2019-2020 ABC's of Preschool

of Preschool St. Francis de Sales Catholic School Attendance A child’s successful school experience is the responsibility of the child, his/her parents and the Absences teacher. Your child’s progress (both academic and Arrival social) is influenced to a great degree by daily participation. Regular attendance without tardiness Birthdays is a key. If your child is absent, please email me or call the school at (713) 774-4447. School begins at 7:50am. Students should not be dropped off at school prior to 7:30 a.m. BASP students may arrive starting at 7:00am. All preschoolers will be monitored in the classroom beginning at 7:30am. The tardy bell rings at 7:55am. Birthdays are very special occasions for young children. If your child wishes, he/she may bring a special treat such as cookies or brownies (no unsliced cakes, please) to share with the other children. You are most welcome to join us on your child’s special day. If you plan to distribute birthday party invitations at school, please make sure every child is included. If the entire class is

Birthdays, not invited, please mail the invitations. cont. Book Orders Each month, I will send home Scholastic Book Club catalogs for you and your child. These clubs offer Conferences wonderful books and games at reduced prices - what a great way to build your child’s home library! Centers As a bonus, we receive books for our classroom (Stations) too! Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled in October each year. Please feel free to schedule additional conferences at any time throughout the year if the need arises. Center activities are designed to strengthen letter/sound knowledge, listening skills, oral language expression, rhyme, letter formation, fine motor skills, creative expression, problem solving and cooperation. Discipline Our classroom is a small community where teamwork Dismissal and good relationships are expected. We will spend time learning class procedures and practicing them. To establish good order and help the children learn self-control, they will be guided to respect them- selves and their classmates through specific directions, positive reinforcement and responsible actions. Preschool students without older siblings will be dismissed at our car line on Waldo Street at 2:45. Any child not picked up by 3:00pm will be sent to BASP and a charge will be assessed. PK students with older siblings at SFDS will be dismissed in the carline of the oldest sibling. Please make sure we know of any changes in your child’s dismissal plans.

Early Early release days will be the first Tuesday Release of each month (PK students will dismiss at 1:45) for Days staff development. E-Mail I check my e-mail throughout the day when time permits. However, if you need to inform me of a Emergency last-minute situation (e.g. a change in how your Information child is going home), please call the school (713- 774-4447). If at any time your home, work or cell phone numbers change, please inform the office so that you can be located quickly in the event of an emergency. Enrichment In addition to our regular preschool curriculum, your child receives instruction in the following specialized areas: Religion, Art, Music, Library and Technology. Folders Folders will go home each afternoon in your child’s backpack. Please remove the work from your Fun Fridays child’s blue folder and return the folder to school the next day. Grade Coordinator On Fridays, we devote part of the schedule to “Fun Friday” activities. These activities typically celebrate the letter or theme we learned about that week. The grade coordinator from each PreK classroom will contact you at the appropriate time for assistance.

Hands-On I believe one of the most effective ways to Learning help children learn is to make learning fun. Important concepts can be mastered by engaging Health in meaningful hands-on type activities. There are occasions when seatwork (paperwork) is required Illness and necessary. However, for the most part, our classroom will be an active learning environment! Journals Kindness Please let me know about any special circumstances that may affect your child. These could include medication that may make him/her sleepy, a death in the family, etc. Also, please let me know of any allergies your child may have, especially food allergies. We occasionally cook to complement lessons in our curriculum and it would be helpful to know of any food allergies when planning these activities. The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when such a decision must be made first thing in the morning. It is important to keep your child home from school if he/she is ill. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Your child needs to be fever-free for at least 24 hours (without meds) before returning to school. One of the ways to help communicate the concept that “print conveys meaning” is the frequent use of journal writing. The children in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class as well as others with kindness and respect. Bothering others and interrupting learning will not be permitted.

Library Every week, our class will visit the school library for Lunch story time. Medication We will eat lunch around 10:30-11:00am in the lunchroom each day. Children may bring lunch from home or purchase a school lunch. If lunch money is sent to school, please place it in an envelope with your child’s name, my name and the amount written on the outside. There is also an online option for making lunch payments. Account balances may be viewed online. Parents may join their child for lunch once a week. Please remember to sign in at the main office and obtain a visitor’s badge. May we suggest that you wait until after Labor Day to join your child for lunch to help the children adjust to their new routines. Please see the school nurse if your child requires any prescription or non-prescription medications. No school Please check the school calendar for a listing of Nuts student holidays. Open House Please refrain from sending snacks that contain nuts with your child. Parent Information Night will take place early in the school year. Bring your questions. Thanks so much for joining us. Parties There are four main parties each year— Halloween, Christmas, Easter and End of Year. Room parents organize these events and coordinate volunteers. All Virtus-trained parents are welcome to participate in the festivities!

Quiet Time Each day from approximately noon-2:00pm, we rest on our nappers and listen to soft music. Recess Our class plays outdoors for approximately Rules 30-45 minutes each day. Snack Classroom behavior is governed by these rules: Show & Tell Helping hands. Listening ears. Quiet voices. Looking eyes. Walking feet. Prayerful hearts. Each day, our class will have a snack provided by the parents. We will discuss at Parent Information Night. The first two Show and Tell’s that we have are our “Special Bags” and our “Family Leaf”. Once we get settled into our class routines, we will begin having Show & Tell weekly. More details to come. Shoes PK is not required to wear solid black shoes. Closed- toed shoes are required. Velcro shoes are preferred. However, please do not send your child to school in “light-up” and/or “noisemaking” shoes. Boots are not to be worn with uniforms.

Tardies If you arrive after 7:55am, you must walk your child to the clinic to obtain a tardy slip BEFORE accompanying him or her to our classroom. Toys If your child needs a plush toy for naptime, it is allowed. Otherwise, bringing toys to school is not allowed. They are frequently distracting and have the potential for causing hurt feelings should they become accidentally lost or broken. Transportation Please send a written note in your child’s folder if your child will be going home in a different manner than usual. Underwear Wet and/or dirty clothes are very uncomfortable. Uniform Please send an extra set of clothing (shirt, pants, socks and underwear) in a Ziploc baggie marked with your child’s name on the outside of the bag. These will be stored at school and used by your child in the event they are needed. Please wear the appropriate uniform everyday. Spirit shirts are allowed most Mondays. Refer to the school calendar for more information. Virtus/ Studies show that parental involvement in a child’s Volunteers education is one of the most important factors in raising a child’s self-esteem and academic achievement! There are many volunteer opportunities here at St. Francis de Sales and in our classroom. Please note that you must be Virtus- trained in order to volunteer at SFDS. After five years, you must recertify by attending the refresher workshop “Keeping the Promise Alive”.

Weather St. Francis de Sales School follows the Houston ISD announcement of school closure. Please note: The Website streets surrounding the school frequently and Wednesday quickly flood during periods of heavy rain. Be very Home Page cautious about driving or walking in the area during eXtra these times. Your child will be safe and Special supervised at ALL times in any case of inclement weather. Please check the school’s website for the latest information on all preschool activities. The most current information will be available on the Wednesday Home Page. Your children are eXtra special and I am so blessed to be their teacher this year! Thanks so much for sharing them with me! Your Ideas Please remember that you are your child’s first and most important teacher! No one can influence your child’s life in the way that you can. I welcome your ideas and suggestions. We have a true partnership in the education of your child! Zoom! Sit back and watch your child’s skills take off! You will be amazed at the wonderful changes this year! Let the learning begin!