August 10, 2010

 

Dear Families,

 

            The hot, lazy days of summer are winding down.  The custodians have been very busy working around our summer school program to get the school cleaned and ready for the students to arrive at the end of the month.  Some of the teachers have already been in to start setting up their classrooms.  It takes a lot of time to unpack new supplies as well as those that were stored away for the summer. The walls and bulletin boards empty now but by the time you come for the visit with your child, the classrooms will be warm and inviting again. My secretaries have been busy during summer school getting all the paperwork ready to send home with you during open house. If you haven’t turned in medical forms, immunization forms, bus information forms, etc., please do so by mailing them in to the office as soon as possible.  We cannot start a student without the proper immunizations so please be sure to get us the necessary paperwork. The office is open from 8:00 – 12:00 in the summer. 

Thank you to those of you who were able to take advantage of screening in May or June. The screening allows us to find out some of the skills your child has already acquired and to make an informed placement. The teachers and I met to review the screening results and have determined placement for your child.  Your child’s class assignment was mailed to you. If your child was not screened, you will receive placement information after screening on August 18^th.  If your child does not have a screening appointment, please call the office to set one up.

Bus lists should be appearing in local newspapers in mid-August.  We will also post them on the door when they become available.

Open house will be on Thursday, August 26^th.  The AM session open house will be from 10:00 – 11:00 am.  The PM session open house will be from 1:30 – 2:30 pm.

Children and their parents will be able to visit their child’s classroom, meet the teacher and their assistant and familiarize themselves with the classroom and school. The open house helps your child to feel more comfortable about the first day of school since they will have already seen their classroom and met the teacher with you by their side. The buses will be running their regular route on that day, but not the regular times.  If you and your child would like to take the bus to open house, you should be at the bus stop one hour after the estimated bus stop time.  Due to space limitations, we cannot take siblings on the bus, only the kindergarten child and their parent/guardian.

The first regular day of school is Friday, August 27.  The AM session meets 8:45 – 11:20.  The PM session meets 12:30 – 3:05.  Please be sure to check the bus schedules in the local papers to find out where the closest bus stop is to your house and the approximate time your child will be picked up. In order to conserve fuel and shorten bus routes, we are trying to have more area stops this year. If you have any changes to the bus information form, please notify the office as soon as possible. We want to be sure we have the correct bus information and can make changes on the bus routes prior to the first day of school. Bus changes can take as long as a week to put into effect so please be sure to keep the office updated. Thank you!

We know how difficult the first day of school can be for parents of young children.  We encourage you to have a positive outlook about the whole experience.  Often children take their cues from their parents and if you are showing signs of nervousness, they may be nervous as well. So please, put your child on the bus the first day with a big smile on your face.  We do not recommend that you drive your child to school.  They will miss out on the excitement of the bus ride and any instructions the bus driver has for them.   During the first week or two of school, the buses do not always run exactly on time so please be patient as we all adjust to this new schedule. Your child will be returned safely to your home even if it’s a little later than anticipated. We promise to take good care of them while they are in our care!

Each and every day of school, your child should come to school prepared to have a wonderful and exciting day at school.  Their clothing should be comfortable and appropriate for school, they need to bring a nutritional snack and drink and they should be well rested and healthy in order to help them meet the demands of their school day. They should be out at the bus stop at least 15 minutes prior to the estimated time of arrival and you should be with them. For drop off, please be sure you are on time to the bus stop.  We cannot drop a child off at an unattended bus stop. 

Another date to keep in mind is our parent night.  This will be held on Thursday, October 7 from 6:30 – 8:00.  This is your child’s opportunity to show off their classroom and some of the great things they have done. More on parent night will follow as we get closer to the date.

Kindergarten is a fun and exciting time for children.  We have excellent teachers and much is accomplished in the two and one half hour program. Our hope is that your child will enjoy Moose Hill as much as we enjoy working here.  We look forward to a year of learning and growing together! 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Bonnie V. Breithaupt

Kindergarten Coordinator