August 31, 2015
Dear Parents,
Mrs. Crouse and I were overjoyed to meet most of you at our Kindergarten
Open House! We have worked very hard getting ready for your children and are so excited they are finally here!
You have our promise to take good care of your child. We will treat each one as our own. We promise to recognize and appreciate the unique talents of each child, to meet each one where he/she is academically and to gently guide them forward.
I have always loved children. From the time I was a little girl, I wanted to become a teacher. This is my 23 rd year teaching in Loudoun County Public
Schools. I have taught first, second and third grades. 15 years ago, I came to Kindergarten, fell in love and haven’t left. I enjoy sharing the joy, the wonder and the excitement kindergarteners bring to school each day. This is your child’s first year in “real” school and I feel a deep responsibility to make it a wonderful, positive experience. Although I have been with LCPS for many years, this is my first year at Lovettsville Elementary. I can honestly say, I am thrilled to be here!
REMINDERS
There are a number of most-asked questions at the beginning of the school year. I will attempt to answer some of them here:

 Nametags: Please have your child wear his/her nametag for the first week of school. It is very helpful not only in learning names, but also in making sure the children ride the right buses, etc.
 What to bring to school: Please have your child bring his/her backpack every day. Please do not allow your child to bring toys or electronic devices of any kind to school.
 Phone numbers: If at any time your phone number or emergency numbers change, please let us know immediately. It is imperative that we are able to reach you at any time.
 Bus notes: If your child’s schedule will change on any given day, we
MUST have a note from you. This is very important! Often the children will think they are going home with a friend and we don’t have a note. We must adhere to the child’s regular schedule if we do not get a note from you saying there will be a change. ANY change in a child’s regular way of getting home requires a note, even if he/she will be picked up by a relative. If you forget to write a note, please call the school and tell one of the secretaries and she will get the message to us. (Please do not send messages of a time sensitive nature via email as we often do not have an opportunity to check email while the children are with us.)
 Parent pick-up: If you or a designated person picks up your child, please be sure this is documented in the sign-out book.
 Important papers: Many papers will be coming home in today’s packet. When you return them please put them in the same envelope they came home in.
 Visitors: Whenever you are in the school visiting, it is important to sign in at the office and obtain a visitor’s badge.
 Medications: Children are not permitted to keep medicine of any kind in their backpacks. All medications should be delivered by you to our school clinic located next to the main office.
 Snacks: The children will have an opportunity during the school day for a quick healthy snack which will be eaten in the classroom. We ask that you send something easy to open, and something that can be eaten in ten minutes. You may send water as well
 Birthdays: As part of our county-wide initiative to promote healthy life choices, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with cupcakes

or non-food trinkets. Instead, we will honor your child’s birthday by announcing his/her name on the morning show and by giving him/her a birthday crown and a birthday pencil. Please note that we are not permitted to distribute party invitations at school.
 Conferences: We will schedule parent/teacher conferences at the end of October and beginning of November. If, however, you would like to have a conference sooner than that, please send me a note or an email. I am always able to arrange a conference should the need arise.
 Report cards: Kindergartners will receive a report card each marking period, although grades are not given for the first marking period. I will share information about report cards with you at Back-To-School
Night and at conference time.
 Back-To-School Night: This will take place at 6:30 PM on Thursday,
September 17 th . It will be an informational night for you – a time for you to bring any and all questions about our kindergarten program. I will share information about the curriculum as well as our daily routine and schedule.
 Library: Our library day will be Thursday. Please help your child to remember to bring his/her library books on Thursday.
 Newsletters: Over the years, I have found that the most effective way for me to keep you informed of all the happenings in kindergarten is through a weekly or biweekly newsletter. Additionally, the children will have an orange folder that will come home every Thursday which will showcase their work as well as include important papers for your review.
 Volunteers: We welcome and so appreciate volunteers in the classroom!! I will have information for you at Back-To-School Night about how you can go through the process of becoming a volunteer.
THIS WEEK
Our first week will be busy, I’m sure. We will introduce ourselves, explore our room and school, learn school rules and behavior expectations, learn about bus safety, practice for a fire drill and basically get to know each other a bit. We will also focus on varied phonological and alphabet activities.

In closing, may I just reiterate how much we look forward to sharing the year ahead with your child. If, at any time, you have a question or a concern, please do not hesitate to contact me, either by phone or by note or by email Nancy.Baker@lcps.org
. It is my sincere hope that we will work
TOGETHER to make kindergarten a productive, happy, and POSITIVE learning experience for the children.
Sincerely,
Nancy and Susan