Mrs.

Howards

Kindergarten Class Handbook

Thomas Edison Elementary

20172018

1
 Table of Contents

Welcome Letter.3

Get to Know Mrs. Howard..4

A Message for Kindergarten Parents5

Supply List..6

Parent-Teacher Relationship..7

Money...............7

Lunch.7

Snacks..8

Transportation8

Attendance8

Volunteers..9

Field Trips.9

Birthdays10

Clothing10

Homework..10

Grading Policy..11

Book-It.11

Media Center/Library..12

Scholastic Book Clubs.12

Daily Folder13

Class Website..13

Weekly Newsletter13

Discipline.14

Final Words.......15

2
 September 5, 2017

Dear Parents.

This week your child will complete one of the most important milestones in his/her life
the first day of school! I understand that you and your child may have met this day with ex-
citement or apprehension (or a little of both).

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to Thomas Edison Elementary
and to Room 22. Each new school year is thrilling and challenging for me and I am looking for-
ward to getting to know you and your child.

The beginning of a school year can also be an invigorating time in the lives of children, es-
pecially Kindergarten students. I have prepared this booklet of information to answer many ques-
tions you may have concerning procedures in our classroom and in our school. Please keep this
booklet and refer to it when appropriate. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kindergarten will be a time when we build your childs educational foundation. I am very
happy to partner with you on this journey we are beginning. Dont blink this year will go by
fast!!!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Howard

3
 Get to Know Mrs.
Howard
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Michelle Howard. I am
beginning my 13th year as a teacher. This will be my 6th year at Thomas Edison Elementary. I
graduated from Saginaw Valley State University, with a degree in Elementary Education in
2002. I obtained my Masters degree in Instructional Education from Central Michigan Univer-
sity in 2009. I love spending time with my family. I have four children: Kelsey 18, Gibson 14,
Gavin 11, Lincoln 8. I also enjoy attending church and teaching Sunday School, going to my chil-
drens sporting events, swimming, traveling, scrapbooking and running. I am looking forward to
an amazing year with your child.

4
 A Message for Kindergarten Parents
K Kindle excitement about Kindergarten. Visit your school and meet your childs teacher

I Invite new school friends home to play and help your child build strong friendships

N Never forget safety. Teach your child safety rules-whether walking or taking the bus.

D Discuss what your child will be learning in school colors, shapes, numbers, letters, etc.

E Explore your neighborhood together. Talk about the world you live in.

R Review the good behavior expected of your child, such as following rules and taking turns.

G Get involved at your childs school. Join the PTO. Volunteer in the classroom.

A Answer your childs questions about school. Reassure your child that school is fun.

R Read to your child daily. Visit the library together.

T Turn every day into a learning experience. Let your child help you with everyday chores.

E Encourage your child to eat well, get enough sleep, bathe daily and brush teeth 2X a day.

N Notice new things your child is learning to do. Reinforce your childs progress with praise.

5
 !
1 package of #2 pencils

2 folders (2 pockets) with 3 holes punched

1-2 canisters of Clorox wipes

1 pair of scissors (Fiskars)

2 boxes of 24 crayons

1 plastic school box (5X8 in size no handles)

1 bottles of hand soap

1 box of zip lock baggies (quart or sandwich size please)

1 large Book Bag

Several glue sticks

headphones to use at I-pad time

Other helpful items that we could use, if you can and would like to send:

watercolor paints

yellow highlighter

1 package of dry erase markers

1 box of washable markers (please leave markers in box)

Play-Doh

**While school supplies are on sale, it would be a good idea to go ahead and
stock up on supplies in order to replenish throughout the school year**

6
 Parent/Teacher Relationship
I believe that a good parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school
success. Throughout the school year I will communicate with you through notes,
telephone calls, weekly newsletters, daily behavior calendar, progress reports, re-
port cards, and parent-teacher conferences. I will also use REMIND to send out important in-
stant reminders. I will also use our classroom Facebook page to post pictures, post sign-up re-
quest for parties and send reminders. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions
or concerns. You can call me at school 984-6507, send me a note, or e-mail me at:
mhoward@phasd.us

Money
On occasion it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Always send money in a
sealed envelope with the following information written on it:

~1. Your childs first and last name

~2. The amount of money

~3. The purpose for the money (lunch, book fair, etc).

~4. My name Mrs. Howard

This envelope needs to be placed in the Blue Folder. With around 25 students to keep track of
and several reasons to collect money, this is a tremendous help and reduces the likelihood of er-
rors. Also, if the envelope is left on the bus or dropped in the hallway, this
information will help the money to be returned to my classroom.

Lunch (FREE THIS YEAR)

The cost of student lunch is $1.35 per day. (*Please follow the money procedures outlined
above). You can prepay for your childs lunches by send a check to school and Menus are sent
home every month and are available online. Please help your child select his/her choice before
coming to school each day. School lunch includes milk or juice. If your child brings his/her lunch
from home make sure it is in a lunch box or bag. Milk or juice may be purchased for $.40 or you
may send a non-carbonated, low-sugar beverage from home. You are always welcome to join us
for lunch, however, PLEASE GIVE US A FEW WEEKS TO ESTABLISH OUR ROUTINE BEFORE
VISTING. Adult lunches are $3.00. When you arrive, please sign in at the office and meet us at
the entrance to the cafeteria. Our lunch period is 30 minutes long.

7
 Snacks
In Kindergarten, we eat fairly early in the day. Therefore, we will have snacks
during the afternoon. I would ask that you send your snack to school on the 1st
Monday of each month. This way we have a variety to choose from and you al-
ways know when it is your turn to send snacks. You will need enough for 27 chil-
dren. If everyone provides a snack once a month, the children will be able to have
a snack every day. Snack items can be: animal crackers, fruit snacks, goldfish,
pretzels or snack bars. No candy, please!

Transportation
Please remember to NOTIFY ME IN WRITING if there are changes in the way
your child will be going home from school. Without written instruction from you,
I will send your child home their usual manner (I cannot accept verbal changes
from your child or a sibling). PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL TRANSPORTATION
CHANGES!!! I cannot guarantee that I will have an opportunity to check my email
prior to dismissal. Additionally, substitutes do not have access to my email ac-
count. The BEST way to make a transportation change is by sending a note to school in your
childs Blue Folder. **I have found that it makes everything go smoother if your child uses the
same transportation on the first day of school as (s)he will be using the rest of the school year.
If you want to walk your child to our classroom on the first day, I understand. However, I feel
it is best for everyone if you allow your child to walk independently after
the first day. Independence is an important skill learned in Kindergarten.
Dont forget, your child must be in our classroom by 8:45a.m. to avoid
tardiness.

Attendance
Your child should be at school every day unless he/she is sick or observing a
religious holiday. If your child is sick or misses school for any reason, please
send a note so that I can keep it on file so it can be determined if it is an ex-
cused or unexcused absence. In accordance with Port Huron Area School
System attendance policy, at 5 absences you will receive a letter reminding
you of the attendance policy. If your child accumulates 10 absences, you re-
ceive another letter. You will continue to receive a letter or phone call as the

8
absences continue to accumulate. If your child is not feeling well, has had a fever during the
last 24 hours, or is in any way contagious, PLEASE allow him/her to stay home from school as we
want your child and the rest of the class and teachers to stay healthy. If you take your child to
the doctor, please ask the doctor for a school excuse note. Please try and refrain from taking
your child out of school to go on family trips as this is not an excused absence. For more details
on the attendance policy refer to your Student Code of Conduct Handbook.

Volunteers
The students and I enjoy having our parents come to school to help us learn! Be-
ginning in September, you will be given the opportunity to sign up to volunteer in
our class. A weekly newsletter & monthly calendar will go home prior to the
month to sign up for times you would like to help. Additionally, you can sign up to
help out as a room parent, photo parent, or scrapbook parent. If you are inter-
ested, please contact me and I will give you information. I have had wonderful
parent support in years past and I know I can count on you this year! Your help
is GREATLY appreciated!

Field Trips
Throughout the year, we will schedule trips into the community to en-
hance our curriculum. Cost information will be sent home prior to each
trip. You will have the opportunity to volunteer to be a chaperone for a
field trip. Due to space requirements, the number of chaperones may be
limited for each trip. When the field trip information is distributed, if
you are interested in chaperoning please let me know as soon as possible. Chaperones will be as-
signed on a first come, first serve basis. If we have more volunteers than spaces, I will take out
names of parents who have already chaperoned a trip and then draw names. Please understand
that I will make every attempt to give each parent the opportunity to go on a field trip that
wants to. Chaperones will be responsible for 3-5 children while we are away from school. Since
you need to devote all of your attention to our students, siblings are not permitted to accompa-
ny you. All volunteers must have all District paperwork on file. Students must have the Year
Long Field Trip Permission Form on file as well.

Birthdays
I know how special birthdays are for you and your child. We will recognize birth-
days at school in an appropriate manner. Please let me know ahead of time if you
wish to send in a special snack for the class on your childs birthday. When send-
9
ing in a treat, please send in everything needed to serve and eat the treat. ALSO, please make
sure the treat is ready to serve. I cannot keep children calm and occupied while attempting to
cut a cake or serve ice cream. All birthday treats will be served after 2:00p.m. If your child is
having a birthday party and you would like to invite children from the class you must send in
enough invitations for every child in the class. If there are not enough for everyone then I will
have to send them back home to you. Thank you for your support.

Clothing
Kindergartners are involved in activities that require jumping, running, climbing and the
like. Tennis shoes with laces or Velcro closures are required for PE days. Please keep in
mind that your child will participate in outdoor activities daily and flip-flops, slip-ons,
pumps, clogs, and similar style shoes often pose a danger to your child.

Homework
As children enter Kindergarten, they are eager and ready to learn. Kindergarten homework lays
the foundation for good work habits in later years. Furthermore, positive homework helps es-
tablish the home-school connection and involves parents as partners in their childs daily learn-
ing experiences. Your child will receive a monthly homework calendar with several activity
choices. Please assist your child in completing the activities. Once an activity is completed have
your child color in the box to indicate the activity has been completed. You and your child can
work on the activities as you wish. If the assignment requires the child to do a paper assignment
then have the child put the paper in their Blue Folder and I will check it the following school
day. Occasionally, additional homework may be sent home to complete. It will be placed in their
Blue Folders. Have your child complete it and return it to school by the assigned date.

Grading Policy
10
 Smiley face, sticker, star or stamp
Great Work!
Check OK!
Keep Trying!
___ Check minus Messy or Redo

This is the rubric I will use to grade your childs work. At the beginning of the school year, I will
ask them to help me grade their work using the rubric so they know what is expected of them.
If your child needs to redo his/her work, I will provide another copy and write redo on their
original work. Please make sure you work with your child on the skills necessary to correctly
complete their work. I will look for things such as doing their best, staying in the lines when
coloring, using correct colors to complete their work, cutting things out correctly, gluing their
projects together correctly, following directions, etc. I do talk to them about what they can do
to improve and I do stamp papers with a smile if they have shown progress. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact me at 984-6507.

Book It Reading Program

Every Month, your child will bring home reading calendar. Each night you and your child read
together you can color in a day on the calendar. When you and your child are reading
the books, point to the word as you say it so they will recognize the words when they
see them later on. When the calendar is complete or at the end of the month, your
child can return it to school and will get a coupon to receive a FREE personal pan pizza
from Pizza Hut! Your child can only get one free pizza coupon per month. The coupon
will expire 30 days from the date issued. This coupon is for your child only. It is not to be given
to friends or family members and your child must be present to receive the pizza. I strongly
11
encourage you to keep any and all paper books that are sent home all year long. The books are a
great source to use to reread and to review letter sound and recognition. Each child must par-
ticipate in this program. This is a great program that encourages children to read and has excit-
ing rewards.

Media Center/Library
You will learn that I am a firm believer in children being surrounded by books. Each week your
child will visit the school media center/library. He/She will be permitted to check out
one book during each visit. Please help your child find a place to keep his/her library
book at home. My suggestion would be to keep the book in their backpack unless they
are reading it. Then they wont forget to bring it to school when it is due. Your child
must return their current book in order to get a different one. If your child does not
take care of the library books then they will lose their privilege to check out books.

Im sure you all can relate to the excitement we all experience when we crack open the spine of
a new book. That excitement is amplified for our new readers! Each month, I will send home a
catalog from Scholastic Book Clubs. This program provides an inexpensive way to add books to
your childrens home libraries while benefiting our class. With each purchase, our class earns
Bonus Points, which can be exchanged for books for our classroom. Take a quick tour of our
classroom library and you will see for yourself how beneficial this program has been for our
classroom over the years. Please keep in mind that you are under no obligation to purchase ma-
terials from Scholastic Book Clubs. There are two ways to order: you can send the order form
and money into me in the specified money handling way listed above OR you can order online us-
ing our class code HB4NC.

12
 Blue Folder Daily Folder
Your child will have the responsibility of bringing this folder to and
from school daily. This folder will be used as a means of communica-
tion. This folder helps students to establish good organizational skills
as well as teach responsibility. Your childs work will be sent home in
the folder each week. Please take time to look at your childs work
and go over it with them. Your child will be proud of their work and
will want to share it with you. Remember: Remove all work from your
childs folder for a record of his/her progress throughout the year. I
will also send any notes from me or the school in the folder, so please
look for these. Your immediate response may be requested.

Class Website
I have a classroom website that I maintain to keep you informed on what is going on in our
classroom. There will be many answers to your questions. There is also a page
that has many resources for my students. They can go to the page and go to
many really good websites to help reinforce what we are learning in school. Our
website address is: http://www.protopage.com/mrshoward. I also have a class-
room Facebook page. Search Mrs. Howards Kindergarteners and send a friend
request through Facebook. I will post pictures and keep you updated on all the
fun things we are doing at school. This will allow you to feel more a part of your childs learning
experience.

Weekly Newsletter
Each Friday, I will send home a weekly newsletter that will highlight some things
that have happened in class that week. There will also be lots of announcements and
dates to keep you informed. It is very important that you read the newsletter each
week.

13
 Discipline Daily Behavior Plan
Your child deserves the most positive educational climate possible for academic growth. A good
learning atmosphere is one in which a child is free to learn without distraction and a high level
of noise. To help reach this goal, a discipline plan has been developed.

CLASSROOM RULES

1. Follow directions the first time.

2. Use all materials correctly.

3. Keep hands, feet, objects, and unkind words to yourself.

***These are general rules that cover all areas. They will be discussed at length with your child
during school.

POSITIVE REWARDS FOR FOLLOWING THE RULES

1. Verbal Praise

2. Rewards various daily and weekly rewards such as stickers, stamps, treats, etc.

3. Class-wide rewards such as extra playtime, snacks, popcorn party, movie, etc.

CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES

1. Warning

2. Remove child from situation (Example: move child from rug to his/her seat when they misbe-
have) and change clip color, which will be indicated on folder behavior chart.

3. Lose some or all playtime, note sent home to parents that must be signed and returned to
school. They change their clip color on behavior board, which will be indicated on folder.

4. Referred to principal, call to parents, and change clip on behavior board.

14
 * * *SEVERE CLAUSE* * *

In case of severe misbehavior, such as hitting, pushing, willful destruction of property, profani-
ty, willful disobedience or dangerous behavior, STEPS 1-4 will be forgone and referral to princi-
pal. The child may be suspended.

Finally
Encourage your child to discuss school activities with you. Talk positively about school. The way
your child perceives your feelings about his/her school and teachers will have a direct effect on
how (s)he feels about them. I am delighted to have your child in my class and I look forward to
working with you to make sure your child starts school on a positive note. I GREATLY appreciate
your support and anticipate a fun and successful school year!

Thank you for reviewing the handbook. Please cut out and return the bottom portion to school in
your childs Blue Folder. ------------------------------------------------------------------

I have reviewed the contents of the Kindergarten Handbook.

Parent Signature ____________________________________

Childs Name ________________________________________

Date _____________________________________________

Email Address _______________________________________

(Please provide an address you check regularly and please print clearly)

Moms Cell phone # ___________________________________

Dads Cell phone # ____________________________________

*cell phone information will only be used in case of emergency!

15