ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL: The first bell rings at 8:20 am. There is no supervision outside in the morning. Bring your child as near to 8:20 as possible. The final bell rings at 8:30 am. All children should be in the classroom at this time. If you arrive after 8:30 am, you must get a tardy slip for your child in the school office before your child comes to the classroom.

KINDERGARTEN WILL BE DISMISSED AT 11:30 DAILY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 14th. Beginning September 14^th kindergarten will be dismissed on the regular school schedule: 2:00 pm Mondays, and 3:00 pm Tuesday through Thursday. On Fridays, kindergartners are dismissed at 11:30 am except the first Friday of the month which will be 3:00 dismissal. Some children will be very tired after school. Signs of stress, even tantrums, are normal reactions to such a big change. Please feel free to keep me informed – we will work together to smooth out the rough spots.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP: Please make yourself aware of the traffic pattern around St. Monica for arrival and dismissal times and observe it carefully. BE SURE THAT YOUR RELATIVES, FRIENDS, NANNIES AND OTHERS WHO MAY OCCASIONALLY PICK UP YOUR CHILDREN ALSO KNOW THE PATTERN. This is for the safety of all children. Please refer to the St. Monica School Handbook for more details on dropping off and picking up students.

TEACHER/PARENT COMMUNICATION: I will send home a weekly newsletter each Friday beginning the first full week of school. PLEASE be sure to look for the newsletter in your child’s folder EVERY Friday. The newsletter is an integral part of home/classroom communication. The newsletter is also updated every week on the school website. I will do my best to keep you informed as we go along. Please feel free to call me if you have questions about anything. Your children are my first priority at school and your concerns are important to me.

CONFERENCES AND REPORTS: There will be Parent/Teacher Conferences in October and an Optional Conference Day in March. This is a good time to ask questions, voice concerns and share thoughts about your child. I will also be available for conferences throughout the year. Please contact me at trastetter@stmonicasea.org. Kindergarten report cards will be issued three times a year.

SUPPLIES: A supply list was sent home this summer and is also available on the school webpage. If you need another copy please let me know. Each student must have a lunch container (labeled clearly on outside) and a backpack large enough to carry a folder and all those treasures that will go to and from school. BACKPACKS AND FOLDERS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY.

Please put your child’s name on the outside of their lunch container and folder.

CLOTHING: Kindergartners are expected to wear the school uniform. Girls should wear shorts under their skirts EVERY DAY. We go outside for recess unless it is pouring rain. Your child needs a warm coat and a head covering appropriate for northwest weather.

PE CLOTHING: Kindergartners wear gym shoes with non-scuff soles on PE days (A sheet of Specialist days is sent home at the beginning of the year – please refer to it as the days for PE are different each week). We do not change shoes.

LABELS: DO NOT SEND ANYTHING TO SCHOOL WITHOUT YOUR CHILD’S FIRST AND LAST NAME ON IT! Uniforms look alike. I suggest the fine point indelible laundry markers. Save grief for your child, your child’s teacher and yourself – LABEL EVERYTHING NOW! (Especially those sweatshirts…)

BUDDIES: Each kindergartner is paired with a 4^th grade class buddy. The buddies participate in a variety of learning and recreational activities. 4^th grade buddies also attend mass with their kindergarten buddies as part of the Family Program at St. Monica.

LITURGIES: The kindergartners will be included in the First Friday Masses. These liturgies are wonderful and usually handled by different classes. You are always invited to attend.

BIRTHDAYS: At school we will observe your child’s birthday on or near the actual date. If you would like to you may send a small special treat to school with your child on their birthday (or half birthday if they are a summer birthday). CONTACT ME BY PHONE OR EMAIL TO LET US KNOW IF YOU WILL SEND A TREAT.

Invitations to out-of-school parties are not to be distributed at school unless EVERYONE in the class is invited (either all of the boys or all of the girls or both). Limiting guests is understandable but untold hurt results when students are made conscious of the fact that they are not invited because invitations were passed out at school. For the same reason I discourage any discussions of parties at school.

SNACK: We have a healthy snack each morning. It is so important that each child have a HEALTHY snack each day. Candy, cookies, “fruit by the foot”, etc. are full of sugar, causing children to “crash” later in the day. Healthy bodies and brains are primed for learning – send a healthy snack!

LUNCH: Kindergartners will begin eating lunch at school starting September 15th. If your kindergartner has hot lunch, I suggest that if you send cash, PLEASE put it in a zip lock baggie or envelope and label it with your child’s name and “hot lunch money”. The tickets are quite small and easy to lose. PLEASE label your child’s hot lunch ticket with their name.

FIELD TRIPS:

• PERMISSION SLIPS: The kindergartners may take a neighborhood “walking” field trip. One permission slip signed in the fall will give us parental permission for walking field trips throughout the year. Every time we go on a field trip that requires transportation I will send home a separate permission slip.
• EMERGENCY FORMS: All families MUST complete the form about your family’s car insurance coverage, regardless of whether or not you plan to drive on field trips. This form is required by the Archdiocese. We must have a form on file for each vehicle you may use on a field trip. These forms are kept on file in the school office for the year. If you have children in another class you only need to complete this task once.
• MONEY: To facilitate the ease of collecting money when necessary, please send the exact amount in an envelope with your child’s name, the amount and the purpose.
• BOOSTER SEAT REQUIREMENTS: This is a reminder that all children under 60 lbs. (weight, not age, is the deciding factor) are required by law to ride in a booster seat in the car – this affects us because each student in kindergarten must have a booster seat for field trips. Please CLEARLY LABEL your child’s booster seat to eliminate confusion on field trip days.

YOU MAY BE WONDERING, CAN WE BRING PETS INTO THE CLASSROOM? Some parents want to bring pets into the classroom. It is possible to arrange to do this during your child’s designated sharing time. I only ask that you please, please call me in advance to arrange your pet’s visit. Please keep small pets (guinea pigs, bunnies, etc.) in cages and dogs on leashes. Cats should be in parent’s arms only.

**MISCELLANEOUS BUT IMPORTANT: PLEASE DO NOT SEND TOYS WITH YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL UNLESS IT IS THEIR SHARING DAY!

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