FRIENDS Preschool and Kindergarten
Milford United Methodist Church
1200 Atlantic St., Milford, MI. 48381
248-684-6086
www.milfordfriends.com
Parent Orientation Meeting 2008
Welcome ! We are glad that you have chosen to be part of our “Friends” family. We
appreciate the opportunity to be in partnership with you to assist your child to grow
socially, intellectually , physically and spiritually.
Keys to a Successful Year:
1.Communication is the key element in making this year with “FRIENDS” a successful,
positive experience for you and your child. We appreciate your comments and
suggestions. *You may call us at home if you have any questions or concerns that come
to your attention after hours. Our home number is 248-529-6503, Robin’s cell # is 248787-4921 and Don’s is 248-787-4924.
2. It has been our custom to ask parents (grandparents , caregivers , family members) to
come into the school when they drop the children off or pick children up . It is a good
time to touch base with parents, giving them information about the day. If something
wonderful, new , or interesting is discovered or shared during class , our staff will share it
with you , at that time or as soon as possible. In turn, we welcome comments , questions ,
insights and suggestions
If you have a younger child with you and it is difficult to come into the school
(especially if the younger child is sleeping) please call us @ 248-684-6086 or @ 248787-4924-Don’s cell) to ask us to bring your child to you in the parking lot. We will
be happy to help your child get to your car.
3. Your child may only be released to those persons that you have listed on your child’s
emergency medical card. We will check driver’s license or I D. If there is a question, we
will retain the child in our custody, until we have reached a parent.
4. A list of phone numbers will be given to each family that includes all staff members
and each family enrolled. We have a waiver for you to sign if you do not wish to have
your phone number published. The purpose of the phone list is for your convenience in
setting up play dates between your child and his/her classmates. The list is not to be used
for mailing list or any marketing tool.
5. We follow the Huron Valley School Schedule for major holidays, vacation breaks and
closings due to inclement whether. Please listen to WJR radio station or a local TV
station. We also have a fan out calling system with our staff.
6. In our handbook we list items that we would like for you to bring to school. This year
those items are: a roll of paper towels, napkins, 3oz. bathroom cups, and Kleenex. Please
bring a change of clothes for your child, in the event he/she should have an accidental
spill while at school. Children often feel embarrassed and upset when they encounter
spills or have an occasional “accident”. It is less stressful if they can change into their
own clothing. The change of clothing may be put into a zip lock bag with his/her name on
it.
7. We will be providing snack this year, due to allergies.
8. Even though we will be providing snack, we like to recognize each child’s birthday.
If you would like to bring in a special birthday snack to share with the class, please let us
know. We will be happy to put it on our calendar in the hallway. When selecting a treat,
please do not bring any product that has nuts in it or has been made in a facility where
nuts might be in the product
9. If your child is ill , on a school day, please notify us. If your child has a fever, he/she
may not return to school until he/she has been fever free for 24 hrs.
10. Each family will receive their “newsletter”, “invoices”, and important information
through their child’s folder. Our children in Miss Kelly/Miss Kecia/Miss Fletch’s room
will be putting the contents of their folders in their backpacks when they come to the last
circle. The children in Miss Cathy/Miss Mickey’s room may need reminders to check
their folders. Please, please!! Check the paperwork to make sure that you can tell
your child how impressed you are with his/her effort and to be sure that you are up
to date on notices..
Fieldtrips:
Fieldtrips are an important part of your child’s learning experience. We encourage
parents to attend all fieldtrips. Siblings are usually welcomed. Our permission form will
note if they are not invited to share in the outing.
(We do wish to note that at some point during the year, you may want to schedule at
least one fieldtrip just for you and your preschoolers. This gives you the opportunity
for one on one) .
The state has requested that everyone meet at the designated sight for the fieldtrip.
Carpooling is recommended.
Please remember that all drivers for our fieldtrips are expected to : “buckle -up”
children in child restraint systems appropriate for the age and weight of the child , never
allow children to ride in the front passenger seat of a car equipped with an air bag and
obey all traffic laws -including posted speed limit.
Class time:
1. Our day begins with children arriving and choosing an activity from the shelves. Then
we have “circle time”. This is a time for music, finger plays, job selection and
completion, introduction of new works and a demonstration of projects for the day .
When the children are dismissed from circle they may complete the projects that have
been demonstrated, have snack and then choose an activity from the shelves. Time will
be spent in small group settings for introduction to letters, numbers, counting, phonics,
etc. At the end of the day, we close with circle time.
If time permits we will be on the playground for the very end of our sessions.
2. The first part of our school year we concentrate on “ground rules” for the classroom.
There is an emphasis on sharing, respect, cooperation, manners, use of the bathrooms,
washing hands(singing row, row your boat 3 times as you scrub) , and snack time.
Children are encouraged to place items they have taken from the shelf back on the shelf,
so that another child may use it.
They are also encouraged to place their completed projects in their folders for you to see
at the end of the day.
3. Assessments will be made to note each child’s awareness of the alphabet, phonetic
sounds, numbers, one to one correspondence, counting, recognition of name in print,
balance, skipping, hopping and recognition of shapes.
4. We will place an emphasis on the effort that each child expends during the day,
not on the amount of work or activity that is produced. Each child is a gift from God
and has different qualities. We will focus on the positive, encouraging growth in all
areas of development.
Helping you child:
1. Learning should be interesting and fun. If you are working on a project, numbers,
letters, etc. and it ceases to be fun, put it away for a while.
2. Let your child guide you by picking up on your child’s interest.
3. Reciting the alphabet or the numbers 1-10, then 10-20, etc. is a great way to begin.
4. Try playing counting, shape finding, I spy or letter search games while you are in the
car.
5. As the year progresses your child will be involved with activities and games that will
give them the opportunity to learn letter names and sounds. If you are working with
your child at home with letters, please give your child the SOUND of the letter, not
the name. Reading is accomplished by sounding out a word. Giving children the
sound simplifies the process.
If your child is asking you “how do you spell” a particular word either: write it down for
them using small case letters or sound it our using the phonetic sound.
6. If you are working with your child on writing his/her name
please give him/her their name with the first letter capitalized and all others in the
lower case. Please allow them to make “large” size letters. Use small pencils or crayons
that have been broken in half. You can also use a pan with flour in it so that they can
trace a letter or number, then smooth the flour and start again.
7. If you are working on numbers, begin with counting, one to one correspondence and
make it game. An example is to write #’s on a pieces of paper and place them throughout
a room. Have your child run to the number you call out. Take turns and be creative.
8. Each child has a folder that has his/her name on it, along with two stickers. The
children will be encouraged to check their folders each day for their papers to take home.
If they do not have papers to take home, please remind them to go and check their folder.
When checking for papers, please do not compare the amount of work that is in
each folder. Younger children may not have as many papers to bring home as the older
ones. They usually choose to work with manipulatives, gaining skills that develop their
fine. Also, there are some children who are naturally drawn to manipulative and will take
some time to become comfortable with the use of pencils, crayons and markers.
9. LAST, but not least. Children at this age are more interested in process than the end
product. Please praise the effort you child has put into his work, by commenting on one
particular aspect of the work. Ex.: I like the colors you chose, I can tell you really
concentrated, I like the way you cut on the line, you were very creative, etc. Everyone
feels proud when the effort they put in is noticed.
Again, thank you for choosing FRIENDS; it is our privilege to serve you and your
family.