August 20, 2009
Dear Kindergarten Families,
Welcome to kindergarten! As the school year quickly approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Lowell School and share our ideas and thoughts about the upcoming school year. We look forward to spending the year with you as we work together to support your students’ learning.
It is our goal, as teachers, to create balanced classrooms that support each student’s learning and growth. In an effort to do so, we have created a “flexible placement” plan for the beginning of the school year. Our goal is to meet and get to know each student before placing them in a permanent classroom. During the first two days of school, the kindergarten teachers plan to share the instruction of kindergarteners, sometimes teaching them all together and sometimes in smaller groups while we determine a good classroom fit for each child. On the back of this letter, you can find an outline of the first two days of school which better explains what will happen during the “flexible placement” process. Your student will be given a tentative class placement following school on Thursday, September 3rd. Following the third Friday count on September 18th, we will have our class lists finalized.
At this time, due to enrollment numbers, we have not confirmed if we will have four or five kindergarten classrooms. As we learn more about our enrollment during the first three weeks of school, we will update you on the likelihood of a fifth kindergarten classroom being formed.
You should find, clipped to this letter, a colored wristband for your kindergartner. Please have your student wear their wristband to school both Tuesday and Wednesday. We would greatly appreciate it if you could leave it on for both days. The kindergarten teachers will remove students’ wristbands as tentative classes are assigned after the first two days of school. This will help us group students for activities during the time they will be together. For the first two days of school students will line up according to the color of their wristband. By the playground doors, you will find painted numbers. Students will line up on the following numbers according to their wristband: Red-216, Yellow-100, Green-122, and Blue-116.
We have included an initial supply list in your student’s registration folder. On Friday, September 4th, once students have been placed in tentative classrooms, a more specific supply list will come home. Please DO NOT bring any supplies or backpacks to school until Thursday.
We would like to thank you in advance for your patience and support throughout the school year. We look forward to seeing you on the first day of school. In addition, we would like to invite families to the parent breakfast sponsored by the Lowell School and Home Association (LHSA). This will take place Tuesday morning, the first day of school, while your student attends breakfast in the cafeteria (kindergarten breakfast time 7:45-8:00). We are very much looking forward to working with you as we enter another wonderful year in kindergarten.
Sincerely,
The Lowell Kindergarten Teachers
Edie Mileham, Joe Martin, Ebby Melahn, and Kendra Noll
Flexible Kindergarten Schedule
Here is an outline of the activities that will take place during the first two days of kindergarten. We will keep a very similar schedule for both days.
· Community Breakfast
· “What to Expect in Kindergarten” discussions
· Physical activities such as “Simon Says”
· Story time
· School Tours
o Students will learn where the following rooms are: cafeteria, main office, nurse’s office, music room, gym, art room, library, and computer lab.
· Snack and Recess
· Centers: Students will rotate to each kindergarten classroom and work with each teacher. During centers, students will work on cutting, name-writing, number work, and alphabet activities
· Lunch
· Free choice/ play time: Students can explore activities such as: building with blocks, Legos, games, puzzles, art, dramatic play, and puppets.
Kindergarten Supply List
Here is a list of general supplies that EVERY kindergartener will need. We will send a more class-specific list once class lists are finalized. Please wait to send kindergarten supplies until Thursday when students will be in semi-finalized classrooms.
Community Materials (do NOT label with a name):
· 2 sets of Crayola (or other good quality) markers
· 12 regular yellow pencils (please pre-sharpen)
· 1 box Kleenex
· 3 boxes of healthy snack-we’ll ask for more in the newsletter as it is needed
· A package of zipper bags:
o families of a girl kindergartner: gallon-size
o families of a boy kindergartner: quart-size
Personal Materials (DO label with your child’s name)
· Art smock-and old adult t-shirt works best
· Backpack: large-sized to accommodate a big folder easily, but with no wheels as these do not fit in lockers well
· Spare set of clothes-– put in a plastic bag and labeled with your child’s name. Be sure to include spare underwear, pants and socks, although a full set of clothes is even better. (Spills and other accidents can happen to anyone!) You may wish to change the clothes in this bag seasonally so they are temperature-appropriate.
· Gym shoes (optional)- in case you are prone to forget sneakers on gym days
Thanks for your flexibility with our supply list!