Welcome To Mrs. Baig's and Ms. Shazia's Pre-School Class!!

Welcome to Al Fatih Academy Preschool 2011-2012

In order to assure a smooth transition from home to school, I have set a few guidelines to follow through, for a successful year in Pre-School. This contains practical information about your child’s day and some simple things that you can do to ensure your child’s transition into preschool smooth and worry free.

Arrival and Dismissal: Full-Time (5 days a week) and Half-Time (2 and 3 days a week MWF-T/TH) Students should arrive promptly by 9:00 am and be picked up by 3:30 pm sharp.  (There is a late fee for picking your child after 3:50 pm).  Students will be marked tardy after 9:10 am.  Half Day (students who do not nap in the afternoon) students should be picked up at 1:00 pm sharp. You are required to sign-in and sign-out your child every day. There will be a sign-in sheet in the front entrance of the school.  There is a late fee charge if you pick your child after 1:15 pm. As your child becomes familiar with the drop-off routine the first week of October, your child is encouraged and should be dropped off in the front of the school and walk by themselves to our class. A teacher or a parent volunteer will guide them to our class. We want all the students to become confident in themselves and be more independent. During Dismissal, your child will be brought with a teacher outside at 1:00 pm in the front of the school. 

Friday (Jum'ah)   Parents who have children older than Preschoolers may pick their child with their siblings at 1:30 pm.  All other students without siblings will be picked up at 1:00 pm SHARP. 

Daily Schedule:  You will be able to find it on our website and will be displayed in the classroom as well.  (Schedule is subject to change as needed.) Routines are very crucial in our class. Everyday routines help children feel comfortable, safe and at ease when they know what will be happening after an activity.

Daily Routine for HighScope: You can find detailed information about our HighScope Curriculum on the preschool website and also in your purple folder. We do the HighScope Curriculum everyday in our class.  

My TeacherWeb Site:  My website is updated daily under “Daily Announcement” page and I send out weekly newsletters EVERY Friday through a NEWSFLASH under the heading “Weekly Newsletter”.  The daily announcement page gives parents information about their child’s school day and things to look out for the next day. The weekly newsletter is sent every Friday. It gives information on activities that we did that week and to look for activities for the following week.  We understand that not every child tells their parents’ of their day to day activities, so this enables to keep the parents informed, aware and updated of our classroom activities.  I encourage ALL parents to check the website on a daily basis. I only send time sensitive materials through email.

(http://teacherweb.com/VA/AlFatihAcademy/Preschool/apt9.aspx)

Snacks/Lunch: Parents should provide students with a snack until Community Snack begins.  Until then, students should bring in a healthy snack for the morning.  We will provide water for each child when Community Snack begins. In the meantime, you may send a SMALL water bottle with your child. We will be having LUNCH at 12:30 every day in class.  Students who are part time (do not nap) will be dismissed at 1:00 pm after lunch. Lunch is to be brought in a small THERMOS if your child likes warm food.  There is NO microwave in the classroom and we will not be warming any lunch for students in the classroom.  All students are required to have a lunch box for their snack and lunch. Parents should provide a healthy lunch for students daily. Please send drinks that are easy to open. All children are required to eat food by themselves with spoons/forks. We will not be feeding the students. (Please send in the utensils needed with your child.  We do not have extra to give to the students.)

Absolutely no candy, donuts, potato chips, fast foods or other sugary treats will be allowed.  We want to promote healthy eating habits in all our students in the Preschool Class. 

Community Snack:  Please be advised that Preschool Community Snack will begin October 3rd, 2011. Each family will be designated a specific week to provide snack for the entire class. You can refer to the sheet ‘Community Snack’ for more detailed information.

Tote Bags:  The Preschoolers will not be using back packs. Instead, they will use medium size tote bags.  The tote bags will be decorated with the child's name and handprints in the front of the bag and name and year of the school on the back.  These tote bags will be issued to students during the first weeks of school.  Students may bring a temporary back pack until then. ALL students are required to bring their tote bag once received, EVERYDAY to school.
 

Labeling:  Please label ALL school supplies and belongings with your child’s name clearly. (Crocs, extra pair of clothing, folder, and lunch box) 

Inside Shoes:  Please provide ONLY CROCS. These shoes will only be worn inside the classroom and are to be kept at school. 

 
Outside Shoes: ONLY shoes/sneakers with Velcro are allowed, no shoelaces please.  Students are required to wear socks with their sneakers/shoes.  Sandals and/or flip-flops are not allowed.  Please encourage your child to put on their shoes/sneakers by themselves.

Complete Clothes:  Please send 2 complete sets of clothing for your child including undergarments and socks in a labeled Ziploc bag.

Personal belongings:  A pacifier, sippy cup or a bottle is NOT allowed in Preschool.  

Pull-Ups:  Each child is required to be potty trained to enter Pre-School.  NO PULL-UPS ARE ALLOWED.  We encourage each child to use the bathroom on their own and wiping on their own so that they are comfortable to go, as they please. Remember, we are standing right by the door if assistance is required. We don’t clean the students ourselves.  Please encourage your child to clean himself/herself. 

Please Note: If there is a urine accident then clothes will be changed, soiled will be sent home and please send a clean pair of clothing back to school the next day. If the child has a bowel movement accident, clothes will be changed but the child will be sent home.  During the first few weeks we ask every 45 minutes to 1 hour if they need to go. (It is crucial that you send COMPLETE SET OF CLOTHING ESPECIALLY: undergarments and socks when you send the school supplies for the classroom.) 

Toys:   There are ABSOLUTELY NO toys allowed in school. Toys are ONLY allowed for Show and Tell or if they are the Star of the Week Student. 

Conferences:  A parent/teacher conference will be held in November.  Parents may request a conference any time prior to the initial conference as well as after.  Please call the office to schedule a conference if a need arises.  I encourage parents speak to me in person with an appointment, but not during morning or afternoon drop –off.  The best way to reach me during school hours is by email or calling the office. I check my email in during my prep time and will get back to you at my earliest convenience.

PTA: We encourage parents to become active members of the Al Fatih Academy PTA.It gives an insight of what is happening in and around the school. (Example: events, activities etc.) PTA does various activities to help raise money for our school.

Star of the Week:  Each Child will be chosen to be “star of the week” A schedule will be available to you on the Website with a calendar and dates for each child. Please refer to the ‘Star of the Week’ sheet for more information.

Show and Tell:  Our class will have Show and Tell every Wednesday and Thursday.  (Wednesday will be for M/W/F Students and Thursday will be for the T/Th Students). Students can bring in any ONE item to share on their days. Please refer to ‘Show and Tell’ sheet for more information.

Volunteer Hours:  There are many ways you can get volunteer hours.  Each family is required to complete 20 hours of Volunteer service per family, or 10 hours per Adult/Guardian/Parent. Please refer to the sheet ‘Volunteer Hours’ for information how these hours can be obtained through the year.

I hope that these guidelines are beneficial for you to use and follow and to ensure a proper and positive learning environment in our Pre-School class. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate in asking. Jazakallah Khair for your cooperation.

 Looking forward to a wonderful school year, inshAllah! J 

Mrs. Baig   abaig@alfatih.org