Welcome
to
Kindergarten
Dear Kindergarten Parents,
Welcome to our exciting kindergarten world at Whitlow
Elementary. For those of you experiencing a child in kindergarten for
the first time, get ready! You will be amazed at the amount of learning
that takes place. For other more school-experienced parents, you will
be pleased with our curriculum which includes language arts and
reading programs, Dr. Cupp, and Math Expressions. We are excited
about our strong WES kindergarten team. We have a great
combination of talented teachers with qualities that complement and
bring out the best in each other. We have new and nearly new teachers
with that fresh enthusiasm and excitement that give us all a big boost.
We have teachers who have all been led to Whitlow from other schools
or counties, bringing their talents, experience, and new ideas with
them. We all look forward to working together! As a team and as
individuals, our first priority is your child’s education and well-being.
We will work diligently to see that each child receives the greatest
benefits of our educational program. We know from experience that
parent involvement is essential to maximize the benefits the child gets
from his/her school experience. Regardless of the experience and
expertise of the teacher, research shows that the biggest and most
important factor in a student's school success is the involvement of the
PARENT in daily school experiences. We urge you to become involved
by helping your child with homework and projects, joining PTA,
attending school meetings and conferences, volunteering in the
classroom, talking with your child about his/her school experiences,
and participating in our home/school reading incentive program. Please
read the following pages for important information, suggestions, and
supplies so that both parent and student may be better prepared for
kindergarten at Whitlow.. We are looking forward to working with
your child and you!
Whitlow Elementary Kindergarten Teachers
Information and Suggestions
• You will receive a
Whitlow Elementary
Handbook. Read the
handbook carefully and
put it in a safe place for
reference throughout
the year. Do the same
for the school calendar
and the monthly
breakfast/lunch menu.
• Make good attendance
a habit from the
beginning. If your child
must be absent, call the
attendance line,678965-5090 , extension
370110 , by 10:00 A.M.
each day of the
absence. Do not call
the classroom as your
message to the office
will be forwarded to
the teacher’s mailbox.
A written excuse is
necessary when the
student returns to
school. You will receive
a form to use for
excuses.
•
We must have a note from
you if afternoon
transportation changes for
any reason. The note
should include the
following information:
dates, student’s first and
last names, teacher’s
name, usual
transportation and what is
changing. We have very
strict NEW county rules
about bus changes. This
information is included in
the student handbook.
•
We cannot accept phone
calls or faxes about last
minute or emergency
transportation changes.
Instructions of this nature
left on the teacher’s voice
mail will not be honored!
•
We strongly recommend
that students begin the
regular transportation
routine the first day of
school to avoid
confusion/changes later.
Information and Suggestions
•
•
School begins promptly at
8:20 AM. If your child is
late, s/he must be
escorted into the building
by the parent and signed
in at the front desk. A
tardy child will not be
admitted to class without
a tardy note from the front
desk. Please be on time as
the student misses
instruction and activities
after 8:20 AM.
Preparation for 3:00
dismissal begins at 2:50.
Until that time, students
will be involved in learning
activities. If an emergency
arises and your child must
leave early, please sign
him/her out in the office
and wait there until
called. Parents may NOT
come to the classroom to
pick-up a child and
students may NOT
accompany a parent to the
office for check-out.
Parent volunteers need to
plan for their children to
travel home the regular
way on volunteer days.
These rules are necessary
for student safety.
• Parents are always
welcome to come for
lunch in the cafeteria at
the class’s lunch time
after checking in first at
the office. Unexpected
classroom interruptions
can interfere with the
learning process so we
ask that visitors please
respect the quality of
instructional time in
each class. If you wish
to visit your child or
teacher, we strongly
encourage you to call
beforehand to schedule
a time to visit or
volunteer in the class. If
you have specific
questions or wish to see
the teacher, please call
to schedule a
conference.
Information and Suggestions
•
•
•
Please Note Changes In
Lunchroom Prices:
Lunches purchased in the school
lunchroom are $1.90 per day
($9.50 weekly; $38 monthly).
Breakfast is $1.15 per day, $5.75
weekly, $23 monthly). Reduced
lunches are $0.40 per day and
reduced breakfast is $0.30 per
day. Lunch/breakfast can be paid
for daily, weekly, or monthly.
Checks for more than one day
need to be sent on Monday in a
labeled envelope. Please write
the child’s first and last names and
teacher’s name. Students who
bring lunch money on a daily basis
will be responsible for it and will
pay the cashier as we go through
the line at lunchtime. Free and
reduced lunch forms are in the
school packet given at Open
House. Families eligible for these
programs should complete the
forms and send them to school
where they will be forwarded to
the lunchroom supervisor.
Ice cream is sold everyday at lunch
It is extra and is NOT included in
the price of the lunch. Please give
your child very clear directions
concerning when or if s/he is
allowed to buy ice cream at lunch.
As ice cream can be charged to
the student’s account, your lunch
budget can be greatly affected.
Please make sure your child
understands your directions. Ice
cream must be eaten in the
lunchroom and cannot be taken
back to the classroom for snack.
•
You will receive a
Parent/School
Communicator (Home
Folder) at open house.
This folder is an important
communication tool
between parent, child, and
teacher. It must be sent to
school each day, checked
by the teacher then
returned home each
afternoon. All papers
need to be sent to school
in the folder, starting the
first day of school. As
each student arrives, s/he
should first give the folder
to the teacher so it can be
checked for notes, lunch
ticket money, etc. The
folder will be sent home
each day containing
homework, class & school
news, and upcoming
events. Any other notes
from teacher or school will
be placed in the folder.
Take good care of the
home folder. It must last
all year.
Information and
Suggestions
Whitlow Website
• http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/whitlow/site/default.asp
Be sure to check the whitlow website frequently
to find up to date information on curriculum,
school activities, dates, and other happenings.
Kindergarten Supplies
You may send these supplies as soon as possible after registration.
Some items will be taken up and used at appropriate times. I do not
require all the supplies on the kindergarten list, so please see below
for the items that have been removed. Please do not send: pens,
mechanical pencils, glitter crayons, pencil sharpeners, or trapper
keepers.
Book Bag
2 boxes of crayons (24 count)
24-# 2 pencils
2 large pink erasers
10 large glue sticks
1 pair of child safety scissors
2 boxes of washable markers (8 pack)
1 pack of dry erase markers
3-3-prong folders with pockets
1 pack of index cards
1-1 inch 3 ring binder (we prefer white
with a clear front pocket)
A Note
Your kindergartner may have some anxiety which he/she may
have already expressed. It is not uncommon for a child at this
age to be apprehensive about kindergarten because everything
is new. Although many students have knowledge about letters,
numbers, colors, etc. when they start school, most
kindergarteners do not know them fluently. Please reassure
your child that learning is a great, fun part of kindergarten.
Remind him/her how it takes time and practice.
Our school phone number and voice mail is 678-965-5090.
Parents who wish to speak with us should call and leave a short
message with a number. We will be teaching your child between
8:20 and 3:00 so it is difficult to answer the phone, check
messages, and return calls. We will check messages @ 7:30 AM
and 3:00 PM. Calls will be returned after 3:00. If you have an
urgent message, please call the school office. Remember that
we cannot honor transportation change requests left on our
voice mail. This is for student protection. Please leave messages
about your child’s absence on the attendance line (678-9655090 ext.370110 ). These messages will be checked in the office
then forwarded to our voice mail so there is no need to call the
classroom to report an absence.
More Notes
We recommend you have you child come to school and leave
from school on Monday the same way they will everyday. This
will help establish a routine. Also, we recommend that you not
walk them down to the classroom, to help them make the
transition easier.
Please keep an extra pair of clothes in your child’s book bag in
case of an accident or spill.
Look for and read the regular PTA and school newsletters
featuring the lunch menu and school news.
We will observe each child’s birthday. Parents of the birthday
child may wish to send in a special snack which will be served
during lunch. Please see the new county guideline: you may not
bring in home-made class snacks, they must be store bought.
Summer birthdays will be observed during the last month of
school.
We will have a daily snack in the classroom at 10:30 am. We will
be having a late lunch so please be sure to send a snack every
day. Please make sure to send snacks that are nutritious and low
in sugar. Chocolate is not recommended for snack. Candy is not
allowed for snack.
Specials
We will have specials every day from 1:30-2:15.
You will be notified of session 2 special rotations as we
approach those dates. Be sure to check your
communication folder each week for any other
changes!
Behavior
Every child will have a behavior log in their take home folder, this is
to be signed each night and left in your child’s folder.
If your child has broken a rule listed on the behavior sheet a check
will be placed on that day next to the rule broken. The rules match
up with the areas graded on the report card. If there is no mark,
your child had a great day and stayed on green.
Consequences
If a child breaks a rule a verbal warning will be given., child stays on
green. If it happens again then the child will move to yellow and
have to sit out 5 minutes of free centers. If the child continues to
break rules they will move to red and miss 10 minutes of free
centers.
Thank you so much for coming. We look
forward to a wonderful year together.
Don’t forget…
•to complete the forms and put them on the
back table.
•to have your child wear their name badge to
and from school everyday next week.
•to visit the cafeteria to sign up for lunch
accounts
•to sign up for PTA in the cafeteria
•to purchase a Kindergarten t-shirt to wear to
school on Friday