Kindergarten News

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

September is such an exciting time of year for students who are just beginning school and for students returning to Kindergarten. We are looking forward to a wonderful year of learning with your child!

The following are a few suggestions that will help your child establish a routine and adjust to the kindergarten program.

Attendance/Punctuality

It is important to have your child line up outside of our Kindergarten doors at 8:40 a.m. Late entries make it more difficult for your child to settle into the program. If the Kindergarten doors are closed, your child is considered late, and you must bring your child to the office for an admit slip. It is best if you say good-bye to your child at the door and leave quickly, they will be fine once they enter the classroom.

Allergies/ Medical Conditions

Allergies and medical conditions should be brought to the attention of the classroom teacher, the ECE, or the office staff, as soon as possible. Please carefully complete the medical form that you receive from the office and let us know as soon as possible.

Snacks

Each day the children pause in their busy school routine for a morning and afternoon snack break. Snacks are not provided. Please send 2 nutritious snacks which your child can manage by him/herself and which does not require any further preparation. Fruits, vegetables, crackers and cheese, for example, are excellent choices. Please do not send chocolates, gum, candies, cola or pop. Snack time is brief, so please send a very small amount of food. One apple is usually what a child can eat in ten to fifteen minutes. No peanuts, nuts or snacks that contain nuts are allowed at Brimwood School. Store bought snacks must contain the no nut sign on the packaging.

For the safety of all children, please make sure that no glass containers or cans with sharp edges (i.e. fruit cocktail cans) are sent to school. Please note that that forks and spoons are not provided by the school. Practice with your child to make sure that they can open the containers and close them independently.

Lunch (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

All students eat lunch in the classroom. There is only one lunch room supervisor and we ask for your cooperation in having your child go home for lunch if there is an adult at home during lunch time. Children staying for lunch are to be picked up at their Kindergarten doors at 11:30 a.m. promptly and brought back to their Kindergarten doors by 12:30 p.m. Please do not visit your child at lunch, if you are available at lunch, then please take them home to eat their lunch.

Children who need to stay for lunch eat their lunch at 11:30 – 12:00 noon. After they eat, they are supervised at play outside by the Kindergarten lunch supervisors. Please note that there are no refrigerators, no microwaves, and no utensils available to children who stay for lunch. We ask that your child bring his/her lunch in a plastic, reusable container and/or an easily opened thermos – all in a lunch bag. No glass containers or plastic bags, please. Brimwood is an Eco-school, and we adhere to litterless lunches (no garbage) and “boomerang lunches” (organic wastes go back home to be placed in your green bins). It is a good idea to pack and extra spoon/fork in your child’s backpack for those times when you may forget.

Clothing

Please mark all outerwear (shoes, hats, coats, etc.) with your child’s name. It is impossible to distinguish between unlabeled items which are the same colour and size. As well, please label any other belongings for easy identification (i.e. knapsacks, snack containers, etc.).

During gym classes, rubber soled running shoes are required to prevent slipping on the gym floor. These shoes will also be used in the classroom daily and kept at school. If your child is not able to tie shoelaces, please send shoes with velcro fasteners or slip-on running shoes to make your child more independent.

Also, please send an extra set of clothing (labelled), which will be kept in your child’s cubby, in case of any washroom or water centre accidents. Try putting an extra set of pants, underwear, socks and a shirt in the plastic bag in case of emergencies.

Backpacks

Please send a backpack everyday and check it at night for notes. The backpack should be large enough to hold over-sized library books and special creations. We use the Very Important Folder to send home notes, please make sure to return it the next day.

Easing School Transitions

Transitions can bring excitement, uncertainty and stress for both children and their parents. As a parent, keep a positive and relaxed attitude. At drop off time, say a quick and happy goodbye and leave quickly to minimize tears.

Paint

You will soon be aware (or already are) of our Painting Activity Centre. The tempera paint we use at school can be removed from clothing with cold water and mild soap (dish detergent, or a bar of hand soap). The children use aprons when painting, but paint may still get on their clothing.

Library Books

Beginning in October, Kindergarten children will be permitted to take home one library book each week. Please read with your child and help him or her to remember to return the books weekly and to take good care them.

Birthdays

On the school day closest to their birthday, the children will have “Happy Birthday” sung to them by the class and will receive a birthday pencil. You are NOT required to send anything special with your child on this day. Due to medical and religious restrictions, we ask that no food products be sent to school. If you wish to send a “treat”, you may send in non-food items such as pencils, or erasers, or stickers, and we will distribute them at the end of the day.

Home Time

Preparing to go home is a very busy time in the Kindergarten classroom. You can help by teaching your child to put on and remove his/her own coat, sweater, boots, shoes, snow pants, mittens etc. This will enable your child to feel a sense of independence and facilitate dismissal.

Dismissal

The children will be dismissed at 3:15 p.m. Please make every effort to be on time. Please carefully complete the form sent home, indicating who has authority to pick up your child from school. If someone other than those listed on this form is picking up your child, we must be notified in person, by note or a phone call prior to pick up, and this person must show photo identification. Whoever picks up your child is asked to wait outside the Kindergarten doors until the children are dismissed.

Students are asked not to leave the school until the teacher has made contact with the person picking up the child on that day. Please ensure that your child follows this rule for safety reasons and everyone’s peace of mind.

Sniffle Season

If your child is feeling unwell, especially with a fever or cough, please do not send your child to school. We all love school and don’t want to get sick. None of us want to miss school! Please send a box of tissues (Kleenex) with your child, to be used in the classroom.

Thank you very much for your cooperation in these matters. Please do not hesitate to contact us at school (416) 396-6085 if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mrs. S. Miranda and Mrs. Q. Feng