Weller Elementary School1630 N. Weller Ave.

Springfield, MO 65803

School Website http://weller.spsk12.org/pages/Weller_Elementary_School

Dr. Rebecca Donaldson,

Mrs. Gentry,

Office: 417-523-1900

Springfield Public Schoolshttp://www.springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/

Mrs. EllisRoom 142

Voicemail: 417-523-1900E-mail: psellis@spsmail.org

Class Website: http://psellis.weebly.com

2015-2016 Kindergarten Handboo

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Dear Parents,

As the school year begins, I would like to give a big warm welcome to my new students. I am excited to have the chance to get to know you and your child this year. I have a lot of great things planned for our time together and can't wait to see the kids' improvement throughout the year.

The purpose of this handbook is to familiarize you with our kindergarten classroom expectations and to provide information such as our class schedule, rules, discipline, etc. To help ensure a successful school experience, students need to be aware of and understand all classroom policies and procedures. Please read through the handbook and use the last page to note any questions and/or concerns you may have. Sign the last page and return it to me as soon as possible. Save the remainder of the packet for future reference.

Open House will take place September 15th from 5:30-7:00 P.M. I hope to see you there! This is a great opportunity for you to visit our classroom and for me to address any questions or concerns you may have. If you cannot make it, I will send the necessary information home with your child. I’m looking forward to an amazing year with my class. Thank you in advance for your support!

Sincerely,Mrs. Ellis

WELCOME

Basic InformationSchool Hours ~ 8:30 A.M. – 3:35 P.M.

Arrival - Do not drop students off before 8:20 A.M. unless they are enrolled in Primetime. Walkers and car riders will enter through the doors by the cafeteria at the south end of the building. The main entrance at the front of the building is for bus riders ONLY. Students will report to the cafeteria where teachers and other staff members on duty will ensure that your child gets to his/her destination safely. Breakfast is served in the classroom. If your child is eating breakfast, he/she should be at school NO LATER THAN 8:30 to have time to eat. There is no cost for breakfast but students must be here on time to eat breakfast. Classroom learning begins promptly at 8:50 A.M. Please do not come to the classroom with your child. This makes separation more difficult. Give hugs, encouraging words and say good-bye in the cafeteria. (You may come on the first day!)

Dismissal – The Weller school day concludes at 3:35 P.M. Dismissing an entire school of children is not an easy task. We ask that you please be patient and courteous. To ensure the safety of our students, we ask that everyone follow these rules:

CAR RIDERS – Parent/guardian drives through the car rider line. (Please stay in your vehicle.) Students go to the cafeteria and exit through the south door. Teachers walk students to cars. Please be patient…It can be a little hectic the first few days. PARENT PICK-UP – Parents walk their children home or choose not to go through the car rider line. Students go to the hallway outside the office and parents pick up students outside the building under the awning. A teacher will call each student to be released to the appropriate person. Again, please be patient; we strive to keep all of ourstudents safe. BUS RIDERS/ BOYS & GIRLS CLUB – Students will go to the gym. When busesarrive, students will be escorted out the main doors. Please do not park in thebus lane or on the east side of the street.WALKERS – Students line up in the main hallway. Teachers will lead students outthe ramp door and take them to the crosswalk. Please do not cross anywhere otherthan the crosswalk.

If you need to pick your child up early from school, please go to the office and sign

him/her out.

AttendanceRegular attendance is VERY important to your child’s learning. Please make sure your child arrives to school on time. When students areabsent, late, or leave early, they miss out on valuable information. Pleasetry to keep vacations to weekends and holidays, if possible. So many

things in kindergarten cannot be “made up” if they are missed. There are hands-on activities each day that will not be repeated.

With that said, kids are kids and sometimes they get sick…or you do! Sometimes there are personal situations, doctor or dentist visits that cannot be avoided. If your childis absent for any reason please call the Weller office. If your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease (such as strep throat or pink eye), please inform me so that I can notify the school nurse and watch for other students who may be exhibiting similar symptoms. A child with a fever cannot return to school until he/she has been fever-free for 24 hours

without the use of fever-reducing medicine.

Tardies – Instructional time begins promptly at 8:50 A.M. Doors will be locked for safety and any child that arrives after that time is required to enter through the office and obtain a tardy pass.

Changes in TransportationIf any changes occur regarding your child’s transportation, please notify us in

writing or call the front office and ask them to notify me. Do not leave a

message on my voice mail. I don’t always have time to listen to my voice

mails before the end of the day. We will not release children to anyone

who is not on your permission form unless you have authorized a change

and designated person must show identification!

MedicationPlease see the school nurse ASAP to ensure that your child has the medications he/she needs. Under NO circumstances is medication allowed in the classroom; this includes cough drops. If a child is seen with any form of medication, it falls under the no tolerance policy.

Sending MOney

F ield TripsSeveral on/off campus field trips are being planned that are both fun and educational for the children. Notes about field trips will be sent home several weeks prior to the trip.

When sending money to school with your child, PLEASE include a note that lets me know what the money is for (lunch, book order, field trip, etc.). Checks for book orders need to be made out to Scholastic. Anything else should be made out to Weller Elementary unless otherwise noted.

Parent-Teacher Communication

School is fun and exciting and sometimes we spill, tear, or have an accident. I suggest keeping an extra set of clothes (weather appropriate) in your child’s backpack each day.

Book OrdersThe best way to help children learn to read is by giving them wonderful books at their very own reading level. Providing your child with books will boost his/her confidence and help develop reading skills. A great way to provide your child with books is through the Scholastic reading program. Scholastic offers the lowest prices available and shipping is FREE! I will send our first flyers home in September along with our class code and directions for placing an order.

Volunteering at WellerWe always have lots of opportunities for you to get involved in your child’s education! The children love having visitors in the classroom and it gives you the chance to get a glimpse at how our classroom runs. Volunteering can be done a number of ways and does not require you to come into the classroom if you do not have time! If you have certain things you would like to do that is fine, or if you just want to help with whatever I need the most that is fine too! Volunteers help with a number of things such as making copies, cutting, stapling, working with small groups or planning special events, etc. If you do not have time to come into our classroom you can also be an at home volunteer and will be sent an envelope with directions and materials for a simple project that can be completed at home and returned with your child. Any time you are interested in volunteering either on a regular basis or randomly when you have extra time just contact me and we can work something out!

Name TagsKeeping track of your child is an enormous responsibility that I do not take lightly. To deter any mix-ups, every student will receive a backpack tag on the first day of school. It will note how your child goes home from school (i.e.; car rider, walker, parent pick-up, after-school program, bus #, etc.). Tags need to remain on your child’s backpack every day for the entire school year to ensure substitute teachers and other staff members on campus can assist students in getting to their designated dismissal areas. Please let me know if the tag falls off or gets lost and I will put on a new one.

Extra Clothing

A key component to your child’s educational success is the home/school

connection. It is important for us to work together to give your child the

greatest opportunities to excel. Conferences are held in November; however, I am

always happy to discuss any concerns or answer your questions. Please feel free to

contact me by telephone at 417-523-1900 or by e-mail at psellis@spsmail.org. You

may also write a note and put it in your child’s Daily Take-Home Folder.

Classroom WebsiteOur classroom website is a great resource designedto keep our students’ families involved in our day-to-day activities. I hope you’ll check it out regularly to see what your child is learning in school. T he websitewill also feature student work, a calendar with upcoming classroom events, photos, and much more.

http://psellis.weebly.com

Classroom Newslet terThe classroom newsletter will be sent home every Friday. Please be sure to read these! They will include any important information about what is happening during the following week, what your child will be learning, upcoming classroom events, and other information. Along with the newsletter, I may attach additional important papers so be sure to look at these as well!

Library

Please read the parent page (at the back of this handbook) carefully. Itincludes a statement about your child’s work being posted on our website. Ifyou wish for your child’s name, picture or work to NOT be posted on thewebsite, be sure to mark as such. If you are okay with part of theirinformation being posted (ex: name and work but no pictures) please writethat on the form.

We will visit the library every week. Students may check out one book at a time. Please make sure your child returns his/her book. He/Shewill not be able to check out another book until it is returned.

CurriculumOur kindergarten day includes the following subject areas: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, Art, Music, Computers, and P.E. We also implement the Continuous Classroom Improvement Model. This means that each week students will have a goal to successfully meet to ensure continual growth and success in kindergarten.

Fostering IndependenceThis is a very transitional year for your child. I hope to help you in building an independent and responsible student. For this reason, I ask that you help your child organize and pack his/her backpack. I want your child to get into the habit of packing up materials, putting papers in folders and caring for materials. Please have your child be responsible for doing these tasks and carrying his/her own backpack to school.

Star Student

Birthdays are always exciting in kindergarten! Students may bring in treats to share; however, they must be store-bought and meet the district’s nutrition guidelines. Cookies and cupcakes will no longer be allowed. You can find a list of suggested snack items included in this packet. Students are welcome to bring in stickers, pencils, erasers, etc. as an alternative to cookies or cupcakes. I will send home a note to inform you of how many students we currently have in our class. It’s always good to send one extra for a new student. Students with summer birthdays may choose a day in May tocelebrate. Please advise me in advance if you plan to send in birthday snacks. (I try to schedule your monthly snack day on or close to your birthday.)

***When inviting students to birthday parties outside of school, we will not pass out invitations during the school day unless you are inviting the entire class. If you are inviting “boys only” or “girls only” or just a few select children, please put invitations in your child’s folder and I will send the invitations home in those children’s folders to avoid any hurt feelings .

Share BagYour child will be bringing home a “share bag” during the week they are assigned as our Star Student. Help them pick out something from home that they would like to share with our class. Please do not allow your child to bring in anything breakable or of significant value. The Star Student keeps the item hidden and gives two clues to describe the item. The class then tries to guess what is in the share bag. We use this to help students understand descriptive words which will help them later with their creative writing. Please help your child come up with 2-3 words such as color, texture, etc. You may even want to write down the words for them.

Students are not allowed to bring toys to school (unless it is in the share bag). This is a school policy.

Toys

Every student in our class will get the opportunity to be our

“Star Student” for a week. I will send a poster home the

week prior to his/her turn. I encourage parents, siblings,

and other family members to help complete the poster. Children

enjoy sharing their favorite ‘things’ with their classmates.

Students may also bring pictures from home to share. Our

Star Student will get to bring home the share bag, too.

Birthdays

LunchOur scheduled lunch time is 11:25 A.M. The cost

for lunch is $2.45; the reduced price is $.40. You

may obtain a free and reduced lunch form in the

office. Lunch menus are available on the

district’s website.

SnacksI will send home a snack calendar each month. Look for your child’s name. You may send snacks in on your designated day or on the first Monday of the month, whichever is best for you. Please provide enough healthy snacks for everyone. I’ve included a list of healthy snack suggestions from our district’s wellness policy. Snacks should be quick and easy to clean up. Please let me know ASAP if your child has any food allergies.

Snack Items in Compliance with SPS Wellness Policy(NO PEANUTS OR ANY ITEMS WITH PEANUT PRODUCTS, due to allergies.)

Trail Mix

Vegetable Juice (V8, etc.)

Dried Fruits

Yogurt Tubes & Cups

Graham Crackers

Nutri-Grain Twists

Low-Fat Muffins

Low-Fat Puddings

Fig Newtons

Yogurt Parfait Banana Splits

Cereal Bars

Frozen Fruits (many choices)

Fresh Vegetables (carrots, celery, etc.)

Raisins

Granola

Fruit Popsicles

Kellogg Special K Bar (Blueberry)

100% Fruit Juices

Oberto Beef Jerky

Sun Chips (Original or Harvest Cheddar)

Rold Gold Pretzels (Thin)

Granola Bar (Chewy Chocolate Chip or Chewy

Raisin)

Nutri-Grain Yogurt Bar (Strawberry or Vanilla)

Quaker Quakes Cheddar Cheese

Garden Burger (Santa Fe Burger)

Snapple 100% Juice Drink

Chex Mix (Traditional)

Gogurt Yogurt Push-Up

Yogurt

Parents may use MealPayPlus on the district website to pay for school

lunches in advance. You may also pay in the school cafeteria.

Homework/Goal FolderStudents will bring home a Daily Take-Home Folder eachnight and return with it each day. The left side of the folder will contain papers that you may keep at

home. The right side of the folder is designated for items that need to be returned to school. The Daily Take-Home Folder will stay inside students’ Goal Folders along with homework and a pencil pouch for supplies.

The purpose of homework is to reinforce skills your child is learning in the classroom. The first few weeks of school, we will focus on routines and writing our first names. Beginning in September, after beginning-of-year assessments are completed, we will start sending home differentiated homework. What that means is that students will have different homework based on their own individual needs. All students are expected to read a minimum of 15 minutes each night.

School-Wide Discipline PoliciesStudents are expected to respect the rights of others and to conduct themselves in a safe and orderly fashion. Their behavior should be such that it does not promote harm to themselves or to others. At Weller we stress P.R.I.D.E. behavior (Politeness, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Effort). Teachers nominate students who demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. behavior on a consistent basis. Once nominated, students must maintain P.R.I.D.E. behavior every day for a month. Students who show P.R.I.D.E. behavior on a consistent basis will be honored as P.R.I.D.E. Panthers with their handprints on the P.R.I.D.E. Panther Banner and a large photo on display in our hallways for all to see and celebrate. They also receive P.R.I.D.E. Panther t-shirts to wear at our weekly P.R.I.D.E. celebrations when we celebrate students making good choices. We have additional positive reinforcements at Weller including “Caught Being Good” certificates where students are recognized by teachers and the principal. Students take their certificates to the office where our principal, Dr. Donaldson, acknowledges their good behavior. Students put their certificates in a box for a chance at getting their names drawn for prizes each morning. We also have our Cents of P.R.I.D.E. store where students can earn P.R.I.D.E. Bucks for displaying appropriate behavior. Our class will visit the store once each month.

At Weller we want to focus on positive things taking place and acknowledge what students are doing right. However, if a child should choose to have “hands-on” or “words-on,” there are consequences and they will have to fill out a “Think Sheet” that must be signed by a parent. They will not be allowed to attend the next P.R.I.D.E. Celebration. They will also lose their P.R.I.D.E. Bucks for that week.

If a student’s behavior is continually disruptive and/or disrespectful, parents will be informed and asked to work with the school toward a positive solution.

Classroom Management Each student has his/her name on a clothespin. Students start each day on “On the Red Carpet” and will move their clips up or down throughout the day depending on the choices they make.

Students will move up for positive things such as: helping, sharing, participating in classroom discussions, being a role model, etc.

Students will move down for things such as: not following directions the first time, not listening, being disrespectful, displaying inappropriate classroom behavior, etc.

We also use punch cards (stars) for students to keep track of their behavior. In order to earn their stars, students must be on “On the Red Carpet!” or higher on the clip chart at the end of the day. Students below “On the Red Carpet” will not earn a star that day.

After their cards are full, they can look through the Prize Pass Catalog for a prize {such as No Homework, Show & Share, Stinky Feet, etc...}. When they have decidedon a prize, I initial and pass out a coupon that they canUse whatever day they would like.

This year, the kindergarten teachers are trying a new classroom management tool called ClassDojo. ClassDojo is a web based program which allows teachers AND parents to track students’ behaviors (positive AND negative) easily and efficiently. The program is based on points, and students can be given positive points for things like being on task, being respectful, participating, or working hard. On the other hand, points can be taken away if students are off task, talking out, or unprepared. Our goal is to fully implement the program right away, but please bear with us as we are learning as we go!

After students have been added to the system, there is a student access code we will give to each student so that they can log on to the website. On the site, they are able to see how many points they have, which positive behaviors were noted, and which negative behaviors they need to work on. Quarterly, students will be able to “cash in” on their points for different prizes and coupons.

One of the greatest features of ClassDojo is that it allows us to send parents a “behavior and skills report” e-mail. All you need to do is use the parent access code to get signed up. Our hope is that this will help you better understand the progress of your student’s behavior on a week-to-week basis.

Weller School-Wide Expectations

Bathroom Expectations• Level 0 voice• Flush & wash• Keep to yourself• Return to class

Playground Expectations• Be safe and polite in play areas• Keep hands and body to self• Invite others to play• Listen & respond to teachers on duty

Hallway Expectations• Level 0 voice• Face forward• Hands to self• Walking feet• Right side of hall• Tight line

Arrival Expectations• Be on time and ready to learn• Level 0 voice• Sit on your pockets• Criss-cross legs• Stay in line• Walking feet

Dismissal Expectations• Walk to dismissal area• Level 0 voice• Sit on your pockets• Criss-cross legs• Stay in line• Hands to self• Backpack on back

Lunchroom Expectations

Choosing Food & Waiting• Level 0 voice• Walking feet• Keep a tile between each person• Milk in hand or on tray• Choose quickly• Take only 2 napkins

Line Expectations• Walking feet• Keep a tile between each person• Level 0 voice

Eating Expectations• Facing tray• Sitting on pockets• Hands and feet to self• Use polite manners• Level 2 voice

Empty Trays• Empty silverware softly• Dump tray in trash politely• Stack tray matching shapes

Pick-Up Expectations• Sitting on pockets• Criss-cross legs• Hands to self• Face forward• Level 0 voice

We want everyone to be safe on our campus. Please look over the school-wide expectations included in this packet. Discuss them with your child and see that he/she understands their importance. An infraction could result in the loss of recess from a teacher or monitor on duty. FYI: We have wood chips on our playground; therefore, close-toe shoes are recommended in lieu of flipflops or sandals.

PARENTS, please read through our classroom handbook. It contains valuable information about my expectations, how my room will be run, and other useful information. After reading the handbook, please sign and date below then return this page to me. You may keep the handbook at home for future reference.

Child’s Name ____________________________________________

Parent Name ____________________________________________

Parent Signature _________________________________________

Date ___________________________________________________

_____ I give permission for my child to have his/her name, picture, and class work posted on the classroom website.

_____ I give permission for my child to have ONLY SOME information posted on the classroom website. Please list what is okay to post on the website.

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____ I wish for my child to NOT have anything posted on the classroom website.