St. Michael Catholic
School
Kindergarten Handbook
2013-2014
St. Michael Catholic School
Kindergarten
Welcome to our school and to the first of many successful years for you and your child! This handbook is intended to provide some information about our program as well as suggestions for your consideration.
School Hours
St. Michael Catholic School offers a full day every day J.K./S.K. program. Class begins at 8:15 a.m. and will end at 2:35 p.m.
In the morning, all children should proceed directly to the supervised kindergarten play yard. From there, children will go to their classroom. Supervision begins at 8:00 a.m. so please ensure that if arrival occurs prior to this that your child has someone to stay with him or her.
If you are picking your child up at school, please be prompt, as this will result in less confusion for your child at dismissal time. Parents will be asked to wait at the Victoria Street entrance and your child will be escorted to you. If you are picking your child up before dismissal time, please remember to go to the office to sign in and your child will meet you there.
For academic and social reasons and for setting up good routines, it is expected that the child will be in school all day. Dismissal time of 2:35 p.m. needs to be respected.
Absence/Change in Routine
If your child is going to be late or absent, please call the school at 613-968-5765. You may leave a message on the answering machine. Please note that late afternoon voicemail messages may or may not get to the teacher on time. The communication book is the most effective method to communicate any change to pick-up routines. If however, a change needs to be made after your child gets to school, please call as soon as possible and try to avoid last minute calls. Please inform both the school and your child’s teacher of any changes in information regarding daily routines such as pick-up, sitters, address, and phone numbers.
Clothing
PLEASE LABEL ALL OF YOUR CHILD’S BELONGINGS! Many items (shoes, backpacks, clothing) are similar and therefore difficult for your child to differentiate from others.
Keep in mind that certain types of clothing can be extremely difficult to manage when children are toileting such as overalls, fancy belts, or any outfit that your child cannot take on and off independently.
Please remember to dress your child appropriately as inside and outside play is part of our normal daily routine. Students will be outside each day unless it is raining heavily or the weather is extremely cold.
Toileting
Toileting accidents can and do happen. An extra pair of pants, undergarments, and socks in a plastic bag should be in your child’s backpack at all times. Let us know if you want to leave that clothing at school.
Backpacks
Please note that mini backpacks although designed for little bodies do not always provide the necessary amount of space for all your child’s belongings.
Indoor/Outdoor Shoes
At school, children need to have indoor and outdoor shoes. It is important that children wear shoes in the classroom for many safety reasons. Running shoes are required for gym time. Slip-ons or velcro closures are recommended and help to facilitate your child’s sense of independence. Laced shoes are not recommended unless the child can tie them quickly and efficiently.
Mailbag
Students will receive a bag or pouch called our Mailbag. It will be labelled with your child’s name. This bag will be sent home each day and it is important that it comes back daily. Student’s work will be sent home in this bag as well as library books and newsletters. You can use these bags to send notes and/or fees in. These bags will be checked each day and are very useful to help facilitate communication between home and school.
Toys and valuables
As we have an adequate supply of learning materials, we ask that your child leave his/her personal playthings or valuables at home. This relieves him/her of the responsibility for broken or misplaced toys.
Snacks/Lunch
We will have both a morning and afternoon snack time. Snack time is not very long so nutritious finger food works best. Fruit, crackers, cheese, dry cereal, and yogurt are a few good choices. Please do not send any glass jars or pop. To assist your child with what to eat, you may wish to label your containers with a 1 (first snack), 2 (lunch), and 3 (last snack). At school, we provide a nut-free environment so please read all labels carefully to ensure they are nut-free.
Milk/Money
Milk is available for purchase. See information in the monthly school newsletter for costs. When possible, please consider buying milk cards. When sending money at school, exact change is appreciated. ALL MONIES need to be labeled and put in the mailbag.
Weather/Bus Transportation
Should the weather conditions (snow, freezing rain) cause the bus operator to cancel the bus routes, the bus numbers will be announced on all local radio stations. Even when the buses are not running, the school remains open (unless there are extenuating circumstances). If a bus route is cancelled in the morning, the bus is usually cancelled for the whole day. Please check on the school board’s website under Tri-Board Transportation for details. If you choose to bring your child to school when his or her bus is cancelled, please ensure you have pick up arrangements.
Purple Band for bus students
Each bus student will receive a pamphlet explaining the program. Please leave the purple band on your child’s backpack.
Reporting to Parents
There are three reporting periods during the year. The first one in November consists of a parent/teacher interview. The remaining two, in February and June, take the form of a report card and an interview if needed.
Illness
We understand that a child need does not need to stay home if he or she just has a minor sniffle, however, please use your good judgment in assessing your child’s health as it is not pleasant for the child to be in school when he or she is not feeling well and also to limit the cycle of illness that could affect the entire class. Please note that extra caution should be used when a child has had diarrhea or vomiting with the last 24 hours, fever, pink eye, a communicable rash or green discharge from the nose. If your child develops one of these symptoms at school, you will be contacted. Please ensure you have completely filled out the “Emergency School Information Sheet” so that if you cannot be reached, someone else can be.
Medications
School personnel are not authorized to dispense non-prescribed medication (Tylenol, cough syrup, etc.) For a child to be given a prescribed medication at school, a parent, and a physician must complete a “Medical Consent Information Form”. These forms can be found at the office.
Separation Anxiety
Occasional tears on the first few days of school are normal for both child (and parents). In our experience lengthy goodbyes can make things more difficult while a quick and positive send off reassures your child that you are confident leaving them in a safe and caring environment. Please know that tears do not last long and you will be notified if the adjustment is taking longer than expected.
Kindergarten Questionnaire
Please take the time to fill out the Kindergarten Questionnaire attached to this package in order to help the teacher know more about your child. Please return this form to the school in your child’s message bag as soon as possible.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Sincerely,
The Kindergarten Teachers