Welcome to Kindergarten Newsletter

Welcome to Kindergarten at Sandwich West Public School!

This program involves unique learning opportunities that will provide your child with developmentally appropriate and curriculum centered activities in an exciting inquiry based environment.

We hope the information in this letter will be helpful in answering many of your questions. If you have any further inquiries, feel free to call or write a note.

Note Totes: The large plastic bags, which will be sent home on the first day of school, will serve as our communication tool.  Your child’s note tote (or “sac en plastique” for French Immersion) needs to go back and forth from home to school every day.  We will place any information for you into this bag and you may return any notes, supplies or money in it. The prompt return of forms required at school would be greatly appreciated!  Please label items being sent to the school with your child's name, e.g. Print your child's name on the envelope/baggie containing field trip money.  Please stress with your child that they should not take anything out of their note tote/”sac en plastique”, but give it directly to a parent or to the teacher with the items still inside. Please be sure to take out mail daily to reduce confusion about what is being sent back to school.

Inside the note tote/”sac en plastique,” each child will have a communication book. Any personal messages from the teacher(s) will be written in this book. The communication book will be left open to the page with the teacher's written message on it.  If the book is closed, this will indicate that there are no new messages from the teacher.

If you have a message for the teacher, please use this communication book for your message and leave the book open in the note tote/”sac en plastique” to the page with the message on it. A closed book will indicate to the teacher(s) that there are no new messages. 

School Attendance:  Consistent attendance and punctuality are essential for your child to obtain the maximum benefit from our program.  Many kindergarten learning activities are group oriented and involve interaction with classmates.  If you will be bringing your child to school, please remember that school begins at 9:10 a.m.  If you are keeping your child at home, please remember to call the school at 519-969-1750 and leave a message by 9:00 a.m. to assure the office that your child is safe and to avoid a phone call by the school. If your child is not feeling well, please err on the side of caution and keep them at home; we’ll all feel better! 

Transportation: Your child will receive a purple tag with their bus number on it. Please do NOT write your child’s name on this tag as we would not want them to be easily identified by strangers.  This tag will be attached to your child’s backpack and should be worn daily.  The information is critical to those assisting your child with transportation, such as teachers and drivers.  Please help your child learn their bus number.  If your child normally rides the bus and you plan to have someone pick them up, you must send a note or contact the office as early in the day as possible.  If no correspondence is received, your child will be sent home as usual. Please inform the office or your child's teacher if someone other than a person previously identified by you is going to be picking up your child.

Dropping Off Children: Parents who drive children in the morning are asked to please use the “Kiss and Ride” program provided by the school.  Parent volunteers and supervising teachers will greet your child and direct them to the Early Years playground. Students cannot arrive before 8:55 a.m., as there is no supervision until that time. An excellent window would be about 9:00-9:05 a.m.

Parking: Parents must park in the west parking lot when picking up children at dismissal time or if you need to park in the morning.  This is a school-wide policy strictly enforced for all parents for safety reasons as the east parking lot is where buses park and drive.

Dismissal:  As dismissal time is a busy time for us, please do not come into the classroom or meet us on the playground.  Parents are requested to meet us outside of our classroom door at the orange wall.  Please be there by 3:35p.m. at the latest.  We must first ensure that the children riding the buses have boarded and then we will dismiss the children who are being picked up.  We thank you for your patience and understanding during these times.  Please make sure that your child's teacher has seen you come to pick up your child before leaving with him/her. 

Parent Teacher Communication: A good parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success.  Throughout the year we will communicate with you through notes, telephone calls, progress reports, conferences, online blogs, and our classroom SeeSaw.  Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.  You can get in touch by sending a note in your child’s communication book in the note tote/“sac en plastique” or by leaving a message at the school @ (519) 969-1750.  We will use mostly electronic forms of communication (our blog and SeeSaw) for updates on classroom and school events and activities.

Outdoor Play: Outdoor play is an essential part of our program and provides many opportunities for learning. The children will be going outdoors every day, weather permitting.  We will begin our day outdoors, and the children will have additional outdoor play time during the day. Please make sure your child is properly dressed for the weather every morning upon arrival at school.If you are purchasing a new coat, please select one which your child finds easy to zip and one without strings as strings are a safety hazard.  In order to have all items returned and to avoid confusion, please label all articles that can be removed and/or set down, such as jackets, pullovers and sweatshirts. Permanent markers work well for labelling tags, or small tags can be sewn into clothing.

Backpack: Children will need a backpack that is large enough to easily hold their lunch box, a large library book, their note tote/“sac en plastique,” art work, and occasionally an extra sweater or other miscellaneous items.  Small size backpacks are difficult for children to organize and are not suggested.  Please keep in mind when making this purchase that the bag should be practical, easy for your child to put on and take off, as well as open and close.  This backpack should be labeled with your child’s name on the inside.

Snack/Lunch:  Please provide your child with healthy food choices daily.  We encourage nutritious items such as fruits, vegetables, apple sauce, dry cereal, yogurt, cheese and crackers or perhaps an extra half sandwich.  Labelling of all food and drink containers that you would like returned is very helpful.  Pop is not a good choice as carbonated drinks are often explosive after lunch pail jostling. Please consider using reusable drink bottles as they are environmentally friendly and can be labelled and stored in lunch boxes.  Please do not send food items containing peanut butter or nuts as there are allergies in our classrooms.  Your cooperation is appreciated and will help keep our children with allergies safe! 

We have two nutrition breaks.  The first eating time is at 11:10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and the second is from 1:10-1:55 where half of the time will be spent outdoors.  Sometimes students eat then play, and sometimes the schedule is reversed. 

Toys:  There are many activities at school for your child to engage in.  When children bring toys from home there is a possibility they may be lost or broken.  To prevent this from happening, please make sure your child’s toys from home stay at home. 

Clothing:  In a play-based learning program, children have the opportunity to explore a variety of materials and activities. Due to the nature of our program, we ask that you send your child to school in comfortable, play clothing. Sending your child to school with play clothing will allow them the freedom to explore without limitations or the anxiety of ruining their clothing.  While we do provide aprons to wear over clothing for painting and similar activities, in a play based program, clothing may become soiled with paint, dirt or glue, for example. Many stains may wash out, but some may not. 

Just in Case ... Throughout the school year, there are some occasional times when extra clothing is needed.  Each child is asked to have a clear, Ziploc bag containing extra clothing (T-shirt, shorts, pants, underwear, and socks) at school. Please label the Ziploc bag with your child's name and send it to school at your earliest convenience. In order to avoid bathroom accidents, please select clothes that can be easily and independently removed. 

Shoes:  The children will be asked to please bring a pair of indoor running shoes to school to be worn when outdoor shoes are dirty or if boots are worn to school. These shoes may be left at school if that is convenient for you.  When boots are not necessary, we ask that your child wear closed-toe, comfortable shoes that also have a back strap to school.  Your child must be able to put on and remove these shoes independently.  Please practice at home with your child.  Please make sure your child’s name is on his/her shoes.   

Labeled clothing/belongings:   Please make sure your child’s coat, hat, shoes, backpack, sweaters, lunch bag and anything else sent to school are labeled with your child’s name. 

Classroom Supplies:  Many families ask if there is a way they can contribute to the classroom. As learning in the Kindergarten program involves hands on involvement with real items, there are many times when we will bring in materials from outside the school. Examples are ingredients to cook, supplies for art projects, recyclable materials, and many others. If you would like to contribute to our classroom, it is greatly appreciated. We will send communication letting you know of some of the things we are looking for as they come up.

Beautiful Junk:  Don’t know what to do with those miscellaneous small items collecting in your junk drawer or tool box? We do, it’s called beautiful junk! The children create with it at the art centre! Please do not send in meat trays, egg cartons or toilet paper rolls as we are unable to use them for sanitary reasons.

Photography:  During the school year, photographs of the children engaged in various activities are taken. These photographs will be used to document and further our learning. It is an essential part of our program that your child be photographed. If you have any questions or concerns about photographing your child, please feel free to contact us to discuss this further.

A signed photo release form to be kept on file is necessary so that your child may be photographed. Please return this form as soon as possible if you have not already done so at registration or interview times.   

Book Order Forms:  Beginning in September, Scholastic Book order forms will be going home each month.  Scholastic offers wonderful books and computer resources at reasonable prices.  It is a great way to build your home library and help out the classroom at the same time.  Book orders are usually due a week after they come home.  If you choose to order, please send in cheques only, made payable to Scholastic Canada Ltd., or you can pay online on the Scholastics website (more information will be provided with the first order form).

Special Days: Children enjoy talking about special events and holidays.  If your child does not celebrate holidays for religious or cultural reasons, please let us know.  

Volunteers:  The participation of volunteers will vary according to need.  All field trips require some parental participation.  There are situations in which numbers must be limited to a few, as well as others that will be open to all.

Kindergarten Schedule Calendar:  Your 2016/2017 calendar shows the five day cycle. Please keep this calendar for reference for the entire school year. It is also located online at www.publicboard.ca (under the “Calendars” tab).

Medication:  If your child requires medication on a daily basis, you must obtain a special medical form from the office and have your doctor fill it out.  Please do not send any kind of medication in your child’s backpack.  All medications must be stored in the office.

Gym: The children will be participating in gym activities with M. St. Germain and Mrs. Carlone. Please have your child wear comfortable play clothes and non-marking shoes. Independence is a Kindergarten curriculum expectation that we will be working on with our Kindergarten students throughout the year. As such, lace up shoes are only appropriate if your child is able to tie and untie their shoes independently. Please do not send your child to school wearing jewelry on gym days. Gym is on day 1 & day 4 . 

Library:  The children will be going to the library once a week where they will be able to choose a book to bring home. Please return your child's library book to school on library days and your child will be able to choose another book to bring home.  Library is on day 2 .

We look forward to working with and getting to know your child!  Let’s work together to make your child’s first years in school a happy and rewarding experience!

The Early Years Team