August 8, 2016
Dear Parents,
I am so pleased to be writing this letter! I hope you are enjoying these warm, sunny days with family just as much as I am! Our classroom is shaping up nicely. Mr. Morris is finished cleaning and freshening up the paint and I am looking forward to getting in there to put our classroom together.
In a few short weeks it will be time to start the school year and I am looking forward to seeing everyone!
This year we are fortunate to have a half-time ed-tech in our kindergarten classroom. Her name is Mrs. Pam Audet and she will prove to be a valuable resource!
Please read through this letter carefully, as it contains information to help alleviate any anxieties you and your child may have about the first day of kindergarten. A copy of this letter will be posted to our class web page at vesmccormack.weebly.com should you need to find it again in the future.
School hours are 8:30 to 3:00. The school calendar is available on the York Schools website yorkschools.org
1. Welcome: Each year there is a Sneak A Peek time when students can come check out their new classroom. There is also an opportunity for parents to come learn about the kindergarten curriculum and the kindergarten day. This year our Sneak A Peek time will be on Thursday September 1st from 9:00 until 10:00. Please be on the look-out for an e-mail from Mrs. Noble explaining details for that morning.
2. Bus Information: Please fill out the attached dismissal information form. Please return it to school during our Sneak A Peek time on Thursday September 1st. Bus route information is available in the local newspapers near the end of August and also on the York Schools website yorkschools.org . Whenever you need to make any changes to your child’s after school destination, you must send written notification with your child on the day of the change. Be sure the note includes:
Phone calls during the day, to change destination, will be allowed only in emergencies so that we can keep classroom interruptions to a minimum. E-mails regarding destination changes can not be counted on as on a busy day I can not guarantee that I will be able to check my e-mail during the school day. Be sure to review with your child his/her bus number, address and after school destination each day. If your child will be a regular bus rider it is extremely helpful for your child if they ride the bus as soon as school starts. There will be many extra people on duty in the morning at school greeting students as they arrive, making sure your child gets safely to our classroom. The same is true in the reverse at the end of the day! This level of support will decrease as everyone gets used to the routine.
3. Communication: Communication is very important to me! Your child will receive a blue Home/School Folder on (or before) the first day of school. Please send any notes/completed homework/lunch money/field trip permissions, etc…in the Home/School Folder. Please send it back to school each day even if it is empty. It is the place I will check for notes from home every day. All homework and schoolwork as well as occasional notes will be sent home this way, too.
4. Snacks: Send your child with TWO simple, healthy snacks each day. Please label one snack #1 (small pieces of masking tape on the container or permanent marker on baggies or directly on the packaging work well for labeling.) This snack should be a “quick” snack like pretzels, grapes or string cheese that does not need utensils to eat as our morning snack will be a quick one. Please label the second snack “#2” each day. The second snack could include a utensil and it could be more substantial like cheese and crackers or yogurt. Numbering the snacks is very helpful! In the beginning of the year we sometimes have a problem when students eat ALL their food at lunch time leaving them without an afternoon snack. It is very helpful to pack snacks in a separate location from lunches (like a side pocket of a backpack) for this reason. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please do not send in more than two snacks as it can be very confusing for young children.
5. School Lunches: Lunch (and/or milk) will be available every day from our cafeteria. If your child will be getting lunch (or milk) at school I encourage you to send your child with a check made out to York Schools Nutrition Program (with your child’s name printed in the memo field) in an envelope with her/his name on it. Your child will receive a “Lunch Card” which will be kept in the cafeteria and handed to him/her each day before lunch. This way your child’s account can be replenished weekly, monthly etc… with a low balance reminder sent from the cafeteria as needed.
Please check the “Back to School” issue of a local newspaper or check the York Schools website to verify to cost of lunches. Please be sure your child knows what to order for lunch each day, whether it’s lunch from home, or a choice at school. There will always be a link to the monthly lunch menu on my web page as well as through the school website.
Please fill out the Weekly Menu Form attached to this e-mail. This will help me to guide your child as they make their lunch choice every day. I'll send a new form home on Friday.
6. Personal Items: Each child will have a cubby in the hall for their backpacks and coats. I will do my best to keep track of your children’s belongings. Please be sure to label ALL of your child’s belongings with their first and last name! We will have several pairs of black snowpants floating around after recess this winter and names will enable us the get the right pair into the right backpack.
7. Back to School Supplies: The kindergarten teachers have decided upon a list of supplies which each Kindergartener can contribute to each classroom. All supplies will be combined and will be used as community supplies throughout the year. I have attached the list to this e-mail.
9. Summer in a Bag: We will spend some time getting to know one another during the first few weeks of school. In order to support your child’s sharing about themselves, please send 1 item that will help your child remember an activity he/she has done this summer. Please bring the item in a labeled gallon size zip top bag to school with your child to the “Sneak A Peek” event. The item will stay at school for approximately the first month. Items can include things from nature, drawings, photographs, ticket stub etc…
10. Quiet Time: Please send a beach towel labeled with your child’s name to school for your child to use during quiet time. One small stuffed animal would be fine too! This towel should come to school in a re-usable shopping bag which we will hang in each child’s cubby for storage. Students will lay down on the floor with their towels at quiet time each day for the first part of the school year. Since our classroom is tiled it will be especially important for your child to have a towel for their comfort during quiet time. I will send towels home for laundering most Fridays. Please remember to send the towel back to school the following Monday.
11. Sneakers: Please send your child with sneakers (or wear sneakers) especially on days when the children have Physical Education. I will post our Specials Schedule on our class webpage as soon as that schedule is finalized. Open-toe shoes are not allowed on our school playgrounds. Because I feel strongly that children need time out-of-doors every day, we will be going outside for recess unless the weather prevents us. On mild, rainy days we will put on our rain coats and boots and go for a Rainy Day Walk if the playground too wet for play.
Thank you so much for reading to the end of this VERY long letter! I want this school year to be a positive one. Please do not hesitate to send me a note, or contact me at (363-4870), or send me an e-mail to [email protected] . I will return a note, an e-mail or a call as soon as possible.
On behalf of Mrs. Audet and myself, thank you for sharing your children with us!!
Enjoy the remaining days of summer vacation. I am sincerely looking forward to a wonderful school year!
Fondly,
Suzanne McCormack…a.k.a. “Ms. McCormack”
Dear Parents,
I am so pleased to be writing this letter! I hope you are enjoying these warm, sunny days with family just as much as I am! Our classroom is shaping up nicely. Mr. Morris is finished cleaning and freshening up the paint and I am looking forward to getting in there to put our classroom together.
In a few short weeks it will be time to start the school year and I am looking forward to seeing everyone!
This year we are fortunate to have a half-time ed-tech in our kindergarten classroom. Her name is Mrs. Pam Audet and she will prove to be a valuable resource!
Please read through this letter carefully, as it contains information to help alleviate any anxieties you and your child may have about the first day of kindergarten. A copy of this letter will be posted to our class web page at vesmccormack.weebly.com should you need to find it again in the future.
School hours are 8:30 to 3:00. The school calendar is available on the York Schools website yorkschools.org
1. Welcome: Each year there is a Sneak A Peek time when students can come check out their new classroom. There is also an opportunity for parents to come learn about the kindergarten curriculum and the kindergarten day. This year our Sneak A Peek time will be on Thursday September 1st from 9:00 until 10:00. Please be on the look-out for an e-mail from Mrs. Noble explaining details for that morning.
2. Bus Information: Please fill out the attached dismissal information form. Please return it to school during our Sneak A Peek time on Thursday September 1st. Bus route information is available in the local newspapers near the end of August and also on the York Schools website yorkschools.org . Whenever you need to make any changes to your child’s after school destination, you must send written notification with your child on the day of the change. Be sure the note includes:
- the date
- the name of the person your child will be visiting
- the address of the destination
- the bus number
- your signature
Phone calls during the day, to change destination, will be allowed only in emergencies so that we can keep classroom interruptions to a minimum. E-mails regarding destination changes can not be counted on as on a busy day I can not guarantee that I will be able to check my e-mail during the school day. Be sure to review with your child his/her bus number, address and after school destination each day. If your child will be a regular bus rider it is extremely helpful for your child if they ride the bus as soon as school starts. There will be many extra people on duty in the morning at school greeting students as they arrive, making sure your child gets safely to our classroom. The same is true in the reverse at the end of the day! This level of support will decrease as everyone gets used to the routine.
3. Communication: Communication is very important to me! Your child will receive a blue Home/School Folder on (or before) the first day of school. Please send any notes/completed homework/lunch money/field trip permissions, etc…in the Home/School Folder. Please send it back to school each day even if it is empty. It is the place I will check for notes from home every day. All homework and schoolwork as well as occasional notes will be sent home this way, too.
4. Snacks: Send your child with TWO simple, healthy snacks each day. Please label one snack #1 (small pieces of masking tape on the container or permanent marker on baggies or directly on the packaging work well for labeling.) This snack should be a “quick” snack like pretzels, grapes or string cheese that does not need utensils to eat as our morning snack will be a quick one. Please label the second snack “#2” each day. The second snack could include a utensil and it could be more substantial like cheese and crackers or yogurt. Numbering the snacks is very helpful! In the beginning of the year we sometimes have a problem when students eat ALL their food at lunch time leaving them without an afternoon snack. It is very helpful to pack snacks in a separate location from lunches (like a side pocket of a backpack) for this reason. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please do not send in more than two snacks as it can be very confusing for young children.
5. School Lunches: Lunch (and/or milk) will be available every day from our cafeteria. If your child will be getting lunch (or milk) at school I encourage you to send your child with a check made out to York Schools Nutrition Program (with your child’s name printed in the memo field) in an envelope with her/his name on it. Your child will receive a “Lunch Card” which will be kept in the cafeteria and handed to him/her each day before lunch. This way your child’s account can be replenished weekly, monthly etc… with a low balance reminder sent from the cafeteria as needed.
Please check the “Back to School” issue of a local newspaper or check the York Schools website to verify to cost of lunches. Please be sure your child knows what to order for lunch each day, whether it’s lunch from home, or a choice at school. There will always be a link to the monthly lunch menu on my web page as well as through the school website.
Please fill out the Weekly Menu Form attached to this e-mail. This will help me to guide your child as they make their lunch choice every day. I'll send a new form home on Friday.
6. Personal Items: Each child will have a cubby in the hall for their backpacks and coats. I will do my best to keep track of your children’s belongings. Please be sure to label ALL of your child’s belongings with their first and last name! We will have several pairs of black snowpants floating around after recess this winter and names will enable us the get the right pair into the right backpack.
7. Back to School Supplies: The kindergarten teachers have decided upon a list of supplies which each Kindergartener can contribute to each classroom. All supplies will be combined and will be used as community supplies throughout the year. I have attached the list to this e-mail.
- One package of 10 broad tip Crayola markers, classic colors-with the red banner and “Teacher Preferred” (not “washable” please) ($1.27)
- One package of 10 fine tip Crayola markers ($1.27)
- 6 to 8- Elmer’s washable, disappearing purple School Glue Sticks (about $.50/each)
- One package of store brand sticky notes 3x3 or 1 1/2 x 2
- $5.00 (cash in envelope labeled with your child’s name and “cooking fund” or a gift card to Hannaford) for cooking supplies or other perishable supplies throughout the year
- Box of gallon, sandwich, or jumbo size ziploc-style baggies, store brand is preferred
- One 4-pack of Play-Doh
- One12 quart Sterilite dishpan
- Small Matchbox style cars
- One small cookie sheet- approx. 13 x 9 inch
9. Summer in a Bag: We will spend some time getting to know one another during the first few weeks of school. In order to support your child’s sharing about themselves, please send 1 item that will help your child remember an activity he/she has done this summer. Please bring the item in a labeled gallon size zip top bag to school with your child to the “Sneak A Peek” event. The item will stay at school for approximately the first month. Items can include things from nature, drawings, photographs, ticket stub etc…
10. Quiet Time: Please send a beach towel labeled with your child’s name to school for your child to use during quiet time. One small stuffed animal would be fine too! This towel should come to school in a re-usable shopping bag which we will hang in each child’s cubby for storage. Students will lay down on the floor with their towels at quiet time each day for the first part of the school year. Since our classroom is tiled it will be especially important for your child to have a towel for their comfort during quiet time. I will send towels home for laundering most Fridays. Please remember to send the towel back to school the following Monday.
11. Sneakers: Please send your child with sneakers (or wear sneakers) especially on days when the children have Physical Education. I will post our Specials Schedule on our class webpage as soon as that schedule is finalized. Open-toe shoes are not allowed on our school playgrounds. Because I feel strongly that children need time out-of-doors every day, we will be going outside for recess unless the weather prevents us. On mild, rainy days we will put on our rain coats and boots and go for a Rainy Day Walk if the playground too wet for play.
Thank you so much for reading to the end of this VERY long letter! I want this school year to be a positive one. Please do not hesitate to send me a note, or contact me at (363-4870), or send me an e-mail to [email protected] . I will return a note, an e-mail or a call as soon as possible.
On behalf of Mrs. Audet and myself, thank you for sharing your children with us!!
Enjoy the remaining days of summer vacation. I am sincerely looking forward to a wonderful school year!
Fondly,
Suzanne McCormack…a.k.a. “Ms. McCormack”