Welcome to Kindergarten
Carrie E. Gould Elementary
Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Benton
We are pleased that your child will be attending his/her Kindergarten year of school here at Gould Elementary. We are the “Gould Gators” and the home of Olympic Education where we study and learn about different countries and cultures.
This year your child will complete one of the most important milestones in their life and we are dedicated to giving your child the best kindergarten learning experience possible. We are glad to be working with you and your child this year.
We think of our classrooms not just as classrooms but as a learning community that includes students, families, teachers, resource educators and administrators. In our community we learn to care about each other and work together. This year your child will be in a caring and engaging environment. We hope this welcome packet will help you ease into kindergarten and will answer questions you may have. For more information about Gould you can visit our website located at sccpss.com/schools/gould. If you have additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at 395-5400.
We look forward to a great year!
Uniforms:
Gould Elementary is a uniform school. Our colors are: White or Hunter Green shirts and Blue or Khaki pants. Students may also wear the plaid uniforms displayed in the front office. Socks and tights must be white, navy or black. NO JEANS or CARGO TYPE pants!!! The Savannah/Chatham Board of Education dress code policy is in the Gould Handbook and the District Handbook.
Arrival / Dismissal / Transportation / Name Tags
Please complete the transportation sign in sheet at Open House or submit a note stating your child’s daily method of transportation to and from school (bus with route number, parent pick-up, Pryme Tyme or other daycare). Any changes to your child’s regular manner of dismissal transportation must also be submitted in writing or they will be sent home by their usual assignment. Teachers cannot accept transportation changes by “word of mouth” from a student. For additional parent pick-up information, please refer to the sheet attached to this packet.
Pin a name tag on your child the first two weeks of school. Please put the following information on the tag: name, address, neighborhood or area (example: Laurelwood, Foss Trailer Park, etc.) parent(s) name, telephone, bus number or transportation you will use for your child to get home.
Students should not arrive at school before 8:30 a.m. Students should be dropped off and picked up in front of the school. Students should not be dropped off or escorted to enter the school in the bus ramp area. Please make sure that your child arrives on time every day and that you pick your child up on time every day.
Your child’s regular attendance is crucial to their academic success. Most kindergarten learning activities are group oriented and this interaction with classmates makes it difficult to make up the work at home. Attendance and tardiness will be monitored closely.
Separation and Anxiety:
Many children have never been away from their parents or family and have not yet had school experience. During the first week, some children may cry and tend to cling to their parents. Other times, it is the parent who has a hard time with the separation. Please be assured that your childis in good hands, and will receive excellent care while they are at school. The first few days can be especially difficult and emotional for parents and children, but separation becomes harder the longer the parent(s) stay in the classroom. A quick exit is best! Hug your child, tell them when you will be returning and leave calmly. Your child will adjust to this routine if it is done consistently.
Staff members will be on duty in the front of the school beginning the first day of school and every day thereafter to greet and assist your child in arriving to his/her classroom. Parking your car in front of the school and walking your child to his or her class causes traffic congestion and will prolong separation and adaptation to school routine. If your child continues to have issues with separation, a conference can be arranged to discuss ways to support your child in this area.
Parent Volunteers / Visitors:
Parents are always welcome in our school to visit, attend parent conferences or observe. For safety and security, visitors may only enter the school through the front doors by the office. All visitors must come to the office to receive a visitor’s pass. If you would like to speak with your child’s teacher, a convenient time can be arranged for you.
Parental involvement is an essential component of a child’s education. We welcome parent volunteers. If you can volunteer an hour or a few hours per week, please let us know. We will work with you and schedule a productive time for you to help us in the classroom or in the school. Parents are encouraged to attend field trips. Periodically, we will offer parent meetings and festivals. Information concerning PTA will be sent home during the first few weeks of school.
Georgia Kindergarten Standards:
As required by the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Gould Elementary follows and guides instruction using the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Reports of progress are provided both by mid-nine weeks Progress Reports and Report Cards for each nine week period. The Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS) is utilized to guide and assess your child’s progress in Kindergarten. You will be given more information about the GSE and GKIDS as the year progresses.
We will use the Fry high frequency word list for sight words. A copy of this list will be provided to you in the next few weeks. The words are divided into groups of 5 words per week.
Homework:
Your child will have homework almost every night (Monday –Thursday) to reinforce the day’s classroom instruction. Practicing skills outside of the classroom significantly increases your child’s ability to master standards. Please help your child with his or her homework by reading and explaining the directions. Homework must be completed by the student. We will be more than happy to share strategies with you so you may successfully work together at home to understand what we are learning at school. In addition to homework, reading together every night with your child is a great way to increase academic success, spend quality time with your child and instill a love of learning at an early age.
Supplies List:
Book bag **Must be clear or mesh
2 large erasers
2 packs of 24 Crayola crayons (not “fat”)
4 glue sticks
2 packets of yellow pencils (#2)
1 black and white composition book
2 rolls of paper towels
3 boxes of facial tissue
“Zip lock” type sandwich and 1 gallon storage bags (not the more expensive freezer bags)
2 packs of baby wet wipes or Clorox wipes
4 bottles of hand sanitizer
1 bottle of antibacterial hand soap
Money:
On occasion, it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Always send money in a sealed envelope with the following information written on it:
- Your child’s first and last name
- The amount of money
- The purpose for the money (pictures, lunch, field trip, etc.)
- Teacher’s name and room number
With a class full of students and sometimes several reasons to collect money, this information is very helpful. Please always send correct change and if money needs to be submitted for more than one activity, this should be submitted separately for each activity. Gould Elementary does not accept checks and you should send cash only.
Lunch / Snack Time / Breakfast:
All students may eat free breakfast at school. The full price cost for lunch is $2.25.(.40 reduced price). We strongly encourage you to pay by the week or the month. Please send prepayments in a labeled envelope on Monday morning or prepayments will be accepted by using MySchoolBucks.com. Again the school can accept only cash – No checks! Breakfast from home or fast food cannot be brought on campus to eat. However, lunch can be brought from home.
Our class will eat snack every afternoon. Please be sure to send a healthy snack with your child each day. We eat lunch each day at 10:45, so the students are hungry before the school day is over!
Recess and Toys:
Our class will go outside for recess each day unless the weather conditions are unfavorable for outdoor play or there is a specific break in the school schedule and routine. Please consider the weather conditions and dress your child accordingly so that they can enjoy their time outside comfortably.
Your child should not bring personal toys from home to school. Many times they create ownership problems and are sometimes broken or lost. Any toys brought from home can and will be confiscated and it will be the responsibility of the parent(s) to contact the school to recover the items.
Communication:
Look for notes, important letters and flyers in your child’s homework folder daily. Also please visit our class website for helpful and important information. Always feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to a great school year!
Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Benton