A
Absence
If your child is ill, please call the office 696-4600
and inform us of your child’s absence and the reason for
it. This is for your child’s safety. If your child is
tardy, please check in with the office before coming to
class. Please keep me informed of who will be picking
your child up after school. Feel free to call or send a
note with your child. If your child has been home sick,
he/she needs to be fever-free for 24 hours without
fever-reducing medication before returning to school.
Attendance
A successful school experience is the responsibility of
the child, the parent and the school. Your child’s
progress, both academically and socially, is influenced
to a great extent by daily participation. Regular
attendance without tardiness is key.
Arrival and Dismissal
School begins at 8:15 a.m. Afternoon dismissal is at
3:22 p.m. (except on Wednesdays, we dismiss at 2:22
p.m.). Please pick up your child promptly. If you are
late, look for your child in the office.
B
Backpacks
Your child will carry messages and information in a
purple
folder inside his/her backpack. Anything on the “SCHOOL”
side should be reviewed and returned. Please make sure
the folder and backpack come to school each day.
Birthdays
Birthdays are special occasions for your child. If you
wish, you may send a birthday snack to celebrate. We
will make a book for your child and celebrate your
child’s birthday throughout the day. We will celebrate
summer birthdays at their halfway point in the year.
Book Orders
Every month I will send home a book order for you and
your child to look over. These clubs offer wonderful
books at reduced prices---what a great way to build your
home library! If you choose to order, please make the
check payable to Scholastic Books.
C
Calendar
I will send home a snack calendar each month. This is
also the day that your child will be the helper. At the
beginning of each month, I will send the “family
project” home, with details explaining it.
Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences are held twice throughout the
year. At the first conference, you will receive your
child’s report card for the 1st quarter and we will
discuss your child’s social development. We will do this
again after the 3rd quarter. Please feel free to
schedule additional conferences at any time throughout
the year if the need arises.
D
Discipline
It is my goal that the children in our classroom view
our group as a community. We spend a lot of time
together – learning and playing and developing a better
understanding of what being a good “friend” truly means.
We spend a lot of time learning and practicing class
procedures and routines. Each child is expected to
follow classroom and school rules at all times.
Respectful behavior is also expected – respect is shown
to all members of our classroom and school communities.
When needed, redirection or reminders are given to
children.
E
E-mail
You can contact me via my email address:
kate.mogard@k12.sd.us
This is probably the easiest (and fastest) way to get a
hold of me. Otherwise, please call me at school at
696-4618 or home.
Emergency Card
If your home or work phone number changes, please inform
the office so you can be located quickly if an emergency
occurs. Also, please contact the office if any other
information changes (address, emergency contacts, etc.).
Emergency Closings
If schools are closed for a snow day, or any emergency,
watch the local TV stations or listen to Brookings radio
stations for the announcements. The announcements are
generally made by 7:00AM. The school will be using the
School Reach line and call the numbers you have listed
to be contacted at.
F
Field Trips
We plan field trips that are both fun and educational
for the children. Buses will be used for transportation,
or we will walk. We often need parent volunteers on the
trips and chaperones will be chosen on a first come,
first served basis.
G
Gym
Our class will have two 30 minute gym classes each week.
(Tuesday and Thursday) The children are asked to wear
sneakers on gym day and girls might consider wearing
pants or having a pair of shorts to slip on under their
dresses.
H
Health
Please let me know of special circumstances which may
affect your child. These could include medication that
may make him sleepy, a death in the family, etc. Also,
please let me know of any allergies your child may have,
especially food allergies. We sometimes cook or do food
activities to and it would be helpful to know when I
plan our projects.
Help at Home
Your child is expected to know these readiness skills:
*full name *address
*telephone number
*parents names *basic colors
*counting to 20
*printing first name beginning with a capital letter and
the rest in lower case
*Tying shoes is a very important skill that needs to be
accomplished at this age.
When time permits, work on these skills also:
*reciting the alphabet
*shape names
*birthday (month & date) *identifying
numbers to 20
*identifying letter names
Your extra help at home really makes a difference!!
Homework
I will
not
send homework during the year. I feel that children
work very hard at school, and time at home is best spent
enjoying family activities and events. I do ask that
you help with the “Family Project” each month. This is
meant to be fun, and a good sharing opportunity for your
child at school. In addition, please find time to read
to
and
with
your child at home. I know that this is not possible
every night, but as often as you can find time will
really help! Thank you!
I
Illness
The question of when to keep your child home from school
is often a difficult one. It is important, however, to
keep your child home if he/she is ill. This helps to
make them more comfortable and prevents others from
becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the
classroom when they are healthy.
J
Joyful
I hope your child’s days spent in kindergarten are full
of joy. If not, please contact me so that we can make it
a fun and positive place for your child!
K
Kindness
Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to
treat all members of our class and school with kindness
and respect. Bothering others, bullying, and
interrupting learning will not be permitted.
L
Library
The children go to the library two days a week. In the
library, Mrs. Stratmoen will read stories to the
children, teach them about the library, and the children
will have a chance to select two books to borrow for a
week. Your child’s check out day is Monday.
Learning Centers
During learning centers, children will practice reading,
writing, and math skills while I work with individual
children or small groups of children. The center
activities are designed to strengthen skills and
concepts that I have already introduced, as well as work
on skills such as cooperation and teamwork.
M
Math
The kindergarten mathematics curriculum provides
students with mathematical experiences that help them
develop number sense and a positive attitude towards
mathematics that will continue through their school
career and their lives. We employ a hands-on, problem
solving approach.
Music
Our music teacher, Mrs. Lease, will be teaching the
children the basics of music education and will be
sharing many wonderful songs! We are scheduled to have
music two times per week for 30 minutes. Of course, I
will be singing and enjoying music with the children
daily.
N
Nurse
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful health aide, Mrs. Bunkers, at Hillcrest. She will tend to minor scratches and scrapes, as well as sudden illnesses. For more serious injuries, they will contact you. Please be sure to send in any change of contact numbers in case she needs to get in touch with you.
O
Oh My!
There is soooo much to know about kindergarten! You may
be surprised to find out that Kindergarten
today
is similar to what First Grade might have been when you
were in school! This is a busy, busy year, and you will
be amazed at what your child will learn and do at
school!
P
Parent Involvement
Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school! I am always happy to have your help in the classroom. Please let me know if you are interested in helping in the classroom – I usually start looking for volunteers in October, once we have “settled in” to the school routine a bit more! J
Playground Procedures
Please review these playground safety procedures with
your child:
1. Monkey bars: Cross one person at a time and do not
stand or walk on top.
2. Swings: Stay seated while swinging; one person per
swing.
3. No rough play. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
4. Do not leave the playground.
5. All rocks need to stay on the ground.
6. Go up the ladder and down the slide – feet first.
Q
Questions
I’m sure that you may still have some unanswered
questions. Please feel free to write a note, call, or
email me at any time!
R
Recess
The children will play outdoors each day. During the
winter months when the wind chill is 0 or below, we will
not go outside. Please keep the weather in mind when
helping your child select clothing for the day.
Report Cards
Report cards are issued every nine weeks. These reports
reflect the progress your child has made toward various
kindergarten objectives and use a grading system that
reflects the developmental nature of kindergarten
learning.
Restrooms
We take specific bathroom breaks throughout the day, but
children may go to the restroom as needed. Please make
me aware of any medical problem that might require more
frequent restroom trips.
S
Science
The focus of the kindergarten science curriculum is on
developing an awareness of the world in which we live.
Through scientific inquiry, concepts will be presented
in the life, earth, and physical sciences, including the
study of animals and plants, the five senses, general
health and the four seasons. These areas will be
explored utilizing a literacy-based, hands-on approach.
Shared Reading
Shared reading is an interactive process used with the
whole class. As the teacher reads a story, children join
in on phrases or words that they know. During subsequent
re-reading, children read more and more of the text.
Shared reading is an opportunity for the teacher to
model conventions of print and the use of reading
strategies.
Social Studies
The kindergarten social studies curriculum focuses on
the students and how they relate to others in their
families, classroom, school, and community. Holiday
celebrations will also be highlighted. Activities will
help the children engage their natural curiosity for the
world around them.
T
Toys
Bringing toys to school is discouraged because they
distract the children from learning. If a toy is
accidentally lost or broken, feelings will be hurt.
Please encourage your child to leave these “prized
possessions” at home!
U
Unique
Kindergartners learn that they are special and unique.
Kindergartners have opportunities to describe how they
are alike as well as different from others. They share
their culture and learn about different cultures within
the class.
V
Visitors
Hillcrest has a policy that ALL GUESTS (including
familiar faces) are required to check in at the office.
Hillcrest welcomes and encourages family involvement. It
is important to remember that while this may seem
inconvenient to frequent visitors, it is the goal and
responsibility of the school to create a safe learning
environment.
Volunteers
Volunteers are a wonderful asset to the classroom.
Volunteers are used in a variety of ways – reading to
and with children, helping a child complete a project,
working on class projects, and just being an extra pair
of hands to get activities ready. I like to match
volunteers with activities they are comfortable with.
W
Wish List
Throughout the year we sometimes need supplies above and
beyond our classroom materials. Here is a list of
supplies we will need throughout the year.
*Sanitizing wipes (to clean tables)
*Napkins
*Zip lock sandwich bags
*Paper plates or paper cups
Writing
We write every day! Our writing program builds on what
each child already knows. Writing begins with scribbles
and proceeds to lines and circles, random strings of
letters, words and spaces and eventually sentences. Your
children will be encouraged and praised for all attempts
and accomplishments in writing. If possible, please
provide your child with writing tools, such as pencils,
crayons, markers and paper at home.
X
Y
YOU
Thank you for all you do at home to encourage and support what we do at school! It is my goal to develop a strong partnership with all parents. By working together, we can make this school year the best one possible for your child. Please contact me at any time with questions or concerns.
Z
Zzzzz’s
Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting
and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give
to your child. It will help them to be alert and ready
to learn each day!
