• The ABC’s of Kindergarten        

    Attendance is the key to a successful school experience. 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 a key.

    Absence from School: If your child is absent from school, for any reason, please call our school’s attendance line at 696-6610 and leave a message on the answering machine.In the event of an extended absence other than illness, please notify the school more than two days in advance.  

    Backpacks are needed to help your child carry messages and information to and from school. Please have your child remove the notes and papers each day from the backpack to share with you. Thanks! 

    Book orders will be sent home monthly.  Every month I will send home a Scholastic Book Club Catalog 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.  Once my webpage is up and running, you will be able to order on line.   

    Clothing: Whenever possible, we will be going outside to play. Please dress your child accordingly. Please check the school handbook for the dress code. In order to foster independence, select coats and other clothing your child can handle with the least amount of help from adults. Label all clothing that may be removed during the school day. On the day of P.E. class, your child will need to wear sneakers. You may want to consider packing an extra set of clothing in your child’s backpack in case of an accident. 

    Conferences: Our first Parent/Teacher conferences are held in October.  During open house you will be able to sign up for a time. You will receive your child’s report card and we will discuss your child's accomplishments, strengths and overall progress.  Please feel free to schedule additional conferences at any time throughout the year if the need arises.  If you have a question, please feel free to call or email me.  I will call you back as soon as I can.   

    Dismissal is at 2:25 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Please let me know of any dismissal changes.  You can call and leave a message on the classroom phone, 696-6634 by 2:00.  After 2:00, please call the office (696-6610) and give them the message for me. 

    Discipline: Our classroom is a small community where teamwork and good relationships are expected. We will spend time learning class procedures and practicing them. Each student is expected to act within our standards of behavior. To establish good order and help the children learn self-control, they will be guided to respect themselves and their companions through specific directions, positive reinforcement, suggested new activities and responsible actions. I believe in Positive Discipline.  Our classroom rules: 1. Kind Words 2. Walking Feet  3. Keep Hands, Feet and Other objects to yourself 4. Quiet Voices 5. Do your best, be your best. I try to catch all students who follow directions and do the right thing.  I write names of students who do the right thing on the board.  So if your child tells you that their name is on the board that is a GREAT thing.  J   Sometimes it is necessary to have students who are being disruptive to move away from the group for a time out.  If your child is acting up, I will give them a warning.  If they continue, I will ask them to remove themselves from the group so others can continue learning.  If the behavior continues, I will contact you.   I try to handle situations at school first without your help; however, I may need to ask you for your help at home.  I will contact you if I need your help.  Please be aware that if your child hits or hurts another child, they will have to talk with an administrator.   If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Together we can make a difference. 

    Early Out Days: Tuesday is our Early out Day.  Students will get out at 12:25. 

    Email:  You can contact me via my email address: tduggan@amphi.com.  I check my e-mail on a daily basis.  Please do not email me transportation changes, call my classroom number and leave a message or leave a message in the office.  If you need to discuss something urgently, please call me at school instead.  My classroom number is 696-6634.   

    Field Trips: We plan several field trips that are both fun and educational for the children. Buses will be used for transportation. We often need parent volunteers on the trips and chaperones will be chosen on a first come, first served basis.  Please return permission slips as soon as possible after they are sent home. 

    Fire drills are held on a monthly basis throughout the year.  All students will participate and are expected to walk quickly and quietly to their designated exit.  We will practice and become familiar with procedures before our first scheduled drill. 

    Going Home with a Friend: It is always a treat to go home with a friend. Please remember to send in written permission for your child to change their transportation for the day. 

    Hands on learning: I feel that the best way to help children learn is to make learning fun. Important concepts can be learned by doing meaningful hands-on activities. There are times when seat work is required and necessary, but for the most part, our classroom will be an active learning environment. 

    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 complement lessons in kindergarten and it would be helpful to know when I plan our recipes. 

    Homework calendars:  Once a month, I will send a homework calendar.  This will have activities for your child to complete.  Please initial each box that your child does.  At the end of the month, send in the Calendar and any papers that were completed.  READING to your child and having your child read the “little books” that we send home will help your child become a wonderful reader.  Look for the first Monthly Calendar to come home in September.  August homework is for your child to practice writing their names in upper and lower case letters.  Please look for papers completed in class for letter formations.  Thanks! 

    Happy Birthday: Birthdays are always an exciting day in kindergarten. You may send in a snack to help your child celebrate. Please let me know several days in advance if you plan to send in a snack. The treat will be shared with the class during snack. No balloons or other party favors, please. Does your child celebrate a birthday in the summer? Calculate six months before the birthday, and we’ll celebrate his/her “half/birthday”! Or if you would rather… we can celebrate at the end of the year.  We have several summer birthdays and May birthdays, so let’s plan in advance please.   Invitations: No party invitations should be sent into school for distribution unless everyone is invited. This will avoid hurting any child’s feelings.  

    Illness: The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when decisions must be made first thing in the morning.  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. 

    Journals: One strategy that will be used to help convey the vital concept that print conveys meaning is the frequent use of journal writing.  In these journals the kindergartners combine their emerging writing skills with their drawing skills.  As the children are exposed to a variety of phonics and reading experiences, journal entries will move from drawings and inventive spellings towards more conventional writing. 

    Kindness: Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class as well as others with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying and interrupting learning will not be permitted.  

    Lost and Found: If your child comes home missing any article of clothing or personal items, please encourage him or her to check the school’s lost and found, located in the office.  Please write your child’s name on backpacks, lunch boxes, and articles of clothes that they might take off.  (Coats, sweaters, jackets, hats) 

    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. 

    Medications at School: For the health and safety of all students, no child will be allowed to transfer medicine to and from school. Parents or guardians must deliver all medicine (prescription and non-prescription) to the school health clinic. Parents will be asked to fill out a form so the Nurse can give your child their medicine. Parents must also pick up any medications.  

    Newsletters will be sent home every other week.  I will attach it to the monthly calendar.  This will keep you informed about what is happening in our class---the skills we are learning, vocabulary words, poems or songs to practice, special activities and upcoming events.

    Oh How Messy We Get when we paint in kindergarten.  Please be aware that during choice centers your child will be painting.  If you have an old shirt that you are NOT going to wear anymore and would like to get rid of, please send it in.  I will turn it into a paint smock for the students.  Please understand that we do get messy at times.  It is a KINDER thing.  (I will make sure that we are not painting on specials days like picture days.) 

    Parent Involvement:  Your support of school activities makes your child feel important and sends the message that you value school! We are always happy to have your help for special activities in the classroom. I will try to let you know at least a week ahead of time if I need help.  Look for exciting opportunities to become a center helper, coming in September!  I hope that you can come and join in the fun! 

    Questions, Questions and More Questions: As your child begins the first year of his/her formal schooling, you may have questions. I will make every effort to communicate with you about your child’s life in school, as well as his/her progress. You may schedule a conference with me at anytime during the year, though I ask that you give me notice beforehand. I spend time preparing for parent conferences and drop-in conferences may not provide you with all the information in which you are searching. Please write a note or call me if you have questions, concerns, or comments. 

    Read at Home: I encourage you read to your child each night.  As the year progresses, your child will want to read to you.  Let your child read to you, too.  Read for 15 minutes EACH night. 

    Report Cards: Report cards at the end of each quarter.  These reports reflect the progress your child has made toward various kindergarten standards.  You will receive your child’s report card at our Parent/teacher conferences in October.   

    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-readings, children read more and more of the text, until they are able to read the story independently. Shared reading is an opportunity for the teacher to model conventions of print and the use of reading strategies. 

    Snacks: Your children generally get hungry by mid-morning so I’m asking for help.  If you can contribute to our snack program, please send one in. Please send in a snack to share with the entire class (about 30 students). This should be a healthy snack that is quickly eaten, such as a box of crackers, cookies, fruit roll-ups, raisins, apples, etc. We will get a drink of water after our snack so no drinks are necessary. Thanks for your help!

    Toys in School: 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. Students may bring in books that are clearly marked with your child's name. 

    Understanding: The staff at Coronado K-8 has a thorough understanding of the academic, social, and emotional needs of young children. Thank you for entrusting us with your child! 

    Volunteers are essential in Kindergarten! You are welcome to join in the fun by volunteering your time and services in our classroom. I will be sending home a volunteer form.  Be on the lookout for this form.  After I receive the forms, I will begin scheduling days and times you are needed in the classroom. For security purposes, you are asked to sign in at the office before coming into the classroom.

    Writing: 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. Providing a risk-free environment is paramount to your child's progress in writing.  If possible, please provide your child with writing tools, such as pencils, crayons, markers and paper at home. 

    Xtra Special: Kindergartners learn that they are eXtra 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. 

    You are your child’s first teacher! Please read for enjoyment with your child daily. Have fun exploring and doing activities to help your child practice skills while having fun.   

    Zip through your child’s finished work every day. Have your child read to you the “little books” that they bring home each week.  Have them save the books for future readings.   Please make daily practice a habit.