Absences
Daily attendance is extremely important, and we expect students to be in school every day. Students must be present at 10:00 am to be counted present for the day. When your child is going to be absent, please call the school office to let us know. Send a note with your child when he/she returns to school, or e-mail the attendance clerk explaining the reason and date of the absence. When going to an appointment, please remember to bring a note back from the doctor/dentist.
Art
Our amazing art teacher is Mrs. Bumpous. Students will see her on Thursday to learn about and create art.
Assessments
A variety of assessment tools are used though out the year to determine the level of mastery of skills. Not all assessments are formal. Observation is one way to measure, but we also utilize DRA and AIMS web to track student achievement.
Attendance
A successful school experience is the responsibility of the child, the parents, 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 critical.
Backpacks
Backpacks help your child carry folders, notes, projects, and books to and from school. Your child will be expected to empty their backpacks each morning. Please make sure the backpack is big enough to hold at least a regular size of paper.
Behavior
Talking with your child about their day makes them understand your expectations for school behavior as well.
Students will to earn behavior tickets for any positive behavior. Tickets can be earned for following directions quickly or helping a friend with a task. They can be earned as a group or on an individual basis. Rewarding good behavior which allows attention to be given to the desired behaviors. Tickets can also be taken away if needed, but I'd much rather give golden tickets. At the end of the week students count their tickets for reward time for Winning Behavior. Those with the most tickets will get to choose first and on down the line.
Birthdays
When your child’s birthday arrives, please feel free to bring or send in cookies or brownies to share with the class. Please no cupcakes or cake. Do not worry if your child’s birthday is in the summer…we will celebrate those birthdays during May.
Book orders
I will be sending book orders home every month in Friday Folders. Please take advantage of the reasonable prices and high interest books to continue building your child’s library at home. There will be two different book orders that come home. Feel free to order from one or both using just one check or using the classroom code L7TXC order online by clicking on the banner in this section. The books usually arrive within two weeks from the order due date.
Communication
To stay informed with what your child is learning throughout the year you will receive our class newsletter which will inform you with what your child will be learning about in the upcoming week. In addition you we will "Tweet" happenings going on in class. If you sign up on Remind you can receive text messages for quick reminders: To sign up for 2014-2015 Kindergarten notifications, please visit https://www.remind.com/join/kches2015
Also this blog offers a window into our classroom.
Remember to keep asking your child daily about what he/she is learning in school. Communication is a vital tool to your child’s success.
Conferences
Parent conferences will be scheduled at the end of the first six week grading period. Conferences are scheduled throughout the year by the teacher or the parent to review progress as needed.
Counselor
Ms. Coleman is our school counselor. She meets with students as a class every other week. Her lessons focus on academic, personal and social skills, such as listening,following directions, cooperation, friendship, bullying, trustworthiness and so much more!
Dismissal
School ends at 2:40. Students are walked to buses, YMCA comes to our hallway to pick up all YMCA kindergarten students or come out to the front of the school when called to be picked up by vehicles.
Donations
Our class is always in need of supplies for projects, and to create new activities for hands on use. See our Wish List or visit Donors Choose to help fund specific projects. My project I submitted this summer got funded and is being shipped the first week of school. I'll be making a new one soon.
DRA
This is one of the reading assessments we use to find the reading level of our students. I will share with you data collected from this reading assessment.
The best way to reach me is by email. Please allow twenty-four hours for a response. My email address is williamsj@hayscisd.net
Field Trips
We will be attending a field trip sometime during the school year. We will notify you as soon as our field trip for this year has been scheduled. Last year we went to a play in the fall and to Sea World on charter buses in the spring!
Field Day
This occurs in late spring. More information will be coming closer to May from the coaches.
Fire Drills
Fire drills are held on a monthly basis throughout the year. All students will participate and are expected to walk quickly and quietly to our designated exit.
Friday Folder
Every Friday your child will also bring home a Friday Folder. Inside this folder you will find notes from the office, any notes about upcoming events, a weekly newsletter, snack calendars, and some of your child’s school work. Please return any notes/ permission slips in this folder. This folder should be returned on Monday morning.
Grading Policy
Hands-on Learning
The best way to help children learn is to make activities fun. Important concepts can be learned by doing meaningful hands-on activities. There are times when seat work at the tables is required and necessary, but for the most part, our classrooms will be active learning environments.
Independence
Independence is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. Kindergartners are very capable of doing many things on their own and we encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. Please continue to work on zipping and tying skills. Also, we expect them to be carrying in their own backpacks every morning. We practice how to hang them up on the hook and how to hang their coats or sweaters over them once it gets chilly outside. These are skills that must be taught and practiced. Thanks for your support.
Internet Usage
Kindergartners will have many opportunities to use the internet and technology. They will go the computer lab one time a week during special areas with Mrs. Donovan on Wednesday and we also have computers in our classroom to utilize.
Journal
Kindergarten students write and draw their thoughts and problem solving in journals on a regular basis.
Joyful Learning
Children learn best when they are feeling loved and encouraged to try new things. Our classrooms build a feeling a mutual respect, being risk-takers, and supporting each other even when we make mistakes. Happy faces are so important!
Kindness
Students in our classrooms are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class, as well as others in society, with kindness and respect. Bothering others, bullying, and interrupting learning will not be permitted.
Label
Please label all articles of clothing, backpacks, and lunch boxes with your child’s name. Many articles of clothing wind up in the lost and found each year because many look alike. Labeled items get returned quickly! .
Library Mrs. Massey is our librarian. She presents lessons to our students about books, illustrators, authors and how to use the library during our weekly time on TBD 2014-15 time. Library books need to be returned weekly. We will not check out books for the first few weeks as we first practice using the library.
Literacy Students will work on many literacy skills to become readers this year. They will read in small groups and individually with the teacher and other students. They will use hands on activities to work with letters and sounds.
Lost and Found
The lost and found is located at the end of the 2nd grade hallway.
Lunch Information
Students may bring their lunch from home or purchase one from the cafeteria.
When sending money for the cafeteria always send with first and last name as well as lunch account number to ensure it get deposited into the correct account. You may also manage money to your child’s lunch account using a site provided by the cafeteria. You will need your child’s ID #.
Mascot
We have a class mascot Rose who is a miniature schnauzer. I am sure you will hear about her and the adventures she has. Each weekend, I will send her home with a student, along with a few books about her. Please enjoy your special visitor and send her back on Monday. As a family journal about your time spent. More information will be coming home.
Math
Number concepts are built though songs, hands on activities, videos and whole body movements to mean to many styles of learners in our classroom community. Count with your child often to 100 please.
Music
Mrs. Gandy is our Music teacher our students will see on Monday to study the elements of music.
Nurse
Parties
We will have three school parties throughout the year (Christmas, Valentine’s, and End of the Year). Information will come to you as the times draw nearer. Please know that in order for the parties to happen, we will need volunteers to set up for the party as well as provide items, such as paper goods, food, etc. Myself or an assigned Room Parent will send out a sign up for help with set up, clean up and actual items.
PE
Students are required to wear athletic shoes on PE Days. Our coaches names are Coach Mangram her PE Coaching Assistant Coach Castille. They promote healthy living and teach students many amazing skills to live active life styles. We have PE twice a week on Tuesday and Friday day.
PTA
We have an amazing PTA at Carpenter Hill. I encourage all parents to join and participate in our PTA activities. They offer a variety of ways to stay informed. Please visit their website.
Questions
Send me a note or email. Please let me know if you have a question or concern as soon as you feel the need. We can also schedule a meeting in person or on the phone afterschool or during my conference period.
Read
The best way to help your children succeed in school is to read to them every night. Read in front of your student to make them see you as a reader as well. Read anything and everything from street signs to cereal boxes. Bring the awareness of print.
Recess
We have recess daily for 20 minutes. In the beginning of the year we might break this up into two 10 minute sections with one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This depends on the needs of our students and the availability of the playground. We do many brain breaks to help keep focus and break up the day with a good wiggle.
Report cardsSkill Books as they are called in Kindergarten will show the progress of your child has made on the skills taught that far. They will sent home at the end of each nine week grading period.
Schedule
Routines and procedures are extremely important in kindergarten. Therefore, we usually try our best to stick with the daily schedule so the children know what’s expected.
Science
Some of the topics we will be learning about will be how to be environmental responsible, matter and energy, force and motion, exploring earth materials, weather, explore space, needs of organisms in science through observation, discussion and hands on experimentation.
Sleep
5 and 6 year old children get an average of 10-11 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep makes ready minds at school and easier mornings getting ready prior to coming to school.
Snack
I will begin sending home a monthly snack calendar. The calendar will indicate the day in which your child may choose to bring snack for the class. It is very helpful if snacks are in prepackaged individual sized bags or placed into small Ziploc bags. This makes the distribution of snack much less time consuming. I will send a snack box home the night before with your child and it will come back to school the following day with our snack inside.
Social Studies
We will learn how to create a community and what it means to be part of a community in Social Studies.
Special Areas
During the teacher conference period students go to "Special Areas" for PE, Art, Music or Technology depending on the day of the week.
School Supply List
Hays CISD has a standardized school supply list. Please note many of the items will become community use with the exception of the school box or scissors. Folders and Spirals should be solid colors. We put labels across the fronts, so the cute designs are covered.
Tardie
It is very important that your child make it to school on time. If they arrive after 7:40 they will have to stop by the office for a tardy slip. Conic tardies do have consiquences such as lunch detention, parent meetings with the office and even home visits from the school district.
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