Camp Learn to Lead
North Jackson Elementary
Kindergarten 2015-2016
Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Clifford, & Ms. McMurtrey
Ms. Melissa, Mrs. Amanda, & Mrs. Andrea
Created by: Ashley Magee, www.firstgradebrain.com Graphics © ThistleGirlDesigns
First Things First!
• Please make sure you have all of your
child’s essential papers (immunization,
physical, etc.) turned in prior to the first
day of school.
• YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE PERMITTED
TO STAY IF THESE ITEMS ARE MISSING!
First Day of School
• Please come to the front doors when you arrive at NJE.
Teachers will be arriving in the gym at 7:20 am to get
Kindergarten students.
• You may also come in the front door on the 2nd day of school
as well. Starting the first full week please come to the back
door by the gym to check in.
• We will be hosting a “Boo Hoo Breakfast” for parents. After
you walk your child to his/her room, you can join the other
Kindergarten parents in the cafeteria for breakfast and moral
support You can request a phone call update on your child
during the day as well!
School Hours
• The gym doors open at 6:45 a.m.
• All students arriving before 7:20 need
to report to the cafeteria for breakfast
or to the gym for morning meeting.
Visiting North Jackson
• As a safety precaution, anytime you visit
NJE, you will be asked to present your ID.
Please check in at the front office and wear
your visitor’s badge at all times.
• If you are entering the building in the
morning, please enter at the back gym door.
Someone will be there to sign you in.
• Remember, we use Level 0 voices in our
hallways at all times!
Attendance
• Tardy bell rings at 7:30. Your child needs to
be in the building by this time.
• If your child misses a day, please send a
note for office records.
• An absence without a note is considered
an unexcused absence.
Illness/Medication
•If your child gets sick at school, we will call
the contact number from our records.
•PLEASE remember your child needs to be
fever free for 24 hours before returning to
school.
•All medication needs to be kept in the office
and a medication form needs to be filled out
for their records.
•The nurse will be at school each day!!
Breakfast/Lunch
•GREAT NEWS!!! ALL STUDENTS CAN EAT FOR
FREE THIS YEAR!!!!
•HOWEVER, everyone must still complete the
paperwork for federal recording purposes.
Lunch with your Child
You are welcome to come and eat lunch with
your child any day! If you bring outside food
items, they must be in a generic container
(no McDonald’s bags, etc.)
Lunch times:
Clifford/McMurtrey 11:00-11:25
Brown
11:05-11:30
Snack
•We have a snack in the afternoon, which is
optional.
•Water = $0.50
•Snack= $0.50
•Please put snack money in zipper pouch of
child’s folder.
•Your child can bring snack from home if
he/she chooses.
Food for the classroom
If you plan to send food items to
school for the class to share,
(birthdays, holiday parties, etc.) we
ask that you please send something
store bought and prepackaged!
Money
Anytime you send money to school for any
reason, PLEASE put it in a Ziploc bag or an
envelope labeled with your child’s name and
for what the money will be used. Place it in
the zipper pouch of the child’s folder. Please
make sure your child knows it is there. 
Your child’s belongings
PLEASE label your child’s belongings
(jackets, lunch boxes, backpacks,
etc.) with his/her first and last
name. We encourage responsibility,
but sometimes things get lost.
Family Resource Center
•In the event of a bathroom accident, we use
our Family Resource Center’s supply of
clothing.
•Please wash/return clothing items (not
undergarments) from the Family Resource
Center
C.A.M.P. Folders
Communication And Managing Paperwork
•Every day, your child will bring home a home/school
folder.
•PLEASE check and empty this folder each night. 
Inside you will find your child’s behavior chart and a
monthly calendar.
•Be sure to check the folders carefully the first few
days of school. We will be sending LOTS of papers
that need to come back!
Newsletter
We will be sending home a
newsletter each Monday.
Please check this for
important dates, upcoming
events, and classroom
happenings!
Dismissal
•If your child’s after school routine changes,
(even for just one day) notify us ASAP by
sending a note in the folder, email, or calling
the office! We cannot take your child’s “word
of mouth” that his/her regular routine will be
changed.
•If you will be calling during the day to make
a change, please call by 1:45.
Essentials
•During the week, your child will be
visiting PE/Dance, Art/Science Lab
and/or Music/Drama.
•This schedule will be located in your
child’s folder.
•Please make sure that your child wears
tennis shoes on PE days.
Recess
If the temperature is above 40
degrees and clear, we will
be playing outside! Please
make sure you send a
jacket/coat and accessories
with your child.
Scholastic Book Orders
• Each month a Scholastic book order will be
coming home with your child. These are
completely OPTIONAL!
• These are a great place to get awesome books
at great prices!
• If you choose to purchase books, please make
checks payable to Scholastic Book Club.
• You can also purchase books online. Each
time you choose this method, our classroom
will receive one free book and so will you.
This really helps build our classroom library
JAG Academy
NJE offers JAG Academy from
dismissal time until 5:30 p.m.
More details will be sent home or
you can contact Sonya Davis for
details.
School Supplies
NJE provides most school supplies for your
child. This year, we are asking only for the
following items:
• Pencils
• Plain White Paper
• Tissues
• A Backpack
What will my child be
learning in
kindergarten this
year?
Reading
• We use SRA Reading Mastery and flexibly group
students.
• SRA is a phonics based program. Level 1 teaches
kids one of the most IMPORTANT skills they will
need to be successful readers.
• Students complete an oral section which practices
sounds and blending of these sounds.
• Students then complete written practice of
sounds/blending to reinforce the oral portion of
our lesson.
How do we determine
where to place your child?
• SRA provides us with a placement test that
assesses student skills and recommends a
starting point. HOWEVER….
• SRA groups are FLEXIBLE. Students are
moved throughout the year as necessary
to meet their individual needs. Movement
is determined by assessments occurring
every five lessons.
Literacy
Literacy doesn’t just occur during reading.
Literacy happens ALL DAY in a kindergarten
classroom.  Here are a few examples of
literacy throughout our day:
*handwriting/penmanship * sight words
*morning message *journals *story time
*literacy centers (Daily 5)
Literacy also occurs in other content areas such
as science, social studies and math.
Kindergarten Writers
• What does beginning writing look like?
Pictures, scribbles, backwards letters,
beginning sounds, ending sounds,
recognizable words, no spaces, invented
spelling, no punctuation, copying favorite
words.
• Writing is developmental. Each child
progresses at his/her own pace
Math
• We use Saxon Math and flexibly group
students for that as well.
• A placement test is given to determine
starting level. HOWEVER… these groups
are FLEXIBLE and students can move based
upon individual student needs.
Homework
Kindergarten is a very busy place! We are
learning something new all day long.  As
a result, you will not see a great deal of
homework. Eventually, your child will need
to read the story from his/her reading
book each night. If your child tests into
Saxon level 1, they will also eventually have
homework. We do ask that you read with
your child each night. This is just good
practice! 
Leader in Me
North Jackson is Leader in Me
Lighthouse School! Your child
will be learning The 8 Habits of
Happy Kids and how to use
those skills to become leaders at
school and at home.
Other Kindergarten Skills…
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responsibility
social skills
listening and following directions
independence
self-confidence
manners
respect
Communication
• Email is the easiest and best way to reach us. Our
email addresses are:
mindy.brown@barren.kyschools.us
jennifer.clifford2@barren.kyschools.us
shana.mcmurtrey@barren.kyschools.us
• Notes can be placed in the zipper pouch of your
child’s folder.
• We can be reached by phone during our planning
time (1:35-2:20) or after 2:40.
Websites/Apps
• www.barren.kyschools.us
• Click on schools – click on North Jackson
– click on teacher websites – find your
child’s teacher
• Info/announcements will be added here
throughout the year. 
• You will receive an invitation to join two
different communication tools. One is
bloomz and is in app form. The other is
Remind and it is a text communicator.
Before you leave this evening
We need some very important information
about your child and the first few days of
school.
Scan your child’s teacher QR code to get to
the on-line form or go to the website link
which can be found on your child’s teacher’s
homepage.
Do you Facebook?
Don’t forget to “LIKE” the North
Jackson Elementary page on
Facebook to keep up with
important information.
We are ready to hit the trails
with your child. It’s going to be a
fantastic school year.
We will take good care of your
children!