Parent Orientation Information
Please read this information before Orientation Day. Since we will not have time to go over everything written here in great detail, just jot down notes or questions and bring this to school with you. We will discuss some of the more important points, and answer any questions you might have on Monday.
Curriculum
The students participate in developmentally appropriate activities throughout the school day which are designed to nurture and develop the following:
· a love of learning
· social skills
· emotional growth
· respect and appreciation for themselves and others
· an awareness of their place in the world around them
· a growing understanding of their faith and relationship with God
They receive individual, small group, and whole class instruction daily, to develop their skills with letters, numbers, and writing. The students are exposed to a variety of authors and literature. Creativity in art, music, role playing, and storytelling is encouraged and stimulated through lively play. They will learn science and social studies facts through discovery and hands-on activities. They also attend auxiliary classes in music, physical education, library, and computer weekly. We teach religion through teacher designed experiences, school liturgies, and para-liturgies that enhance the children’s understanding of God, prayer, and their Catholic Christian faith. Students begin attending school Masses weekly at mid-year. Pre-K students should be attending Mass each weekend with their parents.
Our learning activities are tailored to the needs of each child, and where he/she is academically, socially, and emotionally. Lessons are challenging and stimulating, and allow the students to progress at their own pace. We make sure that no child is ever bored by things that are too easy, or frustrated because they are too difficult!
Arrival Procedures
Arrival time is 8:35-8:40. The students may not be dropped off in the car pool line or anywhere else on campus, and must be walked to the designated line-up area by an adult. They will be supervised by the Pre-K staff members until it is time to go inside. Parents are asked not to walk into the building with their children. Students who arrive after morning prayers have begun (8:45) are considered tardy, and must be signed in and left at the school office. A staff member will then walk them to the classroom. Please be prompt. Chronic tardiness makes the morning routine difficult for your child and for our staff.
Communication Between Home and School
Please write any of your concerns or special information for the day in a note, and put it in your child’s folder. It will be read and answered the same day. If you would like to discuss something at length, we can schedule a conference at everyone’s earliest convenience. You may also e-mail messages. Mrs. Bonura and Mrs. Martin can be contacted at . Ms. Walsh’s address is . E-mail messages are checked daily (usually before noon) and will be answered as soon as possible.
If you need to drop something off for your child during the day, bring it to the office and they will make sure that it gets to us as soon as possible.
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Dismissal Procedures
· Dismissal time is 3:15. Each class is walked to its Designated Dismissal Area* where the students will be seated and dismissed to a parent or other responsible adult. No child will be dismissed to a SEAS student or in an area other than his/her class’s Designated Dismissal Area. Pre-K students are not allowed to ride the school bus.
· Students will be placed in their cars by the teachers. Please display the student’s name card in the front windshield for the first few weeks of school. (Name Cards will be given to the students at orientation).
· If a student is to be picked up by someone other than his normal carpool driver, please send a note in his folder in the morning. If the arrangements are made during the school day, you must call the school office and they will see that we get the message.
· ON BAD WEATHER DAYS (rainy or very cold) students should be picked up from the classroom at 3:15.
· If your child must be dismissed before 3:15, he must be signed out in the office. If you know ahead of time that you will be picking up your child early, please send a note in the morning so that we can have him/her ready to go.
· PLEASE BE PROMPT WHEN PICKING UP YOUR CHILD! Students who are not picked up by 3:20 will be brought to Extended Care. If they are not registered in Extended Care, they will be brought to the school office and they will wait for you there.
*Designated Dismissal Areas
The Bear Class will be seated on the concrete square in the “shell” parking lot. Cars should enter the lot from St. Ann Dr. and exit at St. Blase.
The Duck Class will be at the end of the asphalt loop in front of school on St. Blase (by the rectory). Cars should turn onto St. Blase from St. Elizabeth Dr. along the shell parking lot.
Lunch
Students eat lunch in the school lunch room every day. Please send a nutritious meal that you know your child will eat. Our time in the lunch room is limited, so we ask that you not send too much food, or foods that are difficult for the children to eat without a lot of help (such as some of the “Lunchables” with a complicated assembly). You may buy white or chocolate milk at the beginning of the year, or you may send a drink daily with your child’s lunch. Canned drinks and candy are not allowed.
The school Lunch Program is available to Pre-K students. Students must purchase a lunch card to participate. They will not be allowed to pay for a lunch on a daily basis. Information about the milk program and school lunch program is in your school information packet. Children who forget to bring a lunch, may get a sandwich from the lunch program, for which you will be charged. Children who do not have a hot lunch card, will not be allowed to choose any of the other prepared lunch selections other than a sandwich.
Snacks
We have snack time every afternoon. We ask the parents to take turns sending enough snacks for the whole class (in individual servings when possible). A snack calendar will be sent home each month. Some suggestions for snacks are as follows: cookies, chips, popcorn, pretzels, doughnuts, Rice Krispy Treats, brownies, granola bars, grapes, carrot sticks. . . Please do not send snacks that are difficult to open (like Fruit Roll-Ups). It is not necessary to send drinks with the snacks.
Sometimes we will plan treats for the children to make, themselves, that go with the theme we are studying. On those days, we will ask the family that is scheduled to send the snack, to send the ingredients for our cooking project instead. We will let you know about this ahead of time.
Special Treat Days
Because Pre-K has a snack provided every day, we do not usually participate in the Special Treat Days scheduled periodically as fund raisers for the extra-curricular school groups. Those Special Treat Days sponsored by the Grandparents’ Club are an exception, and we do participate in those. We will tell you in advance when these will be.
Birthdays
If your child celebrates his birthday during the school year, he/she will be assigned to bring the snack on that day. Because of our limited time for snack, and because they can be messy and difficult to serve, we ask that you do not send whole cakes for a birthday snack. (Cookie cakes are okay.) If his/her birthday falls on a weekend, we will celebrate it on the nearest school day. If your child’s birthday falls outside the school year, your teacher will explain how that will be handled.
Show and Tell
In the Bear class each student will be assigned a day of the week for Show and Tell (Tues-Fri). A special Show and Tell bag will be sent home the day before. Your child should bring ONE ITEM that fits in the bag and corresponds with the letter that we will be studying during the week.
In the Duck class, Show and Tell will be every Wednesday. Your child should bring something that fits in his school bag and corresponds with the letter that we will be studying during the week.
Naptime
We have naptime every afternoon, from 2:00-3:00. Students are not required to sleep, but they must rest quietly on their mats. Students should have a mat with the pillow and blanket attached. Mats will be sent home periodically to be washed. If you have to check your child out of school during the afternoon, we ask that you do this before 2:00 so that the class is not disturbed during nap time.
Absences
If your child will be absent, please call the school office (468-3524) between 8:30 and 8:45 am. Some illnesses require a note from the doctor before the child can return to school. If you know ahead of time that your child will be missing school, please let us know. Children should not return to school until they have been fever-free for 24 hours.
Field Trips
We have planned some fun and educational field trips for this year (approximately one each month). Permission slips and information about the field trip will be sent home well in advance of the trip. (Parents and chaperones are welcome, but we ask that you not bring siblings or other children on field trips.) Fees are usually covered by the Activity Fee, with half collected at the beginning of the school year, and the remaining half at mid-year. This fee is the projected amount we will need to cover the transportation and other costs for our field trips and special activities. This helps make our frequent field trip arrangements more convenient and less complicated for you and for us!
Uniforms and Extra Clothes
SEAS uniforms are required for all Pre-K students as outlined in the Parent Handbook. Please make sure that your child’s name is written in INDELIBLE MARKER in ALL CLOTHES—especially uniform sweaters and sweatshirts!
Please send a complete set of play clothes in a large Zip-Lock baggie, marked with your child’s name, for him to change into if he soils his uniform. This includes underwear, socks, shirt, and pants. If your child must change his clothes, we will send the soiled clothes home in the bag.
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Discipline Policy
The students start the day with their attendance cards on the Green Dot (Bear Class) or Duck Sticker (Duck Class). If they misbehave, they will receive a verbal reminder. If they repeat unacceptable behavior, they turn their cards to YELLOW. At dismissal, they receive a Happy Face stamp on their hands. If they misbehave again, however, the card is turned to RED and they will not receive their stamp for that day. Some infractions, like destroying property, hurting another child, or extreme disrespect, will cause a child to go straight to red. (Fortunately, these occurrences are very rare!) If your child ends the day on red, you will be informed as to why this is so.
Weekly Newsletter
A newsletter will go home at the beginning of each week. It will contain the letter, theme, and other important information you will need for the week. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY, AND KEEP IT HANDY SO YOU CAN REFER TO IT FOR INFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE WEEK!