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Welcome to
Mrs. Smith’s
Kindergarten Class
(a.k.a. Smith’s
Super Sleuths)
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Here’s the Scoop
Kindergarten Clues
Don’t let this year be a mystery. Keep this guide handy so
that you can refer to it all year long. It will keep you clued
in to what is going on this year.
This Kindergarten Clues Packet is full of information that
will clue you in to our procedures. Kindergarten is an
important year for your children. He/she will be developing the skills which will
be the foundation for all of their future education. Their interest in reading,
their confidence to try new and difficult things, and their feelings of success at
school are all being established this year. It is through the efforts of all of us
(parents, child, and teacher) that the future success for your child is built. I want
to make this a very positive experience.
Contact Info:
 Charla Smith: email: AAA.Kindergarten@hsv-k12.org
 School Phone (256)428-7600
 Best Time to Call: 7:30am-8:00am, 9:30-10:00 am, and 3:15pm-3:45pm. I will
be available by email anytime but will only be able to respond until 1:00pm
and after school. If there is a transportation change, please email or call me
before 1:00 pm. If you do not hear from me to confirm, please assume that I
did not get the message. At that point you must call the office.
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DATA FYI
School Hours
School begins promptly at 8:00am and ends at 3:00pm. Please set a good habit for
your child by getting him/her to school on time. You may walk your child down to
the room and kiss goodbye at the door for the first week. Please do not linger, as
it creates stress and worry in your child.
Dismissal: I will walk students out to the carline for the first few weeks each
day, until we are all comfortable with the new routine. Afterward, I will escort our
children out to the first benches and will only stay with them for 2-3 days out of
the week. Parents can drive through the line, or they can walk up to the Parent
Walk-Up sign and wait there until we call for your child. Please place the sign on
your car to help keep the line going smoothly. Please refrain from having
conversations with teachers at their posts. We are stationed here to keep our
children safe and we must keep our eyes and ears open for their needs.
Rest
We will have rest each day. Your child will need a towel for rest. He/she may bring
a small “huggy” to cuddle if desired. *No Mats…I apologize for the mix up. I do
not have storage for mats. We can roll up towels and store them in our cubbies.
Snack
Send a healthy snack each day for your child to have in the afternoons.
Ex: Cheese or peanut butter crackers & juice, fruit, pretzels or chips.
Lunch
After the first two weeks of school, please feel free to join your child for lunch.
Lunch time: 10:40 -11:05 . . . . . . . . . Lunch Price: $2.00 for Elementary Grades
Breakfast time: 7:30 am . . . . . . . . . .Breakfast Price: $1.50
Adult Lunch Price. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4.00
Adult Breakfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.50
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CURRICULUM
Reading
We use a variety of teaching strategies and activities aligned with the ALCCRS
(Alabama Career and College Readiness Standards) to build and reinforce a strong
literacy foundation for each child. Our primary reading program is Pearson
Reading Street. We administer benchmark assessments including STAR Testing
and DIBELS. I will send home practice reading. Please plan to spend about 10-15
minutes reading to your child each night.
Math
We use the Envision Math program aligned with the ALCCRS. I am confident that
you will love the results your child will achieve! Lessons and skills are taught in
small increments, while reviewing and building upon what they have learned in
order to achieve mastery. I use a hands-on mathematics approach to give the
children a firm understanding at the concrete level.
Units of Study - Social Studies and Science
I will use a thematic approach to teaching all subjects. For example when we are
learning about Fall, our reading, math, social studies and science instruction will all
be centered around the theme of Fall. Children in my classroom will be busy
working and learning through centers, small group, whole group instruction and will
learn independence and self-management with this approach.
Enrichment Classes
Our enrichment classes include: Guidance and Library (twice monthly), Dance and
Art (weekly), Music (twice weekly), and Mentoring with 8th grade students
(weekly). (See attached schedule.)
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COMMUNICATION
Edmodo
Look for information soon about our classroom interactive page on Edmodo.com.
Edmodo is the communication website that all of our teachers use to keep parents
and students informed.
Daily Communication Folders
Please look in your child’s backpack each afternoon. Your child will carry to and
from school each day a yellow communication folder. I will be sending school news
and classroom information by way of your child. Please send all notes, homework,
or other important things that you would like me to receive by way of your child’s
folder.
Kindergarten Newsletters
Each week, you will receive a newsletter with upcoming events, units of study,
topics we are learning about and simple, fun activities that will enrich your child’s
learning experience. Be sure to read it each week. I will send the letter through
email. Please let me know if you need a printed copy.
Report Cards
Report Cards will be sent home 4 times per year. We work on 9 week intervals.
However, assessment is taken throughout the school year to help direct
instruction for each student.
Money
I will be providing a money envelope for you to return money in. Please send all
money in this envelope with details of how the money is to be used.
Homework
Please plan to read each day to increase language development and vocabulary. I
will have fun activities for you to do with your child weekly to review what we are
teaching in class.
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
Scholastic News
Our school has purchased Scholastic News subscriptions for all of our
kindergarten students this year. We will use these monthly newsletters to enrich
our curriculum.
IXL Math
IXL Math is a fun website where your child can practice math skills in a very fun
way. The Huntsville City Schools has generously purchased subscriptions for every
child to access this website. This fantastic program tracks your child’s progress
and allows the student to progress at his/her own pace. Please encourage your
child to log in and play on IXL every week. Please watch for upcoming information
about IXL Math. Be on the lookout for your log-in info for IXL.
Book Orders
I will be sending book orders home this year. You can purchase books for your
child and help earn books for our classroom library. These are wonderful
opportunities to build your child’s home library.
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CELEBRATIONS
Holiday Parties
We will have 2 parties: a Winter Holiday Celebration and a Valentine’s Day Party.
If you have any concerns or religious practices that may cause conflict, please
discuss with me privately and we will make arrangements.
Birthdays
Please send me an email if you plan to bring a healthy treat to celebrate
birthdays. All treats sent for birthdays must follow the system’s nutritional
guidelines. Please refrain from sending sweets fruit kabobs are a big hit. You may
either send it to school with your child or bring it to school by 2:30pm. We will
celebrate on the day of their birthday unless otherwise posted on our monthly
calendar. We usually have time from 2:30pm-2:50pm for birthday treats. (This
will depend on our school schedule.) If your child brings birthday invitations to
school, please include all students. Teachers are not allowed to give out student
phone numbers or addresses for parties. If your child’s birthday is during the
summer months, we will arrange an afternoon during the school year to celebrate
their birthday.
Star Student
Each week a different child will be selected to be the “Star Student.” A note will
come home with your child requesting pictures or special mementos to be brought
in that week. They will be displayed in the classroom for the week.
Perfect Attendance and End of Year Awards Day
At the end of the year, AAA celebrates each child’s accomplishments for the
year. Our class will perform on stage just prior to the awards presentations.
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VOLUNTEERS
PTA
Please make sure each parent joins PTA. We want our classroom and our school to
reach 100% membership. This is an invaluable part of our school. Parents working
with teachers can make our children’s education top notch!
Volunteer Hours
At AAA we educate through the arts. We could not have successful programs
without the help of all of our families. Therefore, each family is required to
volunteer 18 hours per semester. Please see the volunteer sign-up sheet to
reserve your spots. There are lots of opportunities for parents to pitch in to make
our school year a huge success.
Mr. Grumpy’s Toy Shoppe
Every four years, our school puts on a massive theatrical musical production of
Mr. Grumpy’s Toy Shoppe. Deborah Fleischman, our resident Theatrical Director,
refers to this production as “Ben Hur for Babies.” When we get started, you will
find out why! All Kindergarten boys will be Toy Soldiers and will sing and dance. All
Kindergarten girls will be Dollies and will look precious and will melt your hearts.
If you have never experienced Mr. Grumpy’s Toy Shoppe, you are in for a real
holiday treat! We will need lots of helping hands during this time, so please go
ahead and sign up.
Fine Arts Festival
This is our biggest fundraising event of the year. Parents working together make
this event fabulous! The Fine Arts Festival has crafts that correlate to our school
theme, art exhibits, musical performances, dance performances and special
performances from our own Academy Stars and Clowns. You won’t want to miss
this spectacular family event. It is held at the end of February or First of March
each spring.
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Field Trips
We will be going on field trips this year. Permission slips will be sent home at least
2 weeks prior to the event. We will need chaperones for the field trips. This is
another great way to volunteer. Bring your camera!
Let’s all work together to help your child love learning and reading. Thanks so
much! Wonderful things happen in the Kindergarten and I can’t wait to work with
you!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Charla Smith
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Do Your Daily Detective Work
Do you want to find out what your child did in school? Here are a few
clues to get that conversation going:
When you greet your child in the evening rather than asking broad
questions such as, “What did you do at school today?” ask probing questions that
can get your child talking.
Questions to ask your child:
1. “What centers did you go to today?”
2. “What story did you hear today?”
3. “Who did you sit with at lunch today?”
4. “What song did you hear or sing today?”
5. “Did you make anything today?”
6. “Do you have anything in your folder or backpack to show me today?”
7. “What new words did you learn today?”
8. “What puppets did you see today?”
These questions are specific and will generate conversation from your child rather
than simple yes or no answers. Stimulating conversation will increase brain activity
and enrich your child’s language and vocabulary. So have fun with it!
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