Dear Parents,
Welcome to the preschool 3 classroom! I am very excited to be your child’s teacher this year. I know we will have an exciting year!
My assistant this year will be Ms. Rhonda Webb. She has over twenty years of experience working with young children. I am very excited to be working with Ms. Webb this school year! Ms. Webb will also be working in the afternoon Falcon Care room until 5:30 pm with Mrs. Mary Shepherd. There will be no afternoon Falcon Care when there is an early dismissal or if school is closed due to weather.
Arrival time in the morning is from 8:15 am to 8:30 am. If your child arrives after 8:30 am, you must go to the Lower School office with your child and sign them in and receive a pass. It can be disruptive to our morning routine if your child is tardy, so please make every effort to have your child at school on time. If your child arrives before 8:15 am, they need to go to the morning Falcon Care. Mrs. Debbie Watson will be our morning Falcon Care teacher. Should school be delayed due to weather, morning Falcon Care will be closed that morning.
All questions regarding morning or afternoon Falcon Care should be directed to our Falcon Care Coordinator, Ms. Jenifer Woodruff at: 434-392-4131 ext. 308/314 or by email at: .
I am sending home a copy of our class rules. Please go over these with your child and discuss the importance of each one. I expect the children to learn and follow the rules and directions that are given in the classroom. We will review the classroom rules, daily, and would also like you to continue to discuss these at home. I will be using a variety of methods, including “time out”, to promote positive behavior.
I have posted a copy of our resource class schedule on the classroom webpage. Please note which days we will have P.E because your child will need appropriate footwear on those days.
We will have a morning snack each day. Snacks will need to be packed separately from your child’s lunch. Please pack your child’s snack in a ziplock bag or a brown lunch bag labeled with your child’s name. If your child stays for afternoon Falcon Care, the school will provide an afternoon snack.
Your child may buy boxed sandwiches lunches at school or bring in a packed lunch. If you would like for your child to buy lunch at school, please go to: www.ezparentcenter.com, click sign up and enter 23901 as the school’s zipcode. Once you register, the school will send you further information on setting up a lunch debit account for your child. If your child packs a lunch for school, please make sure you have written their name on the outside of their lunchbox and all containers inside as well.
I will begin our Star Student of the Week in September. Each child will have a chance to be the class star for the week. I will interview your child on the information that you and your child have provided for me. This will take place right after circle time. During this week your child will be allowed to bring one favorite toy and book to share with the class. Please have your child leave toys and stuffed animals at home unless it is part of their special week. Your child will be allowed to bring these items on show and tell day which will start after Christmas break. I will send details home, at a later date, about show and tell.
Students will have rest time daily. Your child will need two small blankets or sheets for rest time. Please do not send fitted sheets because these will not fit our mats. These will be sent home on Fridays to be washed and should be returned on Mondays. Rest mats will be provided for you child. Please label all blankets or sheets. Sleeping bags and pillows are not allowed for rest time as there is not room to store them.
I will send home folders daily. All students will need 2 pocket folders to start the school year. Please check these daily for important information and to keep abreast of our classroom activities and learning.
We will be starting our morning with reading and math centers. Students will be working in groups based on their developmental levels and will be working on hands-on alphabet, math and craft, and handwriting activities. All lessons will be developmentally appropriate for your child.
Our first unit will be My School and Me. We will focus on the school building and school personnel, as well as school rules and behavior expectations. This year I will be teaching a “Letter of the Week”. The week before starting the curriculum, I will do an Alphabet Introduction Week. I will introduce the children to letter recognition and phonics, as well as colors, shapes, and number recognition. Children will learn through play and creative activity as well as through one-on-one instruction.
At Fuqua School, we recognize that parent involvement in their child’s education is vital to their success. One way we encourage this is through having our parents on campus for classroom parties and field trips. If you’re able, please sign up to help with class parties. I will have a signup sheet in the classroom. I would also like to have a room parent to help organize these parties. Please let me know if you are interested in being our room parent. While we love celebrating your child’s birthday at school, all school celebrations should be planned with me in advance. Birthday gifts are not allowed at school parties. Also, invitations to birthday parties outside of school may not be passed out on campus. The student-parent handbook that is posted on our website will be a great resource for gathering mailing and email addresses.
Please check our class webpage weekly. I will put important information on the webpage instead of sending home a weekly newsletter. In order to access the web pages go to www.fuquaschool.com and click on Academics at the top of the homepage. Next, click on class pages and then click on lower school. On the left side of the page, you will see our class listed at the top. Click on Preschool class- Lora Smith and ENJOY! You may also access the class pages by going to the Quicklinks on the right side of Fuqua’s website. When you click that link you will see class pages. This will take you to the Lower School main web page where you will find important Lower School information and dates. I will update the class webpage at the beginning of the week so that you may stay informed of the happenings in our room!
The preschool students do not need to adhere to the dress code. However comfortable shoes that enables your child to be active both indoors and outdoors, as well as easy to pull up bottoms (for bathroom purposes), are strongly encouraged.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call during school hours. The extension to our classroom is 315. You can contact me via email also at: . You may call me at home if necessary- my home number is 434-735-8693.
I am looking forward to working with your child and providing him/her with a positive school and learning experience.
Thank you for helping your child get off to a great start this year!
Mrs. Smith