Welcome to the Primary School

Mrs. Stephanie Zervanosphone: (412) 429-3270email: szervanos@cvsd.net

First Day of School

- Please make sure your child has his/her bus tag attached to the top of his/her backpack.

****This tag will need to remain on the backpack for the first 3-4 weeks of the school year or until your child has his/her bus number memorized. Please add your address and phone numbers where you can be reached during drop off. This is an added safety precaution.

- Please have your child ride the bus.

- Parents are not permitted to walk to the classroom.

- Have your child wear their backpack and bring their daily folder.

-At the PS we have an “All Hands on Deck” approach the first several days of school to assist the kids to their classrooms.

First Six Days of School

- The first 6 days of school are 1/2 days for kindergarteners.

Kindergarten ScreeningPlease sign up for a 30-minute screening time today. The purpose of this final screening assessment is to assess growth since our last screening and to give me a chance to work with your child one-on one. *Please arrive on time for your appointment and don’t forget to bring your child with you. *Please bring the remainder of your child’s school supplies at this time. There will be a sorting station and checklist for you to organize your child’s supplies as I complete the screening.

*We will not screen children on the first day of school.  - Dismissal begins at 11:45 A.M. each day and the busses leave at 12:00 P.M.- A responsible adult must meet your child at the bus stop.- Lunch is NOT served for kindergarten students on these 1/2 days

- Expect bus delays throughout the first few weeks of school, as the students and drivers get acclimated to their new routines.

When Your Child Gets Home

- Ask your child about their day.- Check and empty their folder.- Read your classroom newsletter (daily or weekly)- Fill out any paperwork completely and return to school (any

incomplete information may be returned to you to complete).- Check and work with your child on their homework.- Praise their accomplishments on their returned school work.- Reply and return school notes and paperwork - Make an effort to establish and repeat this daily routine.

Beginning Kindergarten Expectations:

- using manners- sit and attend to what the teacher is saying- follow simple directions the first time they are given- be able to express ideas related to the class conversation- be respectful of others- keep hands and feet to yourself- communicate personal needs and wants- independent self-help skills (Please let me know ASAP if your child still had toileting issues.)

Teacher Expectations

*explain classroom expectations and procedures *treat you and your child fairly with respect and kindness*inform you of any learning difficulties and/or behavior issues that may occur with your child in the classroom (We report this information to you to help ensure your child’s school success.)*do his/her best to meet your child’s academic needs *if the teacher is unable to meet your child’s needs in the classroom he/she should refer to other staff members/teams for assistance*reply to emails, notes etc. within 1-2 days (unless the teacher is absent)

Parent/Caregiver Expectations

*Check and clean out your child’s folder each night*Go over papers with your child and discuss what he/she has learned*Assist your child with homework*Read class newsletters *Make sure your child has the supplies he/she needs at school *Inform the teacher of any situations which may affect how your child is learning/ behaving in school (Examples- custody situations, divorce, death in the family, family health issues, loss of home etc.) We care about your child and want to help him/her through difficult circumstances. *Fill out paperwork in a timely manner and in full. Any paper work that is not filled out in full will be returned to you to complete. * Respond to notes/emails that are sent home in a timely manner.* Attend parent conferences in person or via phone*Weigh our observations of your child’s development heavily. We are professionals and have extensive experience with your child’s current stage of development.*Treat your child’s teacher with kindness and respect.

Social Media

-Please refrain from posting pictures of classroom events on social media. There may be some children whose parents will place them on the “do not photo list” and do not want their child’s image on the internet.

-Please refrain from posting comments about classmates, teachers or school staff on social media. Any issues that arise should be discussed in private.

School Day

- Drop off is permitted between 8:30-9:00 A.M. You may not drop off your child prior to 8:30 as there is no one to supervise him/her.- Students are expected to be in their classroom seats by the 9:00 A.M. bell.- In the event of tardiness, you must walk your child into the office to sign them into school.

Arrival:

Dismissal:

- School is over at 3:30 P.M.- Bus Dismissal takes place between 3:40-4:00 P.M.- Pick-up dismissal takes place at 3:35 P.M. (you must send a note in the morning notifying the office of the pick up)- Early Dismissal: In the event of an early dismissal, please

provide a note to the teacher in the morning so that they can have your child ready to leave.

- Please have your child wear his/her name tag to school for a few weeks in case there are any questions about which bus he/she rides or teacher

Bathrooms

There are bathrooms in all classrooms and near all special classrooms.

Students are expected to use the bathroom independently and appropriately.

Accidents happen...

Please provide for your child's locker (please label):

 - extra shirt (seasonal) - extra pants - extra undergarments - extra socks

Snacks

Snacks are provided by the district each day.

ALLERGIES:

Allergies need to be documented with the school nurse prior to the start of the school year.

**If your child is allergic to the snacks provided, please provide an alternate snack for your child to eat. This will need to be discussed with me prior to sending in snacks.

Breakfast

*Breakfast is offered daily from 8:30-9:00.

*This is an optional program and is an additional cost.

*If you want your child to participate in the breakfast program, you will need to instruct them to go to the cafeteria AS SOON as they get off the bus.

Lunch and RecessLunch: - half hour each day in the cafeteria- students may pack or buy their lunch- cafeteria envelopes are sent home frequently for you to add funds to your child's lunch account. Make sure you fill out the envelope completely which will include your child’s I.D. number. This number will be sent home and you will need to know it.- lunch accounts work very similarly to a debit card with a child specific lunch card- Do not send in loose lunch money. Please use a cafeteria envelope (provided today and sent home often) or a regular envelope with your child’s full name, room number, id number and amount in the envelope

 Recess: - half hour after lunch daily - students should have appropriate shoes and dress to be able to participate on the playground

Rest Time

Rest time occurs daily for 20-30 minutes in all kindergarten classrooms.

Your child will need a vinyl rest mat for this time.

Students are not required to sleep, but this time is important for students to rest, relax, calm down, and get ready for a full afternoon.

This is also a restroom/drink break during the day.

After routines are established I may use this time to work with children individually or in small groups. 

K213 Discipline Plan

Our Class Rules:*Listen when your teachers or classmates are talking.*Follow directions quickly.*Keep hands and feet to yourself.*Raise your hand to speak.*Be safe, be kind, be honest.*Respect others, respect yourself, respect your school.

Clip Chart Pink Students who reach pink will be rewarded for their

positive choices by adding a jewel to their clip, receiving a special certificate and make a trip to the prize drawer!

Purple Students who continue to make positive choices move up to the purple level. They are one step closer to having outstanding behavior!

Blue Students who make positive choices will receive recognition as they move up the chart.

Green Everyone starts the day “Ready to Learn!” Students can “clip up” or “clip down” throughout the day depending on their behavior choices.

Yellow Students who receive a warning will move to yellow. This serves as a reminder for students to think about the choices they make.

Orange Students who continue to make poor choices will move to orange. This will result in a consequence that is appropriate for the choice that was made. Different choices require different consequences. The consequences are listed on the following page.

Red Students who move to red will require parental contact by me. Parents will be contacted via telephone, email or note depending on the severity of the behavioral choice.

Consequences for Unacceptable BehaviorOccasionally children have difficulty following class and school rules. At these times I will try to redirect the child’s behavior through eye contact, changing his/her clip color, or quiet reminders. If this does not help to improve the child’s behavior, one or more of the following consequences will be used:(These consequences are for behaviors in the orange and red areas of the clip chart.) 

*Time-out at a table in the classroom. This gives the child time to calm down and get ready to rejoin the class activity. If the behavior occurs outside of the classroom (hallway, playground, cafeteria, etc.) variations of this consequence will be used. 

*Time-out in another teacher’s classroom.This will be used if the unacceptable behavior is not improved by a time-out in our classroom. 

*Time-out in from recess or playtime.This will be used if the behavior is severe or has been repeated. This may also be used if the previous two consequences have not been effective (ex: disruption of another teacher’s room).  *Note, phone call home, or conference with parent after school. 

*Loss of privileges.This includes playground time, centers, special events etc. 

*Office ReferralThis can be used for behaviors that disrupt instruction or threaten others (hitting, kicking, biting, etc.). This listing is an overview of my discipline policy. Other consequences may be used if they are appropriate for the behavior. Please refer to the Student Handbook for policies regarding suspension and expulsion. 

Homework

Expect about 10-15 minutes of homework each night. Homework is NOT OPTIONAL and completing homework is part of your child’s report card grade. I rarely give assignments over weekends and holidays. It is helpful to have a box of school supplies at home and a quiet place for your child to complete assignments. At this stage in your child’s development, you will need to help him/her with homework. Please make sure he/she prints his/her name at the top of every assignment and go over the directions with him/her. Your child should complete work on his/her own as much as possible. If your child has done sloppy work, please have him/her correct it. Building a strong work ethic begins in kindergarten.  Please help your child establish good homework habits.

Birthday CelebrationsYou may send in a treat for your child’s birthday. *There are 20 students in our class, but it is always a good idea to send in a few extras. *Try to send in a healthy treat. *Please do not send in cupcakes or anything I need to cut apart. Just send in a note letting me know what day your child would like to bring a treat. *If your child has a summer birthday we will celebrate it at the end of the school year.  Birthday invitations may only be passed out in class if you invite the entire class, otherwise you may mail them. The PTG will sell Social Directories. Please purchase one if you would like the phone numbers and addresses of your child’s classmates. If you would like your address and phone number listed in the directory please fill out and return the form ASAP. I am not permitted to give out phone numbers or addresses under any circumstances.  Please do not ask me to make an exception to this rule. I am not able to give out the personal information of others. I strongly suggest that you at least include your email in the social directory. Then if someone would like to invite your child to a party or for a playdate they have a way to contact you.

When Sick:

- Call the office on the morning of the absence (412) 429-7017- If the illness is extended, please contact me to arrange for work to be sent home- Upon return from the illness a written excuse is required in addition to your call (if visiting a doctor, ask for an excuse).

Illness: - If your child has a fever, stomach virus, pink eye, lice, or other contagious illness, they must stay home from  school. - School policy requires that children are fever free, without medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.

Attendance is Important!

According to National Statistics: - 1 out of every 10 kindergartners miss 1 month of school *of these children only 17% will learn to read by  third grade - Poor kindergarten attendance is also the strongest predictor of high school drop out.

Tardiness: - It is important that your child arrives to school prior to 9:00 A.M. daily. When tardy, they miss a lot of crucial instruction and it is a disruption of the class routine.

Medications and the School Nurse

- If your child requires a daily medication during the school day, you will need to complete a medical form with the nurse.- Medications are not to be transported by the student in their backpack.- Medicines (including cough drops, etc.) fall under this rule as well.

School Nurse: - We have a full time school nurse. - When a child is considered to be in need of the nurse, I will be sure that they receive the help that they need.

Report Cards

Report cards are sent home twice a year in kindergarten.

You will receive a report card in late January/early February and then again in June.

In addition to report cards, you will see daily work come home in your child's folders, which will enable you to track their progress. Please go over this work with your child to reinforce their learning and to show how interested you are in their learning.

 Parent/Teacher Conferences will also occur in the fall and information will be sent home prior to the conference for you to schedule.

Sign ups for fall conferences (November 2nd and 3rd) will occur at Open House on September 22nd. (6:00-7:30)

Volunteer Policy

To volunteer at school, in the classroom, or on field trips, etc., you must have your clearances. Please see the school website for information regarding this topic.

Volunteers for the field trip, classroom parties etc. are scheduled through the PTG. Please consider joining CVPS PTG. Information to join will be sent home. The PTG provides many fantastic activities for the kids of The Primary School.

I look forward to a wonderful year with you and your child.