Welcome to Back to School Night! You are in Mrs. Miller’s and Mrs. Kern’s

1. Welcome to Back to School Night! You are in Mrs. Miller’s and Mrs. Kern’s Pre- Kindergarten Classroom

2. Arrival is 1pm. Dismissal is 3:25pm. • Our class begins at 1pm. Bus riders arrive at the front of the school and walk into the classroom. Car riders come into the front by our door and walk into our classroom. • Children unpack, hand Mrs. Kerns their folders to check off and play carpet games until it is time to begin class together. Student arrival

3. Our Day We will have learning times for: • Mathematics skills (including calendar time) • Social Studies and Science skills • Language Arts Skills • Center Time We will have outdoor or indoor recess daily as well as snack time. We will do a skill with our snack (sorting, counting, describing…) Donations of cereal, small bathroom cups, hand sanitizer and napkins would be greatly appreciated. We can store it here at school.

4. Library Pre kindergarten will visit the library and be able to check out books regularlyon Tuesdays. The books will be collected on Friday. We will be going to Library these two days at 2:00 to 2:20. * Please remember to help your child pack his/her library book each week to return it on time and check out a new book.

5. Social Studies and Science Examples of our Social Studies curriculum include: Me, Family and Community, My Neighborhood, My World Examples of our Science curriculum include: Animals, Plants, Seasons and Weather

6. Centers Time Children will have the opportunity to go to centers with classmates and practice social skills and academics. Children will have Dramatic Play, Math Center, Listening Center, Books and Puzzles, Crafts Center, Art Center, Building Center and Writing Center.

7. End of the Day Routine • The children will pack up before Center Time. The bell rings for dismissal at 3:25. • Bus riders will be escorted to the Gym to await the bus. *Please send in a note if you child has a change in transport home. You may also notify the office before 3pm.

8. Homework or “Family Practice” Here are some activities you can share with your child to help him/her succeed: 1. Unpack your child’s book bag with him/her and review the returned papers. 2. Review any work with your child that is incomplete or that your child may have struggled with completing. 3. Complete any activity in the homework book.

9. Most Frequent Questions How is my child graded? In Pre Kindergarten, academic grades are determined by assessment scores. Children receive a symbol on the report card to show mastery of completion. Children are assessed quarterly on Math curriculum. Language Arts assessment is on-going and includes alphabet skills, comprehension and phonological skills. Children complete culminating activities to show understanding of Social Studies and Science skills.

10. What is your classroom behavior system? Classroom behavior and structure are key for success. The children and I will create a classroom constitution of rules we agree will help us be successful. We use a clip system to remind children of our agreed upon rules. Red means you will have a consequence. Yellow is a reminder to do your best. Green shows you are on-target! Gold means you are doing super terrific!!

11. How do you reward students for doing their best? • Children earn “fish tickets” in our classroom for excellent academic work and good citizenship. These fish ticket are collected in our fish bowl. • On the last day of the school week, we pull fish tickets to win “show and tell” bags. Please allow your child to bring in one object from home he/she would like to share with us. It should not be expensive, breakable, alive or food! Have your child tell you about the object at home to help him/her speak to the class about the object on Monday, or the first day of the school week.

12. When can I volunteer? I love to have family support! We will begin our volunteer program in this classroom after Fall Conferences. This gives the children and I time to adjust to our routine and work on independent work habits!

13. My child was eager to come to school, but now I’m having trouble getting him/her out the door. Is this normal? Every year, I see students struggle with a new school routine. Change is hard and school is not all fun and games. It is normal for your child to be sleepy, irritable and not want to come to school. As the year goes on and the routine is in place, this gets better. Here are some tips I can offer: 1. Keep homework to about 5 minutes or less. If your child is struggling with getting activities completed, write me a note so that I can adjust the assignments. If you child is too sleepy at night, try before school as an alternative. If you just don’t get homework completed, jot it on the communication log. Life is busy. I understand! 2. Set routines for bedtime and morning. Have the backpack kept in a spot that it is easy to grab and go. 3. If you are worried for your child, contact me or our counselor. We care about your child!

14. Birthday celebrations at school! We would enjoy helping your child celebrate his/her birthday here at school! You may send or bring in small cupcakes, cookies or another small treat for us to share at snack time. School regulations specify that these items must be store bought and sealed. Please notify us 3 days in advance so that we may prepare for your child’s special day.

15. School Time Changes • 2 hour early dismissal days: Class is held 12:00 to 1:30 pm • 2 hour late days: Class is held 2:00 to 3:25 Check fcps.org or channel 18

16. Thank you for coming! We are available next week for optional individual 15 minute conferences. Please sign up before you leave tonight if you would like to chat with us  holly.miller@fcps.org cindy.kerns@fcps.org