The ABC’S of Kindergarten



The ,,’S of KindergartenA-Attendance There will be something new and exciting every day. Good attendance is very important. It is important to read the DISD Student Parent Handbook to familiarize yourself with attendance laws and district policies. Please submit a written note within 72 hours of the absence to verify the reason for the absence. If your child leaves school during the day (or arrives late) due to a medical appointment, please bring documentation of that appointment, and it will be coded as “Medical” on the attendance records. Tardies are recorded when the student is not in his/her classroom by 7:50 a.m. A “LOSIT” (Loss of Significant Instructional Time) occurs when a student arrives at least 15 minutes late or signs out at least 15 minutes early. Attendance/Truancy action may be necessary if a pattern of absences, tardies, and/or Losits occur. Please call the office if you have any questions about your child’s attendance record. You can also monitor that record by logging onto HAC (Home Access Center) on the district website. B-Backpacks & Birthdays Each child will need a backpack to carry home his/her papers, the “Daily Take Home Folder”, and Guided Reading books. Please make sure the backpack is (1)large enough, (2)is clearly labeled with your child’s name, and (3)contains a change of clothing in case of accidents.Party invitations (for birthday parties held outside of school) must be handed out before or after school only, and must be given to all students in the class (or all boys or all girls) in order to prevent hurt feelings. Otherwise, invitations must be given outside of school. Parents are welcome to send in cupcakes or cookies, if they have cleared this with the teacher ahead of time to determine how many students are in the class and if there are food allergies. Those treats will be given to the students at a time to be determined by the teacher. Make sure the treats are at school by 12:00. No goodie bags please. We do not allow parents or guests to visit the classroom to have birthday parties. C-Car Riders and Conference Week Car-Arrival and Dismissal *We ask for your patience and compliance with our arrival and dismissal procedures. We have a systematic process to get approximately 600 students in and out of school as safely and efficiently as possible. Modeling rule/law following, safety and respect will benefit our children in countless ways?*Anytime you need to change the dismissal method for your child, please be sure you notify the school by written note or by calling the office at 940-369-4600. Please do not leave a voicemail or email for the teacher that day: teachers may not get the message in time and substitutes do not have access to teacher voice mails or email. **7:20 a.m. Cafeteria doors open for early arriving students. Car rider drop off is in the cafeteria circle until 7:45. Students who are eating breakfast go to the cafeteria. All other students line up with their classes in the gym until classrooms open at 7:35. The tardy bell rings at 7:50. **Dismissal is at 2:50. Please be on time. Staff members need to use the time after school for meetings, conferences, and lesson planning. Conference- Parent Conference Week will be October 3-7. We are required to meet with a parent/guardian of each child. Please note that students will be dismissed at 12:50 every day this week. Dress Code & Dates Be sure to check the DISD Student Handbook concerning proper school dress. I love “closed-toe” shoes and prefer tennis shoes on a daily basis. NO FLIP-FLOPS or BACKLESS SHOES AT ANY TIME. Please mark your calendar with the important dates from the calendar in your folder. E-Email A great way to keep in touch with me is through e-mail. My e-mail address at school is sginnings@. Please make sure I have your correct e-mail address.F-Folders and Field Trips “Daily Take Home Folders” Every day your child will receive a folder with notes, homework, and completed work. Please keep the work and return the folder back to school each day. Make sure to look for any newsletters, notes or information. Bringing in the folder each day helps your child learn independence and responsibility.Field Trips Field trips are an extension of classroom academics. The Students Code of Conduct is to be followed and appropriate conduct shall be required at all times. Only those parents on the district approved chaperone list and selected by the school as a chaperone for each field trip may attend the trip with approved chaperones. A chaperone’s duties include supervision of students and enforcing school rules and teacher directives. Siblings and other children are not permitted to attend the field trip with a approved chaperones. Due to limited bus space, adult chaperones will not be able to ride the bus with the students. Field trip money will be collected at least three weeks in advance. Because of student confidentiality issues, all chaperones are expected to refrain from posting photos of other students (other than their own) on Facebook or social media sites. Chaperones are expected to report any concerns during the event to the teacher or administrator in charge. Campuses must follow strict guidelines in maintaining student privacy and confidentiality. All students participating in school sponsored events are required to use school provided transportation to and from the event, per the District Student-Parent Handbook. If you would like to attend field trips or volunteer, you must complete a district background check within the first three weeks of school. This is located on the district website. G-Grading and Growth Target binders will be sent home each six week grading period with a report card along with parent letters. The target binder should be returned, along with the signed report card envelope. Please leave all student work and evaluations inside the binder. At our school, we encourage a “Growth Mindset”. In kindergarten, students will have huge growth physically, emotionally, and mentally. It is important that we stay positive and encourage students as they grow. Mistakes are a great opportunity for growth and some of the best learning comes from taking risks and making mistakes. We’ll encourage students to become independent thinkers by exploring learning opportunities. No matter where they are when they come into kindergarten, we expect to see a year of progress for every child. Teachers and parents will work together as a team to maximize their growth. H-Homework Once we begin guided reading groups after parent conferences, your child will begin to bring home their Guided Reading book two-three times a week. Your child will read the book to you after it has been introduced and read in the reading group. Please be sure that this homework is done on the day it is sent home. Sign and return the guided reading bag daily. On Mondays, a homework packet will be sent home to work on various skills. Please return this packet completed on the following Monday. This is a great lesson in responsibility for the students and a great way for parents to have an idea of the types of lessons we’re doing in class. I-Illness The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when decisions must be made first thing in the morning. It is important, however, to keep your child home if he/she is ill and running a fever. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevent others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy. If your child needs medication on a regular basis, you need to consult the DISD Student Handbook and our school nurse, Mrs. Reid.J-Join PTA W. S. Ryan has a very active Parent Teacher Association. Meetings will be held throughout the school year. Our goal is 100% participation. Please join and be involved!K-Kindness Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class (and others) with kindness and respect; hitting, fighting, name-calling, and making fun of others will not be permitted. L-Lunch The school will provide lunch and breakfast for the children who wish to purchase one. Milk is available for students with lunchboxes. Breakfast is $1.10 and lunch is $2.75. For convenience, you may pay online by going to the following website: . I encourage you to create a lunch account for your child even though he/she may not always purchase/ you never know when a sack lunch will be left at home. Checks are also accepted and can be made payable to WS Ryan Cafeteria. Parents may eat lunch with their children. An area will be set up in the cafeteria for parents and students to eat. Students are not permitted to bring a friend to eat with them. Additionally, we ask that parents do not bring food to any students other than their own, due to food allergies. Please sign out after lunch. Parents are not permitted on the playground. Our lunch time is from 10:20 – 10:50 daily.M-Music, Art, Library & PE Your child will go to either art, music, library, or PE every day. Tennis shoes are required in PE, to keep students safe. I encourage tennis shoes everyday since we will be on the playground for recess each fine-weather day. Please note that Velcro closures are appreciated on school days, due to the many students who need their shoes tied throughout the day. However, I do encourage students to practice tying shoes on the weekend, since this is a skill they will need to have mastered by first grade. N-Notes Your child will receive a “Daily Take home Folder” on the first day of school. This is a great place put your notes for me and I will send home all school communication in this folder, too. O-Open Lines of Communication Please let me know if you have ANY concerns or questions regarding your child throughout the year.? I feel that it is our job to work together as partners to help your child have a successful first year of school.?If you have an urgent message and you want to be sure that I get it before school is out, please call the office, 940-369-4600, and speak to one of our wonderful secretaries. You may also contact me through email or phone. Please note that there will be a PTA/Curriculum Night on Thurs., Sept. 10. Classroom teachers will give a quick overview of the curriculum that is covered in kindergarten during the year. It will also be a great time to ask any questions you might have. P-Parties We will have three big parties throughout the school year. They are a Christmas party on Dec. 16th, a breakfast Valentine party on Feb. 14th, and the end of the year party (date TBD). We will need volunteers to help us with each party. Parents/Guardians are welcome to visit their children during these parties to assist in the classroom, and must have their ID’s in order to sign in. Middle School and High School siblings, however, are not permitted to be on campus during these parties. Younger siblings are welcome to attend, but must remain with and under the close supervision of their parents at all times. Q-Questions If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. You can contact me at school between the hours of 7:35 and 3:35. I may not be able to come to the phone right away but I will call you back at my earliest available opportunity. My conference period is 1:00-1:50. Please call for an appointment if you would like to come during that time or after school. My phone number is 940-369-4669 or you may e-mail me at sginnings@. You and your child are important to me and I think of us as a team.R-ReadingYes, we will all be reading before you know it! After the first six weeks of school, you will be seeing a Guided Reading Folder in your child’s backpack several times a week. This is mandatory homework. Your child is to read the book to you, you sign the folder, and the folder is returned the NEXT day. If you feel your child needs extra practice, send me a note telling me you will be keeping the Guided Reading homework another night. S-Snacks We will have snack time everyday at about 2:30. Each student will need to bring a snack daily. Due to potential allergies, they will not be permitted to share food. Good examples to send include, but are not limited to…Fruit snacks, crackers, cereal low in sugar, granola bars, and fresh fruit or vegetables. We will also celebrate birthdays during this time. Simple, child-friendly snacks are appreciated. For instance, please do not send an orange, if your child does not know how to peel it. T-Toys & Transportation Children are asked NOT to bring toys from home. Toys are very distracting and may get lost, stolen or broken. Any toys will be taken up and returned only to the parents when they come and ask me for them.You must notify me in the office if you change your child’s regular transportation arrangement. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL WITH A VERBAL MESSAGE AND DO NOT LEAVE A MESSAGE ON MY ANSWERING MACHINE THE DAY OF THE CHANGE. Young children are easily upset and confused when their daily routine is changed. Please be as consistent as possible. ***The best way to let me know of a change is by calling the office before 2:00.U-“U” “U” are important in your child’s education. I would love to have you visit. However, if you stop in, I may put you to work. Please give me 2-3 weeks to get to know your child and for your child to learn the school rules before coming to visit. W.S. Ryan has a policy that all guests are required to check in at the office and wear a guest badge. If you choose to volunteer in the classroom, please be aware that you will be required to complete a background check form. V-Volunteers If you choose to volunteer in the classroom, for field trips, or tutoring, please complete the form online. I will contact you to work out a schedule. All visitors must sign in and out at the office. We need volunteers to help during ELI testing August 25th-September 30th. W-Web SiteA calendar of activities will be updated regularly on the school website, at wsryanes.X-Extra Clothes It is very important that you send an extra set of clothes in case of a bathroom accident, messy spill or wet and muddy playgrounds. This way we do not have to bother you at work or home. These clothes will stay in your child’s backpack since we have no space at school to store them. Please remember to change out the clothes in case of weather changes or growth. Y-Younger Siblings It is in your child’s and the program’s best interest to have our parent volunteers available without younger children in attendance as much as possible. This not only allows your full attention to be focused on the class, but also allows for some special time between you and your kindergartner. Thank you for making childcare arrangements for younger siblings. Z-ZZZZZs Make sure your child gets plenty of rest. A kindergarten room is a busy place and you will probably find your child exhausted at the end of the day. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give to your child. It will help them to be alert and ready to learn each day! I recommend bedtime no later than 8:00 p.m. (sometimes earlier – you know your child). It sometimes helps if you blame me for the early bedtime. Just tell them, “Mrs. Ginnings wants you in bed…”If you’ve read this far “kiss your brain”!Thank you so much for taking time to read all of this information. I welcome any questions or comments that you may have. Please sign the form and return it to me as soon as you’ve read the packet. Keep the packet to use as a reference throughout the year. I have read the information on school and classroom procedures for my child’s kindergarten year._________________ ___________Child’s Name Date___________________Parent Signature ................
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