This and That:
Friday Folders:
On Fridays your child will be bringing home papers for you to enjoy. You may find yourself thinking, “What should I say about this?”
Always remember to use open phrases such as:
- Tell me about this picture? These colors are exciting
- Tell me why you chose these colors?
- This is an interesting story, please read it to me.
- Where do you get these interesting ideas?
- I can tell you enjoy what you do.
- This is something special.
- This is quite an accomplishment.
Remember your child’s work is his/her own self-expression. Help your child develop an appreciation of self and the unique quality of his/her own work by displaying the work.
MONEY:
Periodically, your child will bring money to school for lunch, milk,
field trips, Book Club orders, etc. When sending money to school, be sure to use an envelope or Ziploc bag CLEARLY
MARKED WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME, WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR, AND THE AMOUNT ENCLOSED. Please send exact change when sending cash. All checks should be make payable to Cape Elementary (unless otherwise noted). If the school provides an envelope, please completely fill out all the requested information on the front of the envelope.
LUNCH:
The cost of student lunch is FREE.
Please help your child select his/her choice before coming to school each day. School lunch includes a half-pint carton of milk or juice. If your child brings his/her lunch from home, please label the box or bag. Milk or juice may be purchased for $.50 or you may send a noncarbonated, low-sugar beverage from home.
Ice cream and other treats are also available to all students. Prices range from $.50 on Friday’s only. Since ice cream is something that any child would love to eat every single day, our class has a “no note – no treat” policy. Simply jot us a quick note (put it in your child’s folder) on those special occasions when you have given your child permission to purchase a treat.
You are always welcome to join us for lunch, however, PLEASE GIVE US A FEW WEEKS TO ESTABLISH OUR ROUTINE BEFORE VISITING. Adult lunches are $2.65. Please notify us in the morning with a note indicating your lunch choice. When you arrive, please sign in at the office and meet us at the entrance to the dining room at 12:07.
Our lunch period is approximately 20 minutes long. You and your child will dine at one of the guest tables.
SNACK:
We have a short 15 minute snack break every afternoon. Please provide a small, nutritious, self-serve snack for the whole class on your given day. (A snack calendar is in your child’s homework folder.)
Please provide enough snack for every child to enjoy.
Since water is available in the classroom, please do not send in a
drink. We ask that you refrain from sending in cookies, chips, lunchables, candy, or similar snacks. Additionally, please do not send in snacks that need to be refrigerated, heated, or otherwise prepared by an adult. We suggest choosing from the following snacks:
•
• nuts or dried fruit
• pretzels/crackers
• granola bars/low-sugar breakfast bars
Clearly label your child’s snack bag with his/her name. If you are sending lunch with your child, please make sure that snack and lunch are NOT in the same bag. This helps avoid confusion about what is for lunch and what is for snack.
TRANSPORTATION:
Please remember to NOTIFY US IN WRITING if there are changes in the way your child will be going home from school.
Without written instruction from you, we will send your child home or to CKC After school program in the usual manner (we cannot accept verbal changes from your child or a sibling). PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL TRANSPORTATION CHANGES!!!! I
cannot guarantee that I will have an opportunity to check my email prior to dismissal. Additionally, substitutes do not have access to my email account. If a last minute transportation change arises, please call the front office BEFORE1:00 and they will notify us.
If your child participates in any after school activity such as Odyssey of the Mind, clubs, you must write us a note each time informing us that he/she has your permission to stay after school. We do not have schedules for these activities in our classroom and are unable to call you during the day to confirm your child’s participation in these events.
**We have found that is makes everything go smoother if your child uses the same transportation on the first day of school as (s)he will be using the rest of the year. We highly recommend allowing your child to ride the bus to and from school. Not only do the kids ABSOLUETLY LOVE riding the bus, you will avoid the hassle of carpool and your child will ALWAYS arrive on time! If you want to walk your child to the room on the first day, we understand. However, we feel it is best for everyone if you allow your child to walk independently after the first week of school. Independence is an important skill learned in second grade. Don’t forget, your child must be in our classroom by 7:50 to avoid tardiness.
ATTENDANCE:
Your child should be at school every day unless he/she is sick or observing a religious holiday. If you child is sick, or misses school for any reason, please send a note so that we determine if it is an excused or unexcused absence. In accordance with the Lee County School District attendance policy, at 5 absences I will send a note home reminding you of the attendance policy. If your child accumulates 10 absences, you will receive a letter from the office. If your child is out 15 days or more, the school social worker will become involved. If your child is not feeling well, has had a fever during the last 24 hours, or is in any way contagious, PLEASE allow him/her to stay home from school as we want your child and the rest of the class and teacher to stay healthy. If you take your child to the doctor, please ask the doctor for a school excuse note. Please try and refrain from taking
your child out of school to go on family trip as this is not an excused absence.
For more details on the attendance policy and a complete listing of excused absences, please visit
www.leeschools.net/.../Policies%20&%20Procedures/Staff%20Development%20Plan.doc - Supplemental Result
VOLUNTEERS:
We enjoy having our parents come to school to help us learn!
Beginning in September, you will be given the opportunity to sign up to volunteer in our class. A calendar will go home prior to the beginning of the month. Sign up for any/all the times you would like to help. We will work with each of you to get you the times you request. A final schedule will be sent home prior to the beginning of the month. Additionally, you can sign up to help out as a room parent, photo parent, art parent, and/or character education parent. If you are interested, please contact me and I will give you more information. We have had wonderful parent support in years past and I know I can count on you this year! Your help is GREATLY appreciated!
FIELD TRIPS:
Throughout the year, we will schedule trips into the community to enhance our curriculum. Permission slips and cost information will be sent home prior to each trip. Transportation is provided by Lee County school buses. We will let you know as plans are finalized! You will have the opportunity to volunteer to be a chaperone for a field trip. Due to space requirements, the number of chaperones will be limited for each trip. When the field trip permission slip is distributed, if you are interested in chaperoning please let me know as soon as possible. Chaperones will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. If we have more volunteers than spaces, we will take out names of parents who have already chaperoned a trip and then draw names. Please understand that we will make every attempt to give each parent the opportunity to go on at least one trip. Chaperones will be responsible for 3-5 children while we are away from school. Since you will need to devote all of your attention to our students, siblings are not permitted to accompany you. You will be required to ride the bus to and from the site with our class. Additionally, since not all parents can go on every trip, please do not purchase souvenirs, extra activities, food, etc. for your child or any other child in your group. Everything you need will be provided. Thank you for your cooperation.
BIRTHDAYS:
We know how special birthdays are for you and your child. We will recognize birthdays at school in an appropriate manner. Please let us know ahead of time if you wish to send in a special store bought snack for the class on your child’s birthday. Since it will be enjoyed during our regular afternoon snack time, cupcakes and doughnut holes make wonderful treats. Please do not send in cakes. (June – August birthdays will be celebrated on the “half” birthday!). Please DO NOT send any kind of invitation to school for distribution! Thank you for your cooperation.
CLOTHING:
Students are involved in activities that require jumping, running, climbing and the like. Tennis shoes with laces or Velcro closures are required for PE days. Please keep in mind that your child will participate in outdoor activities daily and flip-flops, slip-ons, pumps, clogs, and similar style shoes often pose a danger to your child. Since we try to maximize the time we have, we cannot help your child change shoes for recess or P.E. Therefore, it is best to send your child in shoes that are appropriate for daily recess. In class, students will be cooking, painting, using markers, using glue, working with play dough, and other “messy” stuff. Please select clothing that is both comfortable and appropriate for these activities.
HOMEWORK:
As children enter First Grade, they are eager and ready to learn. Homework lays the foundation for good work habits in later years. Furthermore, positive homework helps establish the home-school connection and involves parents as partners in their child’s daily learning experiences. Beginning in September, your child will receive two sheets of homework daily. One Math and one Reading. Please assist your child in completing these activities each week. In addition, your child is required to read 10 books each month. These books can be read to your child or your child can read the books to you. Please record the titles of the books on the Book List located in a separate homework folder. Occasionally, additional homework may be sent home to complete. It will be placed in front of your child’s Daily Planner and should be completed and returned by the determined date.
MEDIA CENTER:
By now you can probably tell I am a firm believer that children benefit from being surrounded by books. Your child will visit the school Media Center once each week. He/she will be permitted to check out one book during each visit. Please help your child find a safe place to keep his/her library book at home. Please ensure your child returns his/her book each week so that he/she is able to check out a new one.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS:
I’m sure you all can relate to the excitement we all experience when we crack open the spine of a new book. That excitement is amplified for our new readers! Each month, I will send home a catalog (or 2) from Scholastic Book Clubs. This program provides parents an inexpensive way to add books to their children’s home libraries while benefiting our class. With each purchase, our class earns Bonus Points, which can be exchanged for books for our classroom. Take a quick tour of our classroom library and you will see for yourself how beneficial this program has been for our classroom over the years. A more detailed description of the program will be sent home with the first catalog. Please keep in mind that you are under no obligation to purchase materials from Scholastic Book Clubs.
DAILY PLANNER AND HOMEWORK FOLDERS:
Every day, your child will take home a school planner. Inside you will find any important notices, a daily behavior log, and other important information. Please review your child’s folder each day and sign.
IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT ME YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS:
1. Notes: Please place any notes in your child’s planner. This is the easiest way!
2. Email: [email protected] I will check my email daily, but please do not email me if you need an IMMEDIATE response as I often check my mail in the morning and may not get your message until the next school day.
3. Phone 239-542-3551: Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as I can.
BROWN ENVELOPES:
On Friday’s your child will bring home a brown folder home with all of our weekly work. Review work with your child, sign the front of the brown folder and return it every Monday.
OUR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER:
In addition to our class newsletter, our PTO also has a monthly
newsletter, to keep you informed of school-wide activities. This newsletter will also be available online at
http://www.lee.k12.fl.us/schools/cap/Zones/Parents/ParentsInAction/ptohome.htm
DAILY BEHAVIOR PLAN:
As you know, good behavior and learning go hand in hand. During the first few days of school, our class will create a list of simple class rules to make our days at school successful. Because the students are part of the process, it helps to build a sense of ownership. These rules have been established to ensure your child experiences a positive and safe learning environment.
Even at the young age of 5-6, children need to learn the importance of accepting responsibility for their actions. We place more emphasis on positive behaviors than on negative or attention seeking behaviors, by stressing the importance of making good choices. Even so, there are times when some children will need additional support. In our classroom, we keep track of our behavior with a flip-a-chart. Every child has a sleeve with his/her name on it. At the beginning of each day, every child’s cards starts out on green. Our goal is to keep all the cards on green during the day. If a child has difficulty following a rule or directions, (s)he is first given a verbal reminder about the correct behavior along with a strategy for making better choices. If the same child continues to have difficulty later in the day, (s)he is asked to move his/her card to yellow. In sit out of the activity to think about making better choices. The child may be asked to sit out of the activity for a short period to think about his/her actions and ways (s)he can do better or receive a logical consequence for the action. After 3 reminders, the child must move his/her card to the next color, receive a logical consequence. Continued difficulty will be referred to the office, and parents will be called.
DAILY BEHAVIOR REPORT:
Each day you will receive a report about your child’s behavior.
Please reinforce and praise positive behaviors and discuss difficulties with your child.
Please initial and sign the planner and return it to school in the daily.
Please review the Cape Elementary Handbook and the Lee County Handbook for a detailed description of policies and
disciplinary procedures.
FINALLY...
Encourage your child to discuss school activities with you. Talk positively about school. The way your child perceives your feelings about his/her school and teachers will have a direct effect on how (s)he feels about them. We are delighted to have your child in our class and we look forward to working with you to make sure your child starts school on a positive note. We GREATLY appreciate your support and anticipate a fun and successful school year!
