BACK
BACK
B
is for
birthdays. Birthdays are celebrated at the last 10min. of class.
If you would like to bring or send cookies 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: Fiction/Non-Fiction, Winter, Insects, etc.
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. Problem solving involves thinking through what the problem was, what the student did and could do differently, feelings and consequences for actions. Logical consequences are used when appropriate for discipline.
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.
Although some of these will depend on what the budget allows.
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. Most of us use a yearly calendar in which parents
are responsible for two weeks only for the entire class on an alternating basis.
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! 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 the school gym for the bell. You are welcome at any time to come and have lunch or breakfast with your child. Whenever you come to school during the day, law requires 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. No parent will be allowed down the hallways of the classrooms without an advance conference notice. Privacy laws apply for all students. Thank you for understanding the need for our children's safety.
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. However, for field trip or party money paid to the classroom teacher it must be cash only. We are not allowed to accept checks.
N
is for nap.
We do not have naptime during the day, but we do have quiet reading time.
We read quiet stories, or books on tape. Children do not lay down and will
not have the opportunity to fall asleep. Please allow your child plenty of
rest nightly with a bedtime of no later than 8:30. Responsible parenting
is a large contributor to a child's success.
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, or new underwear, the nurse would love to have them for the “clothes closet”.) If the nurse has any donated new undies, she will try to change the student and send them back to class so that they do not miss learning time.
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. There are also a few hard to find items that only an educational supply company would have. 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. Letters for all school policies will come home the first week with your child.
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. There are new vaccination laws that affect all children.
W is for writing. 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 NOT be allowed to go into the classroom unless you have an appointment. Progress is reported home with report cards every nine weeks. Kinder does not receive letter grades, they will have a checklist for skills.
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