Welcome to Morse Elementary Kindergarten! We hope this handbook will answer any questions you may have about our program. Please keep it handy for future reference. If you need assistance with anything feel free to contact us. We are thrilled to have your child with us and are looking forward to a super year!

Morse Office Staff

Principal: Steve Frazell, sdfrazell@bluevalleyk12.org, or

239-6800

Secretaries: Jeanene Brake and Lisa Barrett

Kindergarten Teachers

Juli Bell	jabell@bluevalleyk12.org

Anne Knapp aknapp@bluevalleyk12.org

Bailey Riggs briggs@bluevalleyk12.org

Christy Rottinghaus crottinghaus@bluevalleyk12.org

A

Absences: Please call the attendance line (239-6805) to report your child’s absence.

Allergies: If you have not done so already, please inform the nurse of any allergies your child may have. We are a peanut free school. Please refer to the snack list when bringing food to school.

Alphabet: WE teach/review the alphabet on an “as needed” basis. Early in the year, most children need assistance with lower-case letter identification. When letter-naming fluency is assessed, the alphabet is presented in a mixed up order, not sequentially.

Arrival/Dismissal: AM Kindergarten hours are 8:35-11:45. PM Kindergarten runs from 12:30 until 3:35. Full day Kindergarten hours are 8:35-3:35. Please refer to the car-line “map” for drop-off and pick-up procedures.

At PM dismissal, younger siblings will wait with older siblings or carpoolers in the appropriate sections along the drive. The kindergarten carpool line is in the middle of the sidewalk closest to the front doors.

***It is important to have your child at school on time. If your child arrives at school in the morning prior to 8:25, he/she must wait in gym or the vestibule by the kindergarten door. The west side door will be opened at 12:25 for PM Kindergarten. Thanks so much for your cooperation!

Art: The children will attend Art class on ‘B’ special day. Our art teacher is Ms. Schremmer.

Attendance: Regular school attendance will greatly enhance your child’s academic and social experience. If your child is ill, has a medical appointment, or is to be out of town, please let us know! Again, the attendance line is 239-6805.

B

Backpacks: We recommend your child bring a backpack to school every day except fieldtrip days. The pack will help your child in taking papers/notes/projects home. Backpacks with wheels are not encouraged, as they are often heavy and their large size makes it difficult to fit in our cubbies. *Please make sure the backpack is labeled with your child’s name.

Birthdays: We LOVE to celebrate birthdays! Your child will be honored with a crown on his/her special day. You may send treats to school to be enjoyed but please check the snack list for a list of approved items. Drinks are not necessary. Please note the number of students in your child’s class and plan accordingly.

*Please do not distribute birthday party invitations at school unless all of the students in the class or all of the boys/girls are invited. Your attention to this will help avoid any hurt feelings between the children.

**If your child has a summer birthday, we can celebrate his/her half-birthday!

Book Orders: We will occasionally send home book order forms. The books featured in the orders are high quality and reasonably priced. You are NEVER obligated to purchase books. If ordering, checks made out to the appropriate book club listed on the order form are accepted. Please do NOT make the checks to the teacher.

Buddies: We will be meeting with our 3rd grade buddies on a monthly basis. This is a great opportunity for children to help one another in a mixed learning environment.

C

Car Line: Please see “Arrival/Dismissal”.

Centers: The Kindergarteners will participate in “centers” throughout the school year. Sometimes centers are “free” or “play” wherein the child chooses where he/she would like to work. Other times, centers will be more structured and determined by the teacher. Their structured or “learning centers” often occur during literacy time. Reading and math skills are addressed in these centers, usually in a game format.

Computers: Your child will receive computer instruction on ‘E’ special days for 20 minutes. Our computer teacher is Ms. Shoemaker. We also have two computers available in our classroom that can be used by students at appropriate times.

Conferences: You will have the opportunity to participate in two “formal” parent/teacher conferences during the school year. Fall parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of October 22nd. There are no Kindergarten classes October 25-26. The second conference is a parent or teacher requested conference only. These will be held the week of February 11. There are no Kindergarten classes February 14-15.

*Parents sign up online. Watch for information in the Morse Messenger.

*Of course, you are not limited to these times to meet with your child’s teacher. Feel free to contact the teacher at any time with your concerns.

Counselor: The kindergarten students meet as a group with our counselor for 30 minutes every other week. Mrs. Mulholland will cover topics such as social skills and personal safety during her class lessons. She will also introduce/reinforce the Morse Virtues.

D

Discipline: We believe in using positive reinforcement and praise as our main discipline tool. We strive to “catch them being good” and exemplifying the Morse Virtues.

Dismissal: Please see “Arrival/Dismissal.”

E

Early Dismissal: We have at least one early dismissal day per month excluding the month of March. On those days, AM Kindergarten will dismiss at 10:30. PM Kindergarten will arrive at 12:00 and dismiss at 2:00. All Day Kindergarten will dismiss at 2:00. Early dismissal dates allow the teachers to participate in professional development activities. Early dismissal dates always fall on a Tuesday. The early dismissal dates for the 2012-2013 school year are:

August 28

September 11

October 16 and 30

November 13 and 27

December 11

January 29

February 26

March 26

April 9 and 23

May 7

F

Field trips: Your child will have the opportunity to participate in some field trips this year. One permission slip and fee will be collected for all of the field trips. (See form in Back to School Packets) Occasionally, parent volunteers are needed to assist with field trips. Please refer to the specifics for each trip for detailed information.

Fine Motor Practice: Please give your child opportunities to practice fine motor development. Working with play-dough, using markers, crayons, pencils, pens, and scissors will strengthen important muscles. We will encourage proper letter formation throughout the year.

Folders: See “Go Home Folders”

G

“Go Home Folders”: Your child will receive two different folders for paper transportation between school and home. The first folder is a backpack folder which travels daily with your child to and from school. The second folder is a Friday folder. This folder includes a communication log and will go home every Friday. We will send notes/work home in the folder and you may send notes back to school using this system, as well. The folder system is a great way to foster responsibility in the children!

H

“Hands-on”: We believe that young children learn best by “doing.” Our math program, in particular, is based on the children actually manipulating objects. We strive to make the students’ learning developmentally appropriate and meaningful.

Homework: We will send home ‘Take 10’ notebooks at the beginning of each week. These should be returned each Friday (or the last day of any week if we have Friday off). Occasionally, we will have a special project that can be worked on at home, too. Please remember, if the homework becomes a frustrating experience at any time, it is okay to skip it!

I

Illness: Please report your child’s absence to the attendance line. In an effort to keep our children as healthy as possible, we ask that you keep your child home until he/she has been fever-free for 24 hours. The same rule applies to vomiting/diarrhea. THANK YOU for your cooperation!

Independence: Kindergarten is a big transition for children (and parents)! We gently encourage the children to be as independent as possible. We ask that parents assist us by giving children many opportunities to practice being independent and responsible.

J

Journals: The kindergarteners will have many opportunities to write throughout the day. One way in which they’ll do this is by writing in their journals. The students are encouraged to write whatever they wish. The may begin the school year able only to draw pictures, but you will see much growth throughout the year.

Jump for Joy: ‘Jump for Joy’ certificates are sent home on the last day of the school week. Please keep track of these certificates at home. Children can return the certificates in groups of FIVE to receive a classroom reward.

K

Kindergarten: The kindergarten year is a special time for you and your child. It is an important transition into “big school.” Although academics are important, they are not the sole focus of our program. We will aim to foster your child’s social, emotional and physical development, as well. Again, our goal is to have your child be the best kindergartener he/she can be!

L

Label: Please label all of your child’s items. It is much easier to return them to you than finding it in the school lost and found piles.

Lost and Found: We have a school wide lost and found area located in the Northwest corner of the library. It is located in the corner where we enter the library from our pod.

Library: Your child will be given the opportunity to visit the library once a week for 30 minutes. Mrs. Snyder will share a story and lesson with the children, and then she allows them to choose a book to check out. Books may be kept for two weeks (but most children return them weekly because they love to choose new ones)! Helping them remember to return their library books is a great way to foster responsibility.

M

Math: We are piloting a new math series (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) for our formal math instruction. As mentioned earlier, the teaching is very “hands on” and we strive to provide differentiated experiences for all learners. We cover math concepts every day!

Music: Kindergartener teachers sing A LOT (some of us better than others…the great thing is the kids don’t mind)! We’ve found it’s easier and more positive to get the kids attention with a simple song.

The kindergarteners will also get “real” music teaching twice a week for 20 minutes (A and C days). Mrs. Morrison is our music teacher.

Mystery Bag: We use the “Mystery Bag” as our “Show and Tell” activity. When it is your child’s turn to have the Mystery Bag, please help him/her choose an item and write clues about the item. The child reads the clues to the class and they try to guess the bag’s contents.

N

Newsletter: We will send a weekly newsletter home in the Friday Folder. It gives information concerning upcoming events.

Nurse: Our school nurse is Peggy Hittle. She can be reached at 239-6813.

O

“Oldest and Only”: Occasionally notes/information will come home with your family’s oldest student. If your kindergartner is the oldest student, the information will come home with him/her. This enables us to save paper.

Outdoors: We will try and play outside every day. Please check the weather and have your child dress accordingly. If the wind chill is below 35, we will not go outside!

P

Parties: The Room Parents will coordinate three parties per school year. The three parties are “Halloween Party”, “Winter Party”, and “Valentine’s Party”. They will be soliciting volunteers to provide food, drinks, games and crafts for each party.

P.E.: The kindergartners will participate in P.E. class twice a week for 20 minutes. Without a doubt, this is a highlight of their week! The kids love Mrs. Marx. *Please have your child wear tennis shoes on P.E. days (A and D)!

Progress Reports: You will receive a formal progress report each quarter. We will explain the details about the report card at our fall conference.

Q

Questions: Please don’t hesitate to come to us with any questions or concerns! (Refer to the voicemail #’s on the opening page.)

DEAR: The full-day kindergarteners will have “Quiet Time” for about 20 minutes a day the first few weeks of school. The lights are dimmed and the children spread out and relax on their “rest rugs.” Those who don’t nap are allowed to look quietly at books. This time of the day is usually phased out by the end of September (but may be revisited as needed)!

R

Reading: The kindergartens will participate daily in lessons/activities which will strengthen their reading readiness or, if already reading, enrich those skills. We use a “balanced literacy” approach. Your child will take part in literacy activities each day which intertwine reading (being read to and reading to someone) and writing. Our core reading program is provided by Wright Group.

**In addition to the daily classroom work with literacy, your child will also be bringing home Guided Reading Books so that skills can be reinforced at home!

R.E.A.L: The kindergartners participate in R.E.A.L. (Reading for Enjoyment and Appreciation of Literature) once a week for 20 minutes (E Day). Mrs. Wikler introduces the children to different genres and authors during this time. She works with half of the class at a time while the other half has computer instruction with Ms. Shoemaker.

S

School Center: Blue Valley has launched this new resource to keep parents and teachers connected with classroom information. To reach our class web page, go to the district website and click on School Center.

Science and Social Studies: We integrate our science and social studies instruction within our teaching themes. For instance, in November, when learning about the first Thanksgiving, we might investigate how families lived in “long ago” days compared to how they live now. We would also discuss how inventions have changed the way we live.

Show and Tell: Please see “Mystery Bag”

Snack: We will have snacks occasionally in class. All snacks should come from the school-wide safe snack list.

Star Student: Each child will have the opportunity to be star student in kindergarten. This involves a weekend “sleepover” with our class mascot and other special assignments and privileges.

T

Toys: Please remind your child that toys from home should not be brought to school unless the toy is a Mystery Bag item!

Transportation: Please let your child’s teacher know of any end-of-the-day transportation changes. Please send the information in a note. If something comes up at the last minute you may call the school office, 239-6800 to inform us of the change. Unless we her otherwise from a parent/guardian, your child will be sent home the way that’s normal for him/her on any given day.

U

Unique: Each child comes to us with gifts and needs that are unique to him/her. We celebrate each child’s uniqueness and will do our best to teach him/her according to his/her individual needs. We strive to differentiate our teaching so that each child can be the best kindergartner he/she can be!

V

Vacations: If your child will be missing school because of a family trip, please inform his/her teacher and the attendance line. Every effort will be made to send appropriate work for your child to do while on the trip.

Virtues: We introduce/reinforce and discuss “THE MORSE CODE” on a daily basis. These are the focus of our game days. The virtues are:

Respect

Responsibility

Honesty

Compassion

Self-Discipline

Courage

Perseverance

Visitors/Volunteers: There will be many opportunities for parents to assist us this year. We value our parent helpers! When visiting the school, please sign in at the office and you’ll receive a “visitor” sticker.

Voicemail: You are welcome to leave us a voicemail that will be waiting on our desk phones. Mrs. Rottinghaus’ extension is 6881 and Mrs. Bell’s extension is 6850.

W

Wish List: Please take a look at our “wish list” located just inside the Kindergarten door. The helping hands are items that come in handy for our classrooms. Any donations are appreciated!

X

We are eXcited to be a partner in your child’s education.

Sorry X words are limited.

Y

Younger siblings: We realize that situations may arise when younger siblings need to accompany a parent to a volunteer commitment and are very understanding of this. We do encourage you to find a time to help at school that doesn’t conflict with a younger sibling’s schedule. It means so much to your kindergartner to have your undivided attention when you are at school with him/her.

Z

Z-z-z-z’s: Please make sure your kindergartner gets a good night’s sleep and has a good breakfast or lunch before coming to school. THANKS!