed to the whole class.
PLAY CLOTHES
Please send children to school in play clothes. We will be going outside each day (weather permitting). Also on gym day, make sure they are wearing sneakers.
PLAYGROUND PROCEDURES
Please review these playground safety procedures with your child:
1. Monkey Bar: Do not climb or stand on top bar
2. No rough play – keep your hands and feet to yourself
3. Go down slide only on your bottom
4. Do not leave playground
5. On the grassy side, do not go down the hills on either side
PTO
We are fortunate to have such an active PTO. They do so many wonderful things for our children. Please join in a few activities that they sponsor; better yet….help out in any way that you can. Check out the PTO Facebook page or see their webpage at www.lebanoncatholicschool.org
QUESTIONS
If you have any unanswered questions, please feel free to call us at school between 2:30 – 3:30 PM. Or you can always write a note or email us at school at:
or
RECESS
The children will play outdoors each day after lunch (weather permitting). Please keep this in mind when helping your child select clothing for the day.
RELIGION
Is taught each day and incorporated into lessons throughout the day. Once a month we will visit the Chapel for Adoration and attend Mass. Prayers we will learn are: Sign of the Cross, Prayer before Meals, Angel of God, Glory Be, Hail Mary, and the Our Father.
REPORT CARDS
Lebanon Catholic’s reporting system for the elementary students is on a trimester system. Our first report card would be our Parent/Teacher Conference in December. These reports reflect the progress your child has made toward various kindergarten objectives and uses a grading system that reflects the developmental nature of kindergarten learning.
REST ROOMS
Have your child use the bathroom shortly before coming to school. We will go to the bathroom once in the morning, before snack and lunch and once in the afternoon. Please make me aware of any medical problem that might require more frequent restroom trips.
REST TIME
We will have a short rest time each day. Please send in a pillowcase to cover a carpet square for them to rest on.
ROOM PARENTS
The room parents’ job is to help coordinate parties and activities and to call for volunteers for classroom events. Being a room parent is a great way to be involved in your child’s school life.
SCIENCE
The focus of the kindergarten science curriculum is on developing an awareness of the world in which we live. Through scientific inquiry, concepts will be presented in the life and earth science, including the study of animals and plants, the five senses and general health, and the four seasons. These areas will be explored utilizing a literacy based hands-on approach.