September Kindergarten Newsletter
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We would like to welcome you a new year at Rockland Public School! For new
Junior Kindergarten students and parents, welcome to our wonderful school!
These first days have been busy organizing, learning routines, visiting with former
students and meeting new ones. We are looking forward to working with you
and your child this year as they develop new skills and takes part in many
exciting activities!
OUR SCHEDULE
In the morning class, your child will have access to 3 adults; Mme Savard, the
French teacher, a D.E.C.E., and the Educational Assistant, Mrs. Lecuyer. Mrs.
Vanterpool will take over the English part of the day with Mrs. Levasseur and Mrs.
Wallace, E.A. For the French part of the day, your child will be learning French
Language through songs, Drama and games. They will also participate in
cooperative games in Gym. They will be evaluated in Health and Visual Art. In
English, your child will be evaluated on Science, Mathematics, Language and
Music. Play-based centres play a major role in your child’s learning. Students
will have access to activities that are of interest to them. The class’ inquiries
(wonderings) are explored and will be the focus of the centres.
As we did last year, we will be following a 5-day cycle. Twice a cycle, our class
will be in the gymnasium for Physical Education (Day 2 and 4). For safety
reasons, it is required that students have supportive footwear such as running
shoes in the gym. Also, in order to help keep track of personal items, we would
appreciate if parents could identify their child’s personal belongings such as
running shoes, lunch boxes, water bottles and clothing.
Library will be on Day 3. Students will alternate each week taking a French book
and an English book. If you do not read French, please don't worry. It is
important that your child takes an interest in the French books and experiment
with the language. Looking at pictures and making stories is a vital step in
learning to read!
HOME TO SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
Each child has an agenda and Note Tote. The agenda is a good place to leave
any notes for us, as well as permission slips and school forms, as we will check
them daily. Please take the time to empty your child’s Note Tote, and return it
each school day, so that you are aware of upcoming events and do not miss
out on important details or deadlines.
On occasion, it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school for field
trips or special events. Always send money in a sealed envelope or ziplock
baggy with the following information:
1. Your child’s name.
2. The amount of money enclosed.
3. The purpose of the money (i.e., field trip).
4. Teacher’s name.
A NOTE ABOUT SNACKS AND LUNCHES
There are two snack times (morning and afternoon) and a lunch break. The
students must choose healthy snacks for the morning. The students are getting
used to the different times throughout the day that they can choose to have a
snack, so please continue to send a snack for both the morning and the
afternoon. Also, please remember to send in utensils with their lunch if they are
needed. Please ensure that no food contains peanuts or nuts, as we have
several students with severe peanut allergies in our school. Please note that this
includes Peanut butter substitutes (Wow butter etc…).
VOLUNTEERING
We can always use an extra pair of hands in Kindergarten. That being said, the
beginning of school is a very big transition period for our kindergarteners,
especially our JKs. We ask that parents who wish to volunteer wait until midOctober before doing so, to allow students to get comfortable in the classroom
and learn the new routines.
We need volunteers to help out in the classroom, assist us during special
activities and accompany us on field trips. If you have a particular talent that
you could bring to the class (baking, sewing, construction, playing an instrument
etc…) please let us know. We love having guests visit our rooms, and it is great
for the students to see their parents involved in the classroom. In order to be a
volunteer, you must have a standard updated criminal reference check, which
you can complete at the school office (free of charge). Please send as a note
in the agenda to let us know if you would like to volunteer.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
We thank all of the parents for sending in a pair of indoor shoes and an extra
change of clothes in a labeled Ziploc bag. It is important for your child to have
an extra change of clothes, especially underwear, socks and pants, to leave at
school in the event that they have an accident. As students grow and the
weather changes please send in new clothes to replace the old ones. If you
have not sent these items yet, please do so as soon as possible. It is very
important to label your child’s belongings. We especially ask that you take the
time to label your child’s shoes, boots and snow pants, as the students often
have similar pairs. If items are not labeled upon arrival we will do so in the
classroom.
We go outside and play in all kinds of weather. Please send appropriate outdoor
wear with your child (for example, boots and raincoats on rainy days). We
encourage you to send a jacket with your child every day. We also recommend
keeping a pair of labeled mittens and a warm hat in your child’s backpack for
colder weather.
MATERIALS FOR THE CLASSROOM
We are always collecting materials that could be used for crafts and learning. If
you have any of the following at home, please feel free to send it in with your
child: Paper Towel Rolls, Toilet Paper Rolls, scrapbooking supplies, beads,
notepads, plastic containers etc... Also, if you have any interesting science
artifacts that you think the students would be interested in exploring, we would
love to have them on lone for our science centers. We promise to take good
care of them. Please inform us in advance if you plan to send any of these
materials with your child.
TOYS
We ask that children do not bring toys and electronics to school. We have many
toys for the students to play with in the classroom and at recess.
WEBSITE
We have a class website that can be found on the Rockland Public School
Website. Follow the link under Staff Directory that will take you to Teacher Pages.
Click on Kindergarten Webpage under Teacher Pages and you will have found
our site. On the website you will find important announcements, newsletters, links
to useful websites, contact information, songs etc… We will also post links to our
classroom Facebook groups, where we will post updates and pictures of what
has been happening in the classroom. The Facebook pages will be secure and
access will only be granted to the parents of the students within those classes
(more on this to come). No pictures will be posted until parents have given
permission and have been permitted access.
SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS AT SCHOOL
Parents may wonder what they can do to help their child succeed in school. To
ensure your child has a good start, you can read to your child daily, discuss your
child’s day with them and make sure your child has lots of sleep and a good
breakfast to start their day.
We are thrilled to be teaching kindergarten and look forward to getting to know
you and your child in the following months! Please do not hesitate to contact us
at school or through the agenda if you have any questions or concerns.
A few important dates to look forward to are:
 Bus Evacuation practice: September 23rd
 Open House: Please come and visit your child’s
class September 25th and have your child lead
you through the centres he/she likes best!
 School Photos: October 17th
Sincerely,
The Kindergarten Team