The ABC’s of Pre-K
Important Information
Arrival
Drop off time is between 8:15 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. Please bring your child to
the Pre-K room. In the spring, the Pre-K class will play outside on the
playground before school begins and then line up with everyone else – just
like the big kids!
Absence
If you child is unable to attend school because of illness or vacation,
please call the school (324-5832) and let the office know.
Bathroom Breaks
We go as a group to the bathroom just before snack times, lunch time, before
and after rest time each day. We ask the children to "try" even if he or she
does not feel the need to use the bathroom and to wash hands. We also tell
the children that if he or she ever needs to use the bathroom, Mrs. Landry or
I will take them whenever they need to go. Belts are not a great idea for
most Pre-K kids. Please practice buttoning and snapping or consider elastic
waist pants. Mrs. Landry and I are here to help, but our goal is to help
your child learn to take care of his or her personal needs independently.
Clothing
Children should wear comfortable, washable, movement-friendly clothing.
Please send in a complete extra set of clothing in a bag labeled with your
child’s name (large zip lock bags work great), in case of accidents. We use
paint and other messy materials almost daily. We try our best to keep the
materials off of clothing, but sometimes our best efforts fail. Footwear
should be safe. Crocks, clogs, flip flops or anything with a high heel are
not acceptable. We play movement games often, so sneakers or shoes that
buckle, Velcro or tie are best.
Dismissal
Half-day students’ parents should meet at the front door at 11:30 (in the
hallway by the blue doors or come right into the classroom if the weather is
inclement). Full day students’ parents should come into the classroom to
pick children up at 2:50. EDP students will be dismissed either from the
playground or the EDP room depending on the time of pick up.
Extended Day Program (EDP)
EDP is available for all Pre-K students. The morning session is from 7:00
a.m. until 8:15 a.m. and the afternoon session is from 3:00 p.m. until 5:30
p.m. Half-Day students may use morning EDP only. EDP is available to
students on a regular basis or on occasion. Prices and details on EDP can be
found in your registration packet.
Folder for papers that need to Go Home
The “Go Home Folder” is essential. This is how all communication will be
sent home with your child and how all communication should be sent to
school. We check the folder each day for any notes or envelopes. Plastic-
coated, two pocket folders work best. Please write your child's name on the
outside of the folder.
Illness
Please do not send your child to school if he/she has had a fever or vomiting
within 24 hours. If your child becomes sick while at school, we will do our
best to contact a parent. If we are unable to contact a parent, we will call
the people listed on the emergency card. (The emergency card will be in your
registration packet along with other forms)
Lunch
A hot lunch calendar will be sent home each month indicating the menu choices
for each day. Hot lunch envelopes go home weekly. If your child would like
hot lunch, please fill out the envelope, enclose payment and return the
envelope to school in your child’s Go Home Folder. Please return the
envelope by Thursday for the following week.
Mass/Prayer Services
The Pre-K class does not attend Mass with the rest of the school. We will
attend prayer services held in the cafeteria of the school.
Options
We offer the choice of attending 3 or 5 days per week. Half day and full day
options are also available. Students are welcome to change the number of
days per week or the length of day at any point during the school year.
Recess
Children will play outside each morning and afternoon – weather permitting.
Please provide hats, coats and mittens when cold weather arrives. It would
also be very helpful if you could label your child’s outdoor clothing. When
it snows we will also need snow pants and boots. They may be stored in the
classroom or sent home each day. If you would like to store them at school,
please send a note and we will send the snow pants home only when they need
to be washed.
Report Cards/ Assessments/ Conferences
Parents will receive a written progress report in January and a report card
in June. Parent-Teacher Conferences are held in May. I am always available
to meet with you at any time should you have any concerns about your child’s
progress.
Sunscreen
Please provide a bottle of sunscreen, labeled with your child’s name if you
would like us to apply sunscreen to your child before outdoor recess. We
will store the sunscreen in the classroom.
Snack
Please provide a healthy snack and drink for your child each day. On
occasion we will make snack here in the classroom, I will give you advance
notice. Orange juice and milk are available for purchase. Snack drink
envelopes will go home each week. Check off what your child would like and
enclose the money in the envelope. Please turn in your child’s envelope by
Thursday for the following week. An afternoon snack and choice of juice or
water will be provided each afternoon.
Separation Anxiety
This is the most difficult (heart breaking) part of Pre-K. If you think this
may be an issue for your child, please speak to me before the first day of
school. We will need to have a plan and I have many ideas of how to solve
this problem, but I will not go into all that detail here. Sometimes
separation anxiety can strike without warning – sometimes it is contagious.
I would just like to reassure all parents that Mrs. Landry and I have had a
lot of experience in this area. We will not let your child suffer, we are
both Moms and have been in your shoes. If your child does not ever
experience separation anxiety – you are blessed!
Tardiness
We, of course, encourage everyone to arrive on time each day. If you should
arrive late to school, however, we do ask that you report first to the office
to let them know you have arrived. At the Pre-K level we do not keep a
record and there is no consequence for tardiness. The reason we ask you to
report to the office is only so that we have an accurate record of who is
present each day. This is a safety requirement.
Volunteers
There are numerous opportunities to volunteer at St. Thomas School. Being a
classroom helper is one option. Usually, a classroom helper works with a
small group of children or helping us with prep work for our projects. That
might include photocopying or cutting. If you are not able to work in the
classroom, but would like to work on projects at home, please let me know.
Website
Our class website is:
http://teacherweb.com/ME/StThomasSchool/MrsFink/index.html. The website has
an announcements page that is updated weekly at the beginning of the school
year and then on an as needed basis. A volunteer schedule, calendar, daily
schedule and links to learning websites can also be found on the webpage.
The school website is: http://www.saintthomassanford.org/Default.aspx. The
school website has a link to sign up for the mailing list. Important school
notices will be sent to your email address.
Z… Z…Z… Rest Time
Full day students will be offered a rest time each afternoon. The school
provides sleeping mats and blankets. If you would like to send in a pillow
or comfort object, please do. Please be sure to label items with your
child’s name. We will provide a quiet environment so that the children who
need to sleep may. Books and puzzles will be available for the children who
are unable to sleep.
