* This letter is designed to be a helpful kindergarten resource. You may want to keep it to refer to later on as different situations come up. You may also access a copy of this information on our upcoming web page which will be found on the W.P.S. website.
Dear Parents,
We are excited to share that kindergarten will be taught by a team. Mrs. Burgess and Ms. Roper will work with all the kindergarten students this year.
Most of you are completely new to this process and others of you have been through this before. We hope that the following notice will be helpful in giving you some beforehand information. If this generates some questions, please jot them down so that you can ask us or email us. We have included our email addresses at the end of this notice.
The Kindergarten Open House: You are invited to come to school on Thursday, August 29, from 5:30 to 6:30 P.M. We will look forward to meeting you and your child. It might be easier to drop off a change of clothing then, rather than sending it on the bus with your child.
On the First Day Of School: Our first day of school will be Tuesday, September 3. School begins at 7:50 and ends at 2:30. Children will be on the playground after they get off of the buses. We will be there to meet them when it is time to come in to school. It’s a good idea to let your child ride the bus as it can make the separation a little easier. If you do bring your child to school, please stop at the office for a visitor sticker and then you will be able to bring your child to the playground (rather than the classroom). We will be out on the playground the first week. Please also make sure they wear the name/bus tag we have enclosed.
Buses: Riding the school bus is exciting and sometimes a little scary at first. I have included a bus form so that you may fill in information that will allow me to make accurate bus lists. Please fill this form out and bring it or send it to me here at school by
August 23 or better yet, bring it to the Kindergarten Open House on Weds, Aug. 29!. The school’s address is: Kindergarten Teachers, Wiscasset Primary School, 146 Gardiner Road, Wiscasset, ME 04578. That way we can make sure we have each child on the correct bus.
Any time during the school year that there is a change in your child’s normal bus routine we must have a written note. This includes any day you pick up your child from school. Sometimes kindergarteners are convinced that they are being picked up because of a casual conversation at home that was really a “maybe” situation! The note helps us to nail down the actual plan. Whenever you do give your child a note, show them where it is in their backpack and explain how important it is that they give it to me right when they come into the classroom. This way, if there is some confusion, I have time to confirm the details with you.
For the first week of school children will have bus tags identifying the bus they will go home on. We ask that you please send them back to school each day.
Breakfast/Lunch: Breakfast and lunch are served daily. The menu and prices are usually in the newspaper before school begins. Most families choose to deposit money in their child’s account and replenish it periodically, rather than sending an envelope each week. Whichever way works best for you is fine. You will be notified by Theresa Meehan, Kitchen Manager or Lori Johnson (School Lunch Coordinator) if you have a negative balance, but it is important to keep your account balance up to date. There are printed envelopes for you to use. Please fill out all information on the front of the envelope.
If your child arrives on a later bus, we would prefer that they eat breakfast at home during the first week of school. This will ensure that they learn the morning playground rules and routines and understand the line-up procedure. It’s also helpful if you let us know if your child will be a regular breakfast eater. This way we can make sure they understand how to get to the cafeteria in time.
Children may bring a cold lunch from home or purchase a school lunch. Milk may be purchased to accompany a home lunch. Children need to tell me first thing in the morning if they will be having “home lunch” or “school lunch”. This is confusing for kindergarteners at first. They often don’t understand if what they have is a lunch or a snack. It’s helpful if you review this with your child in the morning. Each month I send home a menu for lunches. It’s a good idea to share this with your child so that they end up with a lunch they like.
Snack: We will have a snack time during the morning each day. Children should bring a small, nutritious snack and their own beverage. We eat snack in the classroom, not the cafeteria, so please include spoons and napkins, if needed. We always welcome the contributions of boxes of crackers or cereal from families for kids who do not have a snack. It is a help! And if your child has special dietary restrictions, please let us know right away so we can avoid any problem situations!
Clothing: Kindergarten is an active place. Please dress your child in comfortable, practical clothing. It is important to have your child keep an extra set of clothes (including socks and underwear) at school for any emergencies with milk spills, mud puddles, etc! Children must have safe footwear. Flip flops and high heels must stay home. Except for the latest buses, children are outside in the morning upon arrival at school. Please make sure they are dressed warmly enough on cool mornings. Children will have recess time each day. Please label jackets, hats, mittens and boots with your child’s name. Many children’s things look alike and they become easily confused about what is theirs.
Backpacks: It is helpful if each child has a backpack for carrying notes, papers and snacks back and forth to school. The backpack needs to be large enough to hold a pocket folder and a lunch box. Be sure to label the backpack with your child' name.
Take Home Folders: Your child will be coming home most days with a folder. One side of the folder
will say Stay at Home and the other Do and Return to School. Please be sure to look for the folder each night
and remove any papers that need to stay at home.
Supplies: Writing materials and crayons are available at school. Kindergarten students do NOT need to bring their own, so please do not send them. Keep them for at home use. The supplies that we could use in our room are listed below. Thank you for anything you could send in.
Glue Sticks
Paper Towels
Transparent Tape
Post-It Notes (all sizes and colors)
Hand-Wipes
Toys: We also discourage bringing toys from home for any reason. We’ve found that toys are very distracting to students at school as they get lost and broken. Please keep electronic devices at home as they are too expensive to replace frequently.
Absences: If your child is absent, please send a note explaining his/her absence when they return to school. We will then send that note to the office. Thanks for your help with this.
Birthdays: We LOVE to celebrate the childrens’ birthdays. We do this at the end of each month.
Parent Volunteers: We welcome parent volunteers in our classroom. We are always looking for people to read to children, to listen to children read, to help us with prep. You will receive more information regarding volunteering during the month of September.
Newsletters: We will send home newsletters about our program often. Please try to take the time to read them as they will inform you about upcoming events at school and in our own room.
Home-School Notebooks: In order to maintain great communication between school and home, we will be sending a notebook home almost every day. The intention of this notebook is to share information with you regarding your child’s day at school and specific things you can do to support your child’s growth. It is also very helpful for us to have you write back and let us know what your child is doing at home or questions you might have. At the very least we would like you to initial each day’s entry so we know you have seen it.
Kindergarten is a big adventure! We’re looking forward to getting to know your child and meeting all of you. We know we’re going to have a wonderful school year. A strong home/school partnership will help your child be successful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by calling school at 882-7585 or email us at: lburgess@svrsu.org and broper@svrsu.org anytime!
Enjoy the rest of your summer. We are happy to help you all we can. Please make sure you have received a lunch envelope, a name tag to put on your child the first day, a bus form to fill out and send to us or drop off at school by August 23, and the school information sheet that you can write on to update or change if necessary.
