BACK
BACK
B
is for
birthdays. Birthdays are celebrated at the last 10min. of class.
If you would like to bring or send cupcakes or treats, you may. Because of FDA
rules, they must be purchased at the store. No home-baked goods.
C is for curriculum. Curriculum is based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for the state of Texas. To access these you may visit the state web site. (www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/) Some of the elements included are: Character Education, Emotional/Social Development, Gross/Fine Motor skills, Health, and Integrated content (Science, Social Studies, Math, Reading, Writing) Objectives are taught through the integration of themes. For example: Apples, Winter, and Insects.
D is for discipline. There is a school wide discipline program. Although each teacher varies discipline within his or her classroom, the standard is a ruler within each classroom. On the ruler there are colors that represent warnings, time-outs, and principal visits, or notes home. Colors are green, yellow, orange, and red. Problem solving and character education is reinforced throughout the day. Logical consequences are used when appropriate.
E is for extra classes. These are called “specials”. Children will visit these special classes one class a day on a rotating schedule, for a 45-min. period of time. Special classes are Music, Art, and PE (Physical Education)
F
is for field
trips. We usually take two field trips a year. One trip is in the fall, and
one is in the spring.
G is for “Good-bye’s”. We know that it will be hard at first for some children to say good-bye to you at the door and come into class. Your attitude and expectations can make a big difference in easing this transition. Please help us, help your children learn to be responsible and independent by doing the following: let your child carry in and put away their own things, say “good-bye” at the car or at the front school door, remind your child about their belongings but let them be responsible for them. (Label them! -This part is for us! J)
H
is for
healthy food. We will be asking parents to send snack during the school year.
Some children occasionally miss breakfast or can’t wait until lunch or dismissal
to eat. Please watch for letters about how your teacher will handle snack
within their classroom.
I is for I want to help. During our back to school night you will have the opportunity to sign up for various jobs in the classroom. We also would love to have every parent be a member of the PTA. There is PTA meeting once a month and they do lot’s of great things for our school. The PTA will help organize the volunteers for the school. Jobs range from photocopying, to cutting out, to running errands at the school. There are all kinds of things to do. We have parents that tutor and read to students as well.
J is for just for fun! Take a look at the cartoon!
K is for keeping in touch. There are many ways our school and teachers keep in touch with parents. One main way of communication is the daily take home folder. It is purple and will come back and forth from home to school every day. In this folder you will find papers that are sent home from the teacher, student work, and class news. On Tuesday there will be a separate folder that is called the “Tuesday Newsday”. This folder will only go home once a week, unless there is nothing to send that week. In the folder you will find all the letters that the office or the PTA sends out as a school.
L is for LUNCH! Lunch costs are $1.75 for students. You may prepay for lunches for up to a month in advance. All children will receive an ID number which they will memorize to purchase lunches with. They will be entered into the computer keypad. Please make sure all money for lunch is sent to the cafeteria. The children will be allowed in the building at 7:30 each morning if they are eating breakfast. Otherwise they are waiting in front of the school for the bell. Breakfast costs are $1.00 for students. You are welcome at any time to come and have lunch or breakfast with your child. Whenever you come to school during the day, we ask that you stop by the office and sign in for a visitor’s badge. If you are not wearing one you will be stopped in the hall by a teacher and asked to go sign in at the office.
M is for money. Any time during the year that you send money, please do not send it loose. Loose money is easily lost or stolen. Put money in an envelope labeled with your child’s name and teacher. Checks written for lunch money may also be put in an envelope. To write checks for lunch make them out to Blanton Elementary Cafeteria. These go directly to the cafeteria.
N
is for nap.
We do not have naptime during the day, but we do have quiet rest time. We read
quiet stories, or books on tape. Any children who choose to sleep during this
time may do so at the beginning of the year. However, after an adjustment
period, they will not be allowed to sleep.
O is for Oh No! Accidents can happen, as we all know. Even children who no longer wet the bed can still have it happen once. If your child has an accident the nurse will notify you. The clothes closet is not well equipped to change clothing if this happens. Please send a pair of underwear and pants to keep at school if your child has a tendency towards accidents. (If you have any old children’s clothes, especially underwear, the nurse would love to have them for the “clothes closet”.)
P
is for
pick-up. Dismissal is at 3:10 each day. Your child’s teacher will walk the
class out to the waiting area for pick-up. A few teachers will be on duty to
direct traffic. Car pick-ups will be on the north side carpool line. YOU MUST
HAVE YOUR CAR SIGN IN YOUR WINDOW WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME. Daycare pick ups and
buses will be in the front. Please see T for traffic. P is also for parties.
We are allowed three during the school year. Usually they are a Winter Party, a
Valentine’s Party and an End of the Year Party. We will be contacting you for
help.Q is for questions or comments. We always welcome any questions or comments you may have. Our school phone number is (972) 968-1100. At any time you may call the school and leave a message for us. We will return your call as soon as possible. We have few breaks during the day so be patient if you do not hear from us right away. You may also visit our school web site under www.cfbisd.edu to e-mail any teacher on staff. If you ever have a concern or problem, please voice it. We can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong. Please feel free also to tell us if we do something you like. It’s always nice to hear we are meeting your needs. Remember if you promise not to believe everything your child tells you about us, we promise not to believe everything your child tells us about you. J
S is for school supplies. Please check out the list. We ask that you do not label them with your child’s name. We will check off that they have brought their supplies and then they are all used in a community fashion. WE PREFER YOU ORDER FROM THE SCHOOL PTA SUPPLIES IF POSSIBLE. This way all the children will have the exact same supplies and it stops arguments in the classroom over materials. It actually does come out cheaper once you factor in gas and time to “round-up” materials on the list. S is also for Student Projects. Occasionally we send home “family projects”. It is very important that you take the time to complete these with your child and send them to school. Not only does it help connect the home/school environment, but it increases your child’s value for learning.
U is for uniforms. Our school has a standard dress code. We kindly request, that you follow it to the best of your ability. This creates an atmosphere of unity and a good work environment. Please see the letter for specifics.
V is for vaccinations. All children are required to have their immunizations before starting school. Contact the school nurse if you need to send in the proper forms for our records.
W is for writing. This is the most asked about subject we usually have. See the progression of writing on the list provided. It is normal for reversed and mixed letters until second grade.
X is for eXemplary!!!!!!!!!!!!! We work hard and ask our kids to become the very best they can be.
Y is for your child’s progress. There are no specified conference times during the year. Conferences will be called on a “need” basis. At any time if you have questions you may always come by and visit with us. We ask that you do not just “drop-by”, our schedules are often packed with meetings and we may not be able to meet with you. Please call and set up a time to come by. FOR SECURITY REASONS, you will usually NOT be allowed to go into the classroom unless you have an appointment.
Z is for zillions!!! We hope to have zillions of opportunities this year for smiles and learning! We look forward to a great year and thank you for entrusting your child into our care! Let’s have a wonderful year!!!!!
ABC’s
of
Kindergarten Handbook