I will be working from Monday to Thursday and will be taking Fridays off. I
would like to assure you that this will in no way affect the running of my
classroom as my assistants will do a great job in my absence.
When you arrive on August 10th, please bring with you:
1. A box (can be plastic or cardboard) containing an extra set of clothes
for your child (shirt, shorts, socks and underwear). This will always be
kept in your child's cubby and will need to be replenished as needed.
2. If your child naps, please bring a cloth nap bag containing a fitted
crib sheet, blanket and small pillow. A stuffed animal is optional. All
nap bags will stay at school for the week and will need to be taken home on
Friday's for washing. Your child will not be able to nap unless he/she has
a fitted crib sheet. Make sure all items are labeled - including the bag.
3. Please bring a photograph of your child that we can put on the front of
his/her cubby.
4. A list of any allergies that your child has.
If your child does not nap and is 3 or 4, they will still have a short rest
time and will need to have a nap bag with the above items.
If your child is a Kindergarten student who still naps from time to time,
they are welcome to leave a nap bag at school and request to lay down on an
as needed basis.
As our parking spaces our limited, we would ideally like to have all
children dropped off in the drive through each morning and walked to class
by one of our staff members. The children will come into the classroom, have
a short circle time and then go straight to work. There will be people to
assist your children in getting out of the car between 8:10 and 8:30 each
day. We would like to have all children at school by 8:30 at the latest.
If you arrive after that time, please go to the back door and send your
child in as quietly as possible.
Just a reminder that there can be no parking on any of the streets
surrounding Villa.
My classroom hours are from 8-3. If you ever have any questions or
concerns, the best time to catch me is from 8-8:30 and from 2:30-3:00. I
can also be reached at teacheralana@hotmail.com or by leaving a message in
the school office. If there is something you want to tell me, you can
always send a note in with your child.
Please sign your child in and out every day. The sign in book will either
be with a staff member in the parking lot or on the back counter of our
classroom. Please put the time your child arrives and gets picked up as
well as signing your first initial AND full last name. Initials are not
acceptable by the Health Department. Also, if you are signing your last
name, it has to be readable (scribble type signatures are not allowed).
If there are any important notes to go home, they will be taped to the front
of your child's cubby or clipped to your sign in/out page.
Please also check your child's cubby on a daily basis for work, soiled
clothing, art projects etc... If your child comes home with soiled clothing,
please bring fresh clothes the next day. If your child has an accident at
school and does not have extra clothes, we will have to call you to bring
some.
Each day, the children are offered a morning snack which is provided by one
of our families. I will send home a snack calendar at the beginning of each
month. Each family will be assigned a specific day and a snack consisting
of two components. Please keep in mind that your name might not appear on
the snack calendar every month.
-Please have your snack at school by 8:30.
-Please bring enough to feed 28 children. A good rule of thumb concerning
fruit is about a half a piece for each child.
-We will keep any leftover snacks at school in case someone forgets their
day.
-We ask that all fruits and vegetables be washed and cut up at home.
-Please bring the items listed on the calendar unless you have spoken to me
about a substitution.
Villa has decided to not serve popcorn to the children as it is an extreme
choking hazard. We ask that you not bring popcorn as a snack choice.
Your child needs to be fully potty trained before school starts. In
addition, please be sure that your child knows how to wipe himself. It is
best to not send young children to school in belts, overalls or suspenders.
If it is necessary for your child to take medication at school, please take
it to the office and fill out a permission slip. Medicine is not allowed to
be in your childs lunch box or cubby.
Please apply sunscreen to your child at home.
I will schedule your child's birthday as his/her snack day. If you would
like to send a special treat, please feel free to do so. Some birthday
treat ideas are muffins, finger sandwiches, fruit kebobs, healthy cookies,
specialty breads (banana, carrot, raisin), fruit juice smoothies, bagels and
cream cheese. As per our administrators, we ask that no cakes or cupcakes
be sent to school.
On your child's birthday, we will have a small celebration in the class. It
is always wonderful when parents can send a photograph of their child at
each age. You can send loose photographs or mount them on a poster board
and make an art project out of it.
If you are planning on having a birthday party for your child, please mail
the invitations unless you are inviting the whole class. This saves any
uninvited children hurt feelings.
If your child is running a fever or shows any other signs of illness, he/she
must be kept at home. If the illness is contagious, please let the office
know as soon as possible. THIS YEAR, THERE IS A "SICK CHILD TELEPHONE
LINE". The number is 602-458-1356. If your child shows signs of illness at
school, you will be called and asked to pick him/her up. It is very
important that you keep all phone numbers on your blue card current. If for
some reason, we cannot reach the parents, we will call the emergency contacts
on the blue card. Please remember that if your child has a fever, he/she
must be kept at home for a full 24 hours afterwards. If your child is sent
home sick from school, you will be handed a form saying when they may return.
If your child is going to be late or absent, please call the office and let
us know.
All of your child's toys need to remain at home. Your child can bring
something for show and tell when it is his snack day. On this day, we
welcome books, rocks, shells or other educational items.
Please return to school any small or cute objects that you may find coming
home as they may be part of our classroom work. Cute things have a way of
disappearing into little pockets!
Please send your child to school with a nutritious lunch.
-We ask that you send a cloth napkin in the lunch box every day. This will
serve as your child's placemat.
-Please do not send any candy, soda, cake or sugar sweetened drinks. Please
send 100% fruit juice only.
-Please label your child's lunch box and be sure it has an ice pack.
-THIS YEAR, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WARM UP ANY OF YOUR CHILD'S FOOD. This is
a new school policy.
-Please send a fork or spoon if needed.
-If your child stays past 2:30, he/she will need to have an additional snack
and drink sent.
-Any food that is not eaten will be sent home with your child.
-Just know that we will do our best to encourage, but never force, your
child to eat.
If we are in the classroom when you come to pick up or drop off your child,
please enter the classroom by the back door (the one facing the playground)
so as not to disturb the rest of the class. Because it is often difficult
to keep the attention of young children, we are asking for your cooperation
in the following:
-When picking up your child, please enter the classroom as quietly as
possible to gather his/her things. Please wait at the back of the classroom
(by the cubbies) and we will send your child to you.
-If you would like to chat with another parent, we ask that you step outside
the class to do so.
-When picking up your child, please keep siblings at your side.
-If you are picking your child up from the playground, please make sure that
either you or your child says goodbye to the teacher on duty.
We encourage you to spend some time discussing with your child what the
routine will be when you come to pick him/her up at the end of the day.
Some parents have time to wait and others do not. Many children cry and/or
throw temper tantrums when their parents come to take them home. It will
help if you have a plan in place before this happens to you. I suggest that
you tell your child when you come to pick him/her up, it is time to go
home. If the child is in the middle of a project, he can either take the
project home to finish or finish it the next day. If you do decide to wait
for your child, once again we ask that you wait in the back of the classroom
by the cubbies.
If you anticipate a difficult separation in the morning, reassure your child
that you will be back soon to pick him up and leave him with one of the
teachers. A quick exit is always best. Although it is painful, the children
are usually fine as soon as their parents leave. If your child is having an
especially hard time calming down, we will call you.
If you would like to come observe the classroom sometime, you are more than
welcome. I ask that you let me know in advance so we don't have more than
one visitor on a particular day. In an effort to allow the young children
to settle in, we will start observations in October.
Please remember that it is important for both parents to read all notes that
go home. If you are separated or divorced, please let me know and I will
send two copies of all notes home. We will be asking for your e-mail
address at the beginning of the school year. Please give us all e-mail
addresses where you want to receive classroom reminders.
Please be sure to keep me informed of any changes that are going on with
your child or in your home so that I can best be prepared for any situations
and behaviors that might arise.
It is a great idea to label anything your child brings to school because
many children have the same things and they easily get mixed up.
All children must be picked up by 6:00 P.M. If you come after that time,
you will be charged $1.00 per minute by the person who is waiting with your
child.
Just a reminder that every parent is asked to volunteer at least 10 hours
during the school year. At parent orientation on Tuesday, August 11th, we
will discuss some of the ways in which you can help.
Children who have Academic Day contracts should not be dropped off at school
before 8:10.
If you have an Academic contract child enrolled in Elementary I (and have an
APPROVED transportation allowance), you will have until 3:00 to pick up your
Pre-Primary child. Pre-primary children need to be picked up first and then
go and get your Elementary I child. Because of staff/student ratios, any
children that are not picked up by 3:00 will be taken to the office to wait
for you and you will be billed accordingly. We appreciate your cooperation
with this.
For those of you who do not have Elementary I siblings, we will still bring
the children out to the loading zone between 2:20 and 2:40. Any children
not picked up by that time will go to the office to wait for you.
If you have a special talent or would like to help in any way, please let me
know.
If I notice that your child is having any difficulties at school, I will
call you to discuss it or schedule a time to meet. It is imperative that we
work as a team and support one another in your child's journey.
Thank you in advance for all your cooperation and support.
My staff and I are looking forward to a wonderful year!
