Welcome to Mrs. Vlacovsky’s Kindergarten 2013-2014

1. Welcome to Mrs. Vlacovsky’s Kindergarten2013-2014 Dunbar Primary School 731 Dunbar Road Tallmadge, OH 44278 330.633.4515

2. Welcome! On behalf of Tallmadge City Schools, I would like to welcome you and your kindergartner to Dunbar Primary School. I look forward to the great beginnings from which we are about to embark! I believe that a child’s first experiences with school can influence their outlook on learning for life.

3. Contact Information • In the event that your child will be absent, please call the school at 330.633.4515 prior to the start of school • I can be reached at the number above -extension 4019 • I can also be reached via e-mail: vlacovsky.erika@tallmadgeschools.org

4. Our Classroom Website 1. Go to www.tallmadgeschools.org 2. Select Dunbar from the list of schools. 3. Click on the Teachers tab and select Vlacovsky, Erika and you’re there! This is where you can find important information about what is happening in our room.

6. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? The idea behind this is that everyone has an invisible bucket that is carried around with them each day. When others are kind, the bucket is filled. When others are unkind, they have “dipped” into our bucket causing us to feel sad or upset. This is a great way to work in our Dunbar Primary School expectations: be safe, be responsible, be respectful. Using the classroom meeting platform, we will have valuable, meaningful conversations as to what it means to be safe, responsible and respectful and how conducting ourselves in those manners fills the buckets of others.

7. Home-School Connection Folder The Home-School Connection Folder helps parents/teachers/students communicate with each other. This folder will go back and forth from home to school everyday. The “Return to School” pocket is to be used for any notes or correspondence from home or for anything that needs to be returned to school (permission slips for example). The “Keep at Home” pocket is for papers that can be kept at home. **Send to school each day**

8. Supplies I ask that everyone to send in: • a box of tissues and choose one of the following: • A box of Ziplock baggies (snack, sandwich, quart or gallon) • 1 bag of dry beans (for our exploration table) • Clorox/Lysol wipes The $25.00 one-time supply fee (due by September 30, 2013) goes toward materials such as: crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, pencils, erasers, etc.

9. Bus Tag Please have your child wear the bus tag at least for the first two weeks of school. It is important to have this on, as it is our way to help ensure that your child gets to the proper bus and also to the proper classroom. The tag is be worn on the outside of their book bag. After that time, have it available inside the book bag for a while. As soon as your child fully understands the individual bus procedure, the tag may be discarded.

10. Attire Please realize that when your child comes to school, he/she will be involved in a wide variety of activities. Be sure that your child is dressed so he/she can actively participate. Play clothes and comfortable shoes are encouraged as proper dress for school. Be sure that the clothing your child wears is something that he/she can button/unbutton, zip/unzip, tie/untie. This is extremely importantespecially when using the restroom to prevent accidents. Sneakers and rubber-soled shoes are a MUST for P.E. class!

11. Extra Clothes • We work hard and play hard in kindergarten. Spills, accidents, and dirt/mud will happen. • Sending in extra clothing (labeled with your child’s name) will allow your child to stay comfortable all day every day and prevent you from having to miss work in the event of an accident (accidents are not limited to the bathroom sometimes they happen in the cafeteria when trying to open milk or other lunch items). • Please replace extra clothes that have been used so that we always have a fresh supply. Extra clothes will be kept in the top of your child’s locker.

12. Breakfast Students who are eating breakfast at school must stop in the kitchen and grab a “brown bag” of breakfast on their way to their classrooms. You must communicate with your child on whetherthey are supposed to get breakfast or not. I cannot monitor this do to the fact that they have to get their food before coming to the classroom in the morning. Breakfast is $1.75.

13. Snack Since we are attending school all day, I feel the children will need to have a small snack break. Please send a small snack that will be easy for your child to handle and finish in 5 minutes or less. Please avoid any snack that creates lots of crumbs or would take a great deal of time or effort to finish. Also, drinks are not needed as we will be using the restroom and getting drinks near our snack time. Let your child know in advance what you have packed for snack so he/she will know to look for it! Snack Suggestions: Small Ziplock bag of pretzels Dry cereal Cheese crackers Fruit snacks Granola bars Tip: One parent shared with me that they have their child be responsible for choosing five snacks, one for each day of the week, and putting them in a plastic container to prevent them from being mushed. What an excellent way to help your child develop a sense of responsibility!

14. Lunch12:30-1:00 Our kitchen serves lunch for those who wish to buy: Student lunch is $2.50 (milk is included). Use EZ Pay to manage your child’s account based on how many lunches he/she will purchase. For example: 5 day lunch ticket = $12.50 10 day lunch ticket =$25.00 15 day lunch ticket = $37.50 20 day lunch ticket = $50.00 Children who pack their lunch may purchase milk for $.50. Please put the $.50 in their lunch bags/boxes so it doesn’t get lost when going to the lunch room.

15. Lunch-Continued I will be sending home your child’s Identification Number soon so you can set up an account. Until then, send cash or check in an envelope labeled with you child’s name, room number (19) and “lunch money” in your child’s Home-School Communication Folder. I will make sure the kitchen receives it.

16. Recess1:00-1:30 We will be going outside (weather permitting) after lunch. Please make sure your child is appropriately dressed for the weather conditions so they can enjoy their time outside.

17. Specials Along with your classroom teacher, your child will have the opportunity to work with other teachers as part of our program: Monday: No Special Tuesday: 8:45-9:35 P.E. Ms. Brooke Gustavel Wednesday: 9:35-10:25 Art Mr. Cory Blackiston Thursday: 8:45-9:15 LibraryMrs. Brenda Hussing Friday: 9:35-10:25 Music Mr. Jay Singer

18. Birthdays I plan to acknowledge each child’s birthday. If you would like to send in a birthday treat (peanut/tree nut free), please let me know. If your child’s birthday is in the summer, you can choose to celebrate the half-birthday or else we will celebrate at the end of the school year with an “Un-Birthday” celebration. Many children will have parties and want to invite classroom friends. Because we are concerned with the feelings of all the children, we do not permit children to distribute party invitations at school unless you are inviting the entire class. Please see the Dunbar Directory for individual student information.

19. Writing This is what D’Nealian looks like: Our class will be using D’Nealian manuscript for writing. It may be a little different from the manuscript you are used to, so I have included a copy for you. Research has shown that this method helps in the transition from manuscript to cursive writing.

20. Writing Journals Your child will have a writing journal in which to keep his/her journal writing. The writing journal will come home at the end of each grading period. The contents will be in order by the date they were completed, which will allow you to see the growth in your child’s writing over time. Please keep all of your child’s work in this notebook. Do not take any pages out or change the order that they are in! Your child will keep adding work to this notebook throughout the school year. At the end of each 9-week grading period, I will evaluate your child’s writing. I will mark each of the developmental stages I observe in your child’s writing on a checklist (you will see this when your child brings his/her writing journal home). You will notice that your child can be working in several different stages at the same time and may even move back and forth between stages throughout the year. It is important that each child be allowed to explore writing at their own pace. When your child’s writing journal comes home, please take the time to look through this important writing and have your child share these early writing experiences with you. You will be amazed at the growth you will see! Please return your child’s notebook during the week that it is sent home. It is needed at school to store your child’s work!

21. Poetry Notebook I would like to develop a Poetry Notebook with the children this year. Once a week (usually Fridays), we will add a poem to the binder and the children will have many opportunities to read and reread their poetry collections. The Poetry Notebooks will be stored in the children’s book bags- that way it will always be at school when we need it. You will have the opportunity to be a “Lucky Listener” when your child brings the notebook home nightly. Please sign the Lucky Listener paper. This will be one of the best ways to help your emerging reader develop reading skills!

22. Treasure Books Treasure Books are paper copies of books that help teach a particular concept, reading strategy, or support the curriculum. Treasure Books start out as books that we keep in our Book Bins at school for independent reading time and special days when we get the opportunity to visit another classroom and read to our “buddies”. After we have had lots of practice, the books are sent home to be placed in your child’s Treasure Bag (your child will be making one of these to bring home sometime late September). These are books that your child can read to you as a bedtime story. At the end of the school year, they will have quite a library!

23. Scholastic Book Clubs In your child’s Home-School Connection Folder is an order form for a book club geared toward children in Kindergarten. The clubs offer great deals on excellent literature for our emerging readers. The club provides an opportunity for our classroom library to grow by earning bonus points for each order placed. If you wish to place an order, please send it in (or order online: www.scholastic.com - our class activation code is: HZ3JQ) by the due date with a check made payable to SCHOLASTIC for the total amount. The ordered items should arrive approximately 2 weeks after the order deadline. The first order is due by Tuesday, September 20, 2013. New order forms will be sent home periodically.

24. Homework In your child’s Home-School Connection Folder, there is a star with a paper book clipped to it. Over the weekend, work with your child to complete the star activity and the Special Me book. We will be sharing our stars to get to know one another as we build our classroom community. The Special Me book will be our first book that we will learn to “read” during our first week of school and will be our first book in our book bins. Please turn these items by Monday, August 26, 2013

25. Thank you for coming. See you Monday! In Closing… I look forward to working with you and your kindergartener this school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call, send a note, or send an e-mail: Vlacovsky.Erika@tallmadgeschools.org. It is important that we keep the lines of communication open and I welcome your input. Together we can make this an OutstandingYear!