Ms. April’s KG2 A Class! 2014-2015

Welcome! Ahlan Wa Sahlan! This week your child will complete one of the most important milestones in

his/her life - the first day of school! I understand that you and your child may

have met this day with excitement or apprehension (or a little of both) and I

hope that this letter will help you know what to expect in kindergarten this year

and answer any questions you may have.

Parent/Teacher Relationship I believe that a good parent-teacher relationship is necessary

for maximum school success. Throughout the year I will

communicate with you through notes, the agenda, telephone calls, monthly

newsletters, progress reports, and parent-teacher interviews. I encourage you

to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. You can call me at school

and leave a message (02 556 4206), send me a note in the agenda or email me at

ahansen@cisabudhabi.com. If there is something that requires a longer discussion, please set up an appointment with me in advance. Please write down your email address for me in their agendas so I can send our

monthly calendars and newsletters via email!

Parent Participation Throughout the school year there will be regular opportunities to help in the

classroom as well as a variety of special school activities and celebrations. I

encourage you to attend these functions when possible and to support them by

sending needed supplies or treats. Your support with school activities makes

your child feel important and sends the message that you value him/her at

school. Cutting up crafts, making play dough, cooking, sending in ingredients,

reading with children, supervising centres and fieldtrips are some of the many

ways you can help with the program.

School Attendance Your child’s regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial to his/her

success. Most kindergarten learning activities are group-oriented and involve

interaction with classmates. Therefore, please view school as a priority, and see

to it that your child attends everyday except in cases of illness or emergency.

School Hours: 8:00 -3:00

*8:00 a.m.- School begins at this time! I will pick up the

students outside in the courtyard near our entrance.

Students/Parents are expected to wait with their

backpacks outside until I come and get them (7:55 a.m. bell

rings). Our class will line up at the stairs in the middle

facing the door/entrance. I will bring them inside and the

students will hang up their belongings on their hooks and hand in

their agendas in the green bucket at the door before entering the

classroom. This is a huge responsibility task that students will be working

on all year! It is helpful if parents say their goodbyes outside before I

bring them in.

Our Schedule: (Times might change due to scheduling) Students have

special classes scheduled throughout the week. (Art with Ms. Lindy,

Arabic with Ms. Batool, Library with Ms. Lisa, Music with Ms. Katye,

Drama with Ms. Lauren, Swimming with Ms. Ema, Mr. Zoran, & Ms. Gloria,

P.E. with Mr. David, Mr. Ano, and Ms. Jaemie.

Snack times vary throughout the week, but will be as close to

recess as possible.

10:20 – 10:40 – First Recess

12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch

12:30 – 12:55 – Lunch recess

2:40-3:00 – Pack up and end of day review

3:00 – Dismissal. I will escort the class outside to greet you at the

same location as the morning (in the middle courtyard). Please wait for

your child outside on the benches. I have a “High Five” Goodbye System

that we will follow so I know when your child is leaving and with whom.

Bus students will be escorted to their buses by my assistant.

Bus kids: if your child will be missing the bus for any reason, please call

the school to let them know ahead of time and please send me a quick

email letting me know what’s going on.

Snacks and Lunch Students need to bring a lunch as well as healthy snacks for snack time. We

have a snack time in the morning before recess. We encourage students to eat

the healthier snacks in their lunch kits (fruits, yogurt, granola bars without any

nut ingredients, veggies, cheese & crackers, etc.). Please send a water bottle

every day (with their name on it).

Transportation Please inform me ASAP on your child’s transportation methods to and from

school. FOR TRANSPORTATION CHANGES - If you plan to pick up a child

that normally rides the bus, you must send a written note or call the office.

Please do not rely on your child to tell me this information, because children

often become confused and relay messages incorrectly. You can write a note in

the agenda. If no written note is received, your child will be sent home by

his/her usual method of transportation.

Appointments: If you are picking up your child during the day for an

appointment, you need to go to the office (not the classroom) and tell the

receptionist. An Office Assistant will come and get your child and bring them to

the office.

Uniforms Students are required to be dressed in full CIS uniform daily. It is a good idea

to label your child’s uniform. KG2 can wear their P.E. uniforms on P.E. days. We

have a variety of theme days planned throughout the year when your child can

dress accordingly. You will be notified about these occasions in advance via the

agenda or email.

Shoes The best types of shoes are sneakers/running shoes because we go to the gym

every day. Your child will be encouraged to be independent in putting shoes on,

so please help them by getting a type and size that your child can manage on

his/her own.

Recess The children will have recess every day. We are fortunate to have a

variety of playground equipment, including several pieces for climbing.

Please keep this in mind when selecting shoes. We are also very lucky

to have an indoor playground!!!! We will go outdoors to play when the

weather is cool enough and indoors when it is too hot.

Library Day We will be using the school library every Monday. The children must return

their bag and books on that day before they will be allowed to borrow any

others. You can purchase a CIS Library bag at Zaks Uniform store in Al Raha

Mall.

Agendas/ Mail/Back and Forth Bags One of my goals is to keep parents informed of what is happening in the

program. If we have any newsletters, monthly calendars, field trip forms or

information sheets to send home, we will put them in your child’s Back and Forth

Bags. Please check agendas, Reading Folders and Back and Forth Bags every

day. Please take out any information and return the Home Reading Book inside

the clear, plastic Reading Folder, and the agenda all inside the Back and Forth

bags. We are using these bags so papers and agendas do not get wet and also to

keep everything in one bag!

Each page of the agenda is a week at a glance; please use the “school talk”

section to write any messages to me. I will also use this section to write any

information I might have for you. If you have written a note for me to read, please leave the agenda OPEN to that page with the date so I know to check it

and I will do the same for you. This will save us time in the mornings!

Photographs Many pictures will be taken throughout the year of all the children participating

in special activities, parties and field trips. If you take any pictures, I’d

love to have a copy or send it through email! I love taking pictures of

the kids! Let me know if you have any concerns or do not want me to

put your child’s picture up in hallways or newsletters.

Money

On occasion it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Always

send money in a sealed envelope with the following information written on it:

1. Your child’s first and last name.

2. The exact amount of money.

3. The purpose for the money (book money, field trip, pizza money,

scholastic, bake sales, etc).

4. My name.

With over 20 kids to keep track of and several reasons to collect money, this

helps me out tremendously and reduces the likelihood of errors. Also, if the

envelope is left on the bus or dropped in the hallway, this information will help

the money to be returned to my classroom.

Hot Lunch Days: On several Thursdays we have a school wide hot lunch

fundraiser. The information goes home at the beginning of the week. If you

choose to purchase the hot lunch please send the money and paper in a Ziploc

bag. If your child is absent that day we usually use the money as a donation (it

is too confusing to refund those absent).

Show and Share Days Your child’s show and share days will be indicated on the monthly

Kindergarten calendars. For your child’s show and tell day, he/she may bring

one object. Every month I will specify what to bring. Please help your child to

practice telling others about the object, its place in your home, who uses it, and

why the object is important.

Some ideas that we might do for show and tell days:

– favorite toy

– photograph of your family

– book

– collections/interests/extracurricular activity

– a song/dance/special talent to teach the class.

Scholastic Book Orders Your child will be bringing home a form to order books approximately twice this

year. If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send money in an

envelope. These orders are provided as a convenient way for parents to buy

quality books for their child at a low price. As an added bonus, for every order

that is spent on books, I earn bonus points, which are used to purchase books

for classroom use. This is a win-win situation because you get quality literature

at a low price and you are helping to provide quality literature for the

classroom. Of course, you are never under any obligation to order.

Birthdays Birthdays are special occasions for young children. If your child

wishes, he/she may bring nut-free treats for the class on his/her

birthday. We do not host Birthday Parties in the classroom;

however, you are welcome to share a special treat with the class.

Please send a note a day or two in advance, so I know to set aside

some snack time at the end of the day. If you do send a treat in, please make it

something easy to hand out, such as cupcakes or doughnuts. Cutting up a cake

requires a lot of time and utensils and sometimes it is not possible.

Allergies We have students in our school (KG1 and KG2) with severe peanut allergies.

Please DO NOT send any food containing any kind of nuts or nut ingredients in

their lunches. (No Nutella please). Thank-you for your help to make

Kindergarten a safe place for all students.

“M&M” Assemblies Every Monday morning we will have a “Motivational

Monday” Assembly in the Gym! Ms. Irene, the principal, and

Ms. Jean, VP, will host assemblies. Birthdays are

acknowledged, positive behavior is recognized and reinforced,

and there will be musical performances! We also have special assemblies to

encourage the children to read and to celebrate reaching reading goals as well

as “ICE” (Into Caring for Everyone) (Bucket fillers) awards to reinforce

important virtues.

Field Trips We try to have several field trips throughout the year and we try and match

the trips to our themes to maximize learning. Please let me know if you have

suggestions for field trip venues that would relate to our studies

or if you or someone you know could come in with some

hands-on objects or equipment. For safety and organization,

I would love to have at least 4 or 5 supervisors on field trips to help manage the

students. Your child will appreciate your attendance. Please make alternate

arrangements for his/her siblings so you can give your undivided attention.

Fundraising We have a few events per year to raise money to buy new materials and help

others in need. Some of the things we have done in the past include: Bake sales,

pizza hot lunches, and Charity Bizarre.

Alphabet Alphabet recognition is a major focus for the first half of the

kindergarten year. (Students are expected to know all 52 letters by Dec. and

sounds by June.) Whole alphabet, as well as individual letter studies, are used

to reinforce this learning! Please check your calendar/agendas to see what the

letters of the week we are working on and help review those letters when the

little books and worksheets come home!

Homework Just Read!

Your child’s main homework is to read a “Home Reading Book” we provide

per night and his/her library book, and to initial and comment on the

Reading Sheets in the Folder. Please initial their Reading Sheets

nightly. You can include other books you read to them as well, by

writing the title down and initialing on the sheet. Please make sure to put

the Home Reading Books and sheet back in the Reading Folder so we can

exchange them for another one the next day. If your child does not return

their book another one will not be put in until it is returned. Thank you so much

for your cooperation and support with this task. A cost of 50 dirhams will be

charged for missing or damaged books.

Swimming Lessons Our class will have mandatory swimming lessons once a week. (It is a good

introduction to the pool environment and water safety). Our class has swimming

on Thursday mornings. There will be a supervisor in both change rooms.

No parents, please. Students will be encouraged to learn how to get

undressed and dressed independently! Our swim class is not first

thing in the morning so please send swim suits in their bags. I recommend

purchasing a separate little bag for your child’s swimming suit and towel. This

will avoid papers from getting wet in their book bag.

Report Cards and Evaluations Three report cards will be sent home through out the year. I will make notes

about your child from observations during structured and unstructured

activities, checklists on tasks, skills or knowledge (naming alphabet, colors, etc),

scrapbooks, and journal entries. Parent teacher interviews will be held on the

two evenings following report card distribution in October and March. It is

always enjoyable to share the growth and personal experiences of each child

with their families.

Donations Prizes: If you have any small toys that are in good condition and you do not

want around your house anymore, I will gladly add them to our Prize Bin.

Utensils: My hope is that forks, spoons and juice box straws will be included in

your child’s lunchbox each day, however, I understand those days where it has

just slipped your mind. If you have any spare plastic utensils/straws and are

looking for a place where they can be used, I would love to have them for those

days when we forget to bring them!

A FEW REMINDERS… Please send required school supplies.

The End

Whew! Yes, I know this is a lot of info all at once, so please don’t hesitate to

ask me any questions whenever! (You might want to keep this letter for future

reference!) In closing, I would just like to say that I am looking forward to a

great year working with your child! Thank-you in advance for your concern and

support throughout the year!!!

Yours Sincerely,

Ms. April Hansen