Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of
students and parents.
- What are the school hours and attendance policy?
- What do I need to know about drop off and pick up?
- What is the K-2 Assembly?
- Are dogs and other pets allowed in the building?
- What is the easiest way to pay for my child's lunch?
- What are the Learning Expectations for Kindergarten?
- Is what my child brings home from school an accurate representation of what s/he is learning in the classroom?
What are the school hours and attendance policy?
School begins promptly at 8:00am and instruction begins at this time.
It is important for children to arrive promptly to ensure a smooth
transition to their day and prevent them from missing important
learning and community building activities. Students arriving after
8:00am will be marked tardy and need to report to the office to
sign-in before going to class. Students must sign themselves in.
Parents are welcome to accompany children to the office; however,
it is advised that after signing-in, children should independently
enter the classroom. When students are chronically tardy a letter
will be sent home to be followed by parent-teacher communication.
School ends at 2:20pm. Students who are not picked-up by 2:25pm
will be brought to the main office where they will be able to
safely wait to be picked-up.
What do I need to know about drop off and pick up?
Drop off: Kindergarten parents/caregivers may walk their children
to the kindergarten classroom. We ask that children quietly wait
outside the classroom until the doors open a few minutes prior to
8:00am. Please read instructions above if your child is tardy.
Parent/caregivers will need to promptly clear the hallways and exit
the building after drop off to ensure safe and organized arrival
procedures.
Pick-up: Kindergarten students will be brought to the East entrance
where the blacktop is (closest to Boston) close to 2:20pm. It is
important to arrange for your child to picked-up by 2:20pm.
If your child has not been picked-up by 2:25pm, s/he will be
brought to the office where s/he will be able to safely wait to be
picked-up. It is important to follow through with the location of
pick-up, since this provides a safe and organized procedure.
Please do not come to the classroom to pick your child up.
During the winter when the weather is cold, snowy, and icy, you may
wait for your child inside the cafeteria. We will hand your child
off to you in the cafeteria as we proceed down the hallway with the
pick-up line.
Older siblings may not pick up students at the classroom. All
kindergarten students are walked from the classroom to their bus
location where they will be able to meet up with their siblings.
Students will remain in their bus location until it is time to
board their bus.
IMPORTANT! It is pertinent that you notify us in writing if there
is a change in your child’s dismissal procedure whether it be that
your child will take the bus instead of getting picked-up or a
different person will pick your child up. Mr. Stoddard and myself
will need to be notified in writing either via email or written
note. jim.stoddard@brookline.k12.ma.us and
kristen_haynes@brookline.k12.ma.us
If you will be notifying us the same day, please call the main
office at 617-879-4650 to ensure that we receive this information,
since we cannot always guarantee that we will check email prior to
dismissal.
What is the K-2 Assembly?
Every Friday morning the K-2 classes join their teachers,
the principal, and vice principal for an assembly. The purpose of
this assembly is to build community and for students to share work,
projects, or activities that they have been involved in throughout
the week. The K-2 Morning Meeting Assembly follows the Responsive
Classroom Morning Meeting format. Students and faculty will engage
in a Greeting, Share, Activity, & News & Announcements. Responsive
classroom is a social curriculum used by teachers within the
Brookline Public School system. The K-2 Morning Meeting begins at
8:10am and depending upon the activities, ends approximately around
8:45am.
Are dogs and other pets allowed in the building?
Dogs and other pets are not allowed at school, either inside
the building or on school grounds.
What is the easiest way to pay for my child's lunch?
Each child is given a 4 or 5 digit PIN to access her/his account.
Money can be deposited by check at school (payable to Brookline
Food Services) or online by credit card through PAMS Lunchroom at http://
pamslunchroom.com/
What are the Learning Expectations for Kindergarten?
The curriculum at Runkle School is based on the Brookline
Public Schools 'Learning Expectations' as well as the 'Massachusetts State
Standards'. Copies of the Brookline Learning Expectations are available in the
school library at Runkle, in the Brookline Public Libraries, and they are
accessible on the Brookline Public Schools web site:
htt://www.brookline.k12.ma.us Copies of the Massachusetts State Standards are
available on line at http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html
There are also links to these websites on my classroom website on the
"Curriculum Information Links" page.
Is what my child brings home from school an accurate representation of what s/he is learning in the classroom?
Simply states, "no". We save almost all of the students' work in a
portfolio, which is sent home at the end of the year. This portfolio
contains much of their work in order to assist us with documenting
their progress over time. It also consists of work samples from the
various developmental domains such as: Personal & Social, Language &
Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Scientific Thinking, Social Studies
, The Arts, Physical Developmental & Health. We also engage in many
activities that do not involve production of paper work. Rather it
may consist of learning involving materials that remain in the
classroom. So, please realize that the work that is sent home does
not represent the vast amount of learning that takes place in the
classroom. However, you will receive the daily math pages from the
"Think Math!" curriculum that the students work on in class.
These pages are not always completed in class and can be finished
at home if your child desires. There is a note to parents at the
bottom of these pages that explains what skills and concepts the
children are working on in class. This guides parents with
instruction and helps support the children's learning at home.