Welcome Please come in and start filling out the paperwork at your child’s seat. Thanks!!!

Mrs. Williamson My teaching philosophy: I have very high expectations for my students. My goal is to help foster responsible & independent learners in kindergarten. I am very consistent with my classroom routines and procedures. I try to be very organized and keep parents informed about what is going on at school. I am pretty tough at first! / Firm, but fair! I strive to treat all my students the way that I would want my own children to be treated at school. Once they are mine, they are ALWAYS mine! I need parent support! (We are a 3 legged stool) If you have a problem, please don’t hesitate to talk to me about it.

Kindergarten Curriculum Reading & Writing (daily 2.5 hours) –Harcourt Story Town Series –Letters, sounds, blending and reading words –Phonemic awareness & phonics progression –Color, number, & sight words –Reading strategies –Comprehension & vocabulary –Writing Workshop – Being a Writer Series Math (daily 1.5 hours) –Math Investigations Series –Hands- on / “real world” math –Calendar, daily data, story problems –Building number sense & fluency –Using pictures, manipulatives, & words to solve problems and explain thinking. Science & Social Studies (daily 30 min.) Lunch (daily 25 min.) Snack (daily 15 min. while working on reading) P.E. (daily 30 min.) Recess (daily 15 min. weather permitting) Art, Music, & Computer (weekly 30 min.) Library (twice a month 30 min) Guidance (once a month 30 min) Rest Time (daily for the 1 st 9 wks only–30min.)

Orientation Folder Complete and Return in Purple Folder ~ LEFT SIDE Tell me about your child “Wanted” volunteer information (room mother & copier) Room Mother contact information information Pink Information Card Take Home in Ziploc Bag ~ RIGHT SIDE Parent letter & class / school information Color days schedule Handwriting information Remind 101

FISH Binders FISH is an acronym for Family Involvement Starts Here! The FISH Binder is a 3-ring binder that houses everything students and parents need to keep up-to-date with what is going on at school. Please take time to go through it each night with your child. Below is a list of items in the binder. FISH Binders will contain:  Money and Important Notes Zipper Pouch Please send all money, notes, etc, in this zipper pouch, so I can be sure to get it first thing in the morning. Please place all money (cash or change) in a sealed envelope or Ziploc baggy. Pease include your child’s name, teacher’s name and what the money is for. ALL CHECKS MUST INCLUDE: name, address, phone #  Conduct Chart - Please check & initial each day. I use a behavior clip chart system. We have six I CARE rules that are posted in my classroom and in your FISH binder. All children are expected to follow these rules so that all children have the opportunity to learn. Good behavior will be rewarded with treasure box visits, stickers, certificates, etc… I believe in reinforcing good behavior!

Classroom Rules 1.We raise our hands to speak. 2. We work quietly at our seats. 3. We use voices soft and sweet. 4. We keep our places tidy and neat. 5. We are helpful, friendly, and fair. 6. We take turns and willingly share.

7 Habits of Happy Kids Habit 1 — Be Proactive Habit 2 — Begin with the End in Mind Habit 3 — Put First Things First Habit 4 — Think Win-Win Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Habit 6 — Synergize Habit 7 — Sharpen The Saw

Discipline Behavior Clip Chart System: Every student starts out each day with his or her clothespin on “Ready to Learn”. They will move their clips up or down throughout the day based on their choices. Outstanding Choices – pink circle & treasure box visit Great Job – purple circle & candy box visit Good Day – blue circle & verbal praise Ready to Learn – green circle Think About It – yellow circle & verbal warning Teacher’s Choice – orange circle, conduct mark in F.I.S.H. binder, & timeout Parent Contact – red circle, conduct mark in F.I.S.H. binder, parent contact by phone or note, & time out Severe Clause and Consequences: Fighting, causing harm to another student, disrespect or defiance to the teacher, willful destruction of property, profanity, or stealing will result in the student immediately being sent to the principal’s office. Students With Good Behavior Will Earn: Verbal praise Positive notes home Special awards and activities Good conduct grades

FISH Binders Continued… FISH Binders will contain:  School Notes Pocket The school notes pocket will have weekly newsletters, field trip information, lunch menus, fundraiser information, flyers from the office, etc… Please empty this folder daily.  Weekly Newsletters The weekly newsletter will be ed or sent home in your child’s FISH Binder on Mondays. The newsletter will inform you about upcoming events and activities that your child will be participating in at school. They will also keep you informed about what your child is learning in school.  Work Folder The work folder will be used to send home your child’s work for the week. Work will be sent home on Friday or the following Monday. Please look over the work with your child and check the conduct folder for any work related comments. Empty the work folder out and send it back to school with your child’s FISH Binder. The work is yours to keep! Enjoy!

FISH Binders Continued… FISH Binders will contain:  Homework Your child will have homework each night. August & Beginning of September Homework – Practice child’s name, teacher’s name, school’s name, lunch #, Car #, Bus #, etc… Homework Section of FISH Binder will begin in September. This section will contain weekly Harcourt homework lessons, books to read at home, a monthly reading log, and a monthly math activities sheet. Homework All homework will begin in September. Harcourt Homework- Each lesson is front and back review of the activities we are working on for the week in reading. We will review one homework lesson each week. The lesson your child should be working on at home will be marked with a sticky note. Each week, you and your child will be responsible for reviewing the activities from the weekly homework lesson at least 3 times. Please initial the top of the homework page each time you practice the activities. Please do not skip ahead in the homework lessons. Take Home Books- Every Friday, your child will receive 2 or 3 new “just right” books to read at home throughout the following week. Please return these books to the reading pocket of your child’s F.I.S.H Binder each day after reading them at home. Every month your child will have a goal on his or her reading log. Please have your child read daily and don’t forget to complete one line each day you read the books. Monthly Math Activities- The monthly math sheet will have a short activity for your child to do each night that will reinforce some of the math concepts that we are working on at school. Please initial and date on the chart when an activity has been completed.

Attendance It is important to have your child at school each day and for them to arrive on time. I believe that success in kindergarten is strongly related to attendance. Please try to plan vacations and appointments around school if possible. If your child is absent from school for any reason, please send a note the day he or she returns to school (no ). If a note (parent or doctor) is not received within 3 school days, the absence will be coded as unexcused. Administration will make contact after 3 unexcused absences and excessive tardies. Remember that the tardy bell rings at 7:45 and if a child comes in the classroom after that time he or she will be counted tardy. Buses usually arrive at school between 7:15-7:30. Car Rider drop off begins at 7:15.

Lunch Our lunchtime is from 12:06-12:31 each day. - Limit Lunch visits to 1 time weekly to allow students time to socialize with others and get acclimated to routines fostering independence. Please wait on the benches outside of the lunchroom for our class to arrive. Your child will be issued a 5-digit lunch number. Lunch is $2.50 per day and breakfast is $1.25 per day for students. Lunch checks need to be labeled with your child’s 5-digit lunch number so that it will be credited to your child’s account. Please do not include any other money with lunch checks. We cannot charge to lunch accounts, notes and phone calls are made to remind negative balances must be paid and will carry over until account is replenished. Lunch can also be paid online at myschoolbucks.com You will need to get your child’s ID Number from me before you can use this tool. You may send a simple birthday snack for the class to eat during lunchtime on your child’s birthday if you would like. (PLEASE NO CUPCAKES) Please do not bring fast food items for your child to eat during lunch. (McDonald’s, Arby’s, etc…) If anyone needs a free or reduced lunch form, please let the office know as soon as possible.

Daily Snack Please send a healthy snack and juice from home each day. Snack needs to be brought in a snack bag or paper sack with your child’s name on it. You may want to use a freezer pack to keep cold items from spoiling or you can tell your child to put his or her snack in my refrigerator. Please no candy or cokes!

Medicine Medicine – All medication must be brought to the school office by an adult. The adult will be required to fill out a short medication form. Students are not allowed to keep medicine in their book bags. This includes cough drops. Allergies- Please alert me of any food or seasonal allergies that your child may have. Sickness- If your child has been sick please make sure they are fever, vomit and / or diarrhea free for 24 hrs. before they return to school.

Change of Clothes Your child will need a complete change of clothes for school. Label ALL articles of clothing with your child’s name. Keep clothes in a Ziploc bag inside your child’s book bag. Make sure clothes are appropriate for the current season. All children must wear tennis shoes to school for P.E. (Please double knot laces / No Crocs or Flip Flops) Girls should wear shorts under skirts & dresses. Please follow the ACS dress code.

Transportation ***** IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE CONSISTENT ***** I will need to know before the first day of school how your child will be going home each afternoon. Your child will be given a transportation tag to wear on his or her book bag. If you plan to change your child’s transportation for any reason, I must have a parent note so that I can send it to the office to be approved. I cannot send a child home a different way without a note. This is for your child’s safety. Changes cannot be made after 2:00 (to eliminate confusion and allow time to adjust child's dismissal) and phone calls and faxes are not accepted due to student safety. You may walk your child in to our classroom on the 1 st Day of school only.

Transportation continued… Severe Weather Occurrences… Bus Transportation remains in place CVES After School Care Students become Car Riders Other Daycares should pickup but if not, students become Car Riders unless notified otherwise. ***We understand emergencies arise***

CVES Security We would like to introduce you to a new system our school has acquired to help protect your children—it’s called V-soft. V-soft helps track visitors, students, faculty, contractors and volunteers at our school, thus providing a safer more monitored environment for the students. When visitors, volunteers or contractors check-in, or parents come to pick up students, they will be asked to present a valid state issued ID for entering into the system. The system has the ability to provide alerts on people who may jeopardize the safety of the campus. We feel certain this will help us keep our campus a little safer, and ask for your cooperation in presenting your valid state issued ID when checking in at the school. Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.

Field Trips Fall: Pumpkin Patch (October 15 th ) Spring: Birmingham Zoo (March 24 th ) We LOVE to have parent chaperones on our Field Trips! –All students ride on buses –All parents drive in cars –No younger siblings may attend –No check-outs are allowed from the field trip site Miss Annie – (4 classroom enrichment lessons)

Supplies All supplies need to be brought in on Meet the Teacher Day! No Names or Labels (except scissors & rest towels) Rest Towels (small / keep in book bag / 1 st 9 wks) Book Bags (good size / no wheels) Handwriting Books - $16

Donations If you would like to make a donation to our classroom you might want to consider: Choosing an apple or two from the Giving Tree. Purchasing a Gift Card for our classroom. (Wal-Mart, Staples, Parent-Teacher Store, etc…) Making a monetary donation to the school. (½ CVES General Fund & ½ Divided Among ALL Teachers) Checking the weekly newsletter for items we need in our classroom throughout the year. Box Tops – 10 cents each

How to Contact Me: me at Send a note in your child’s FISH Binder. Call the office and leave a message

Do you want to know what is going on at CVES? Sign up for NotifyMe!

Don’t Forget: Group Parent Conference Night – August 31 6:00 p.m. Complete Purple Orientation Folder paperwork. Add money to your child’s Lunch account (include Lunch #) Pay for Kindergarten Handwriting Book - $16 Sign Transportation sheet on the board. Sign up for Remind 101. (Mrs. Williamson & CVES Office) Visit the Creek View PTO website and create an account. cvespto.org