Kindergarten Handbook
at Powell Elementary School
Welcome to Kindergarten!
Welcome to kindergarten at Powell Elementary! If this is your first experience with Powell Elementary, we welcome you into a partnership between home and school that facilitates success for children. Our program addresses the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth of your child. Kindergarten is the foundation for establishing positive habits that will follow children throughout their school career.
The most important thing you can do to assure your child's success in school is to help them understand that school is a happy place and learning is fun! It is important to establish a daily routine that your child can count on. A predictable bedtime, mealtime, time for homework, and a time to be read to, are all factors that create stability in a child's life. Schedules that are constantly changing and lack routines are difficult for young children. Try to keep transportation methods to and from school the same. Schedule after school sports, lessons, and other activities well after dismissal so that transportation home is not affected.
It is common for young children to have difficulty separating from parents during the first few weeks of school. The best way to separate from your child is to give them a big hug and a smile, say goodbye, then leave as quickly as possible. We find that with the teacher's comfort and assurance, children quickly transition to whatever is happening in the classroom at the time.
Parent Partnership
In order for your child to be successful, parents and teachers need to work together. You can help by reading TO and WITH your child daily. Together, we can help your child have a terrific year!
Requesting a Specific Teacher for your Child
Kindergarten Daily Schedule
9:10 - 10:05 Specials
12:30 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 1:30 Recess
3:10 School Day Ends
Communication
Seesaw Family App
Each family will be given access to a Seesaw Family account. Parents will be able to view student work, pictures of school activities, and the Weekly Parent Guide. Parents and teachers will also be able to send and receive private messages through Seesaw. This is a great communication link between school and home.
P.A.W.S Folder (Prepared And Awesome Students)
This is a daily folder that will be sent home every school day, and needs to be returned to class every morning. Inside this folder, you will receive very important school information, behavior updates, completed work, and homework. Some days your folder may be empty. That’s okay. Please check your child’s folder EVERY day and empty its contents. If anything needs to be signed, please return it by placing it back in the folder. If you need to contact your child's teacher, please feel free to place a note in this folder.
Kindergarten Newsletter:
Each week, you will receive a kindergarten newsletter through a link in the Powell Publisher, our school wide newsletter sent by our principal. The kindergarten newsletter will inform you of upcoming curriculum and kindergarten activities. Please make a point to read it each week to help keep you informed.
School Website:
To keep in touch, please access our website: Powell.conroeisd.net . The website will keep you updated on upcoming events and Powell news.
Student ID Number:
Every student is assigned a Student ID number that will never change as long as they are enrolled in Conroe ISD. The ID number will be emailed to you once their registration has been completed in our system.
Parent Access Center (PAC):
Parent Access Center is a free program available to all CISD parents/guardians that allows viewing of helpful information regarding student attendance, report cards, Students Achieving Excellence (SAE), discipline and available lunch money. Parents/Guardians wishing to access this service must have a valid email address. To sign up, go to www.conroeisd.net and look under Students/Parents. You will need student ID, email, and mailing address you provided at registration. If you experience difficulty setting up this account, please contact Michelle Lutes, Registrar for help at 936-709-1711 or mlutes@conroeisd.net. Please wait until the second week of school for this system to be available.
Key Contacts:
Front Office 936-709-1700 kskiles@conroeisd.net
Principal: Erin Anderson eanderson@conroeisd.net
Secretary to the Principal : Ana Rivera adrivera@conroeisd.net
Assistant Principal: Lora Sims Lsims@conroeisd.net
Counselor: Shimah Davis. rsdavis@conroeisd.net
Nurse: Melissa Wiles mawiles@conroeisd.net
Registrar/Attendance: Michelle Lutes mlutes@conroeisd.net
Librarian: Elizabeth Collins ekcollins@conroeisd.net
Transportation: 832-592-8800
Powell Cafeteria: 936-709-1773
Other Important links:
Transportation Website: http://www.conroeisd.net/department/transportation/
Child Nutrition Website: http://www.conroeisd.net/department/child-nutrition/
Parent Access Center: http://www.conroeisd.net/parents/
Volunteer in CISD: http://www.conroeisd.net/parents/get-involved/
Join the PTO: http://powellpto.com/index.html
Absences and Tardies
The school day is from 8:00-3:10. Tardy bell rings at 8:00 and students must be in their seats at that time. Arrival after 9:00am is counted as an absence. Front doors open at 7:30am. Students can get breakfast in the cafeteria or go directly to classrooms. Attendance does count, even in kindergarten.
Please contact us every day that your student is absent at 936-709-1700 or you may email the school at mlutes@conroeisd.net. Please include the reason for the absence. If your child sees a doctor, please also send in the doctor’s note when your child returns to school.
We are busy learning from 8:00 until we line up for dismissal at 3:00! If your child is late to school or picked up early, they may be missing important work. However, we understand that sometimes there are special circumstances that require your child to arrive late or leave early. You must check your child in or out at the front office.
Remember, good school attendance is an important part of assuring that your child has a successful kindergarten year!
District Attendance Information: www.conroeisd.net, under Parent/Student tab, Policies and Procedures, and Forms, Elementary School Handbook.
Transportation
Bus Registration:
If you live beyond one mile of Powell and would like bus transportation, you must register for Bus Service online at the ConroeISD.net website under the Transportation link. You will need to know your child’s Student ID number to register.
Once you have registered, the following day you should be able to see all information about the bus including times, bus number, and bus stop locations. To find this, go to “Find Bus Route” and then pick “student eligibility” button. You will need their Student ID and birthdate.
Please note: In CISD, ALL kindergarten students must be met by an adult when they get off the bus. Students not met by an adult will be brought back to the school until parents are reached. Your child's teacher will give you a sign to use in order to help the bus driver confirm that your child can be released.
Daycare Providers that Service Powell - Call to verify service for the 2022/2023 school year.
Children's Courtyard 281-298-3715
Children's Learning Adventure 936-647-3962
ASI Gymnastics 936-271-4274
Kindercare 281-296-2966
Primrose 936-321-5900
Stepping Stones 281-298-5838
The Karate School 281-292-0225
The Woodlands Young Learners 832-257-3563
KidsRKids 281-362-9222
Kuk Sool Won 281-650- 7943
Creme de la Creme 832-299-7950
YMCA Primetime 281-367-9622
*enrollment for YMCA Primetime is handled through the YMCA at their Shadowbend location*
Changes in Transportation
We try to do everything possible to ensure the safety of your child. If your child has a change in transportation, please send a written note to school with your child. Without your authorization, your child will be sent home in the usual manner. Also, your child may NOT be released to any other adult without your WRITTEN authorization. This includes walkers/bike riders. If there are adults, other than the parent to whom your child may be released, you can include them on your emergency card.
Please note: In CISD, ALL kindergarten students must be met by an adult when they get off the bus or are released from biker/walker/car rider lines at dismissal. Students not met by an adult will be brought back to the school until parents are reached. Your child's teacher will give you a sign to use in order to help confirm that your child can be released.
Lunch
Kindergarten lunch is 12:30-1:00. FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, PLEASE PACK A LUNCH FOR YOUR CHILD IF POSSIBLE. We ask for packed lunches during the first week because kindergartners have many new procedures to learn. We will be teaching hot lunch line procedures outside of our lunch time to help the kids understand how to get a hot lunch quickly so they have plenty of time to eat. Please send packed lunches in containers that your child can open independently.
You will be able to eat lunch with your child after the first few weeks of school. Check the weekly Powell Publisher sent out by our principal for the exact dates. LUNCH VISITORS WILL HAVE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS THIS YEAR. Only those listed as an APPROVED CONTACT PERSON for the child will be allowed to eat lunch with a child.
Lunch Accounts:
A monthly lunch menu is found at http://powell.conroeisd.net/menus/ under PreK-6 menus.
Free/Reduced Lunch:
(based on limited income) www.myschoolapps.com
*If you are applying for the free/reduced lunch program, please make sure that the appropriate forms are turned in to the cafeteria.
Birthday Celebrations
You may also distribute invitations at school ONLY IF the entire class is invited, in order to protect from hurt feelings of those not invited.
- We DO encourage families to include reading time in your daily evening routine, in which children have the opportunity to have books read aloud to them, as well as, allowing time for students to practice as reading skills are acquired.
- Students should also spend 5-10 minutes EVERY day reviewing sight words.
- In addition, your child will begin bringing home readers to read with you at home to target your child's specific needs. Please have your child practice reading these books and return them to class as soon as possible.
- Finally, we have have several special activities that you can do with your child throughout the year, such as creating a decorated book basket and uploading a picture on Seesaw to share with the class!
Supplies do NOT need to be individually labeled with your child's name, since we use community supplies.
For kindergarten supply list, please see Powell website.
Explanation of Daily Activities
Arrival/School Announcements:
Unpacking of P.A.W.S. folder, and hanging backpacks. Students will complete warm-up work to reinforce prior skills. As the year progresses, we will add a variety of reading and math review activities.
Language Arts
Language and literacy are the cornerstone of our kindergarten curriculum. Phonemic awareness, language experience, written expression, and listening and reading comprehension are an integral part of our approach. Children who have been read to, conversed with, and have some understanding of how our language works, have an advantage at school.
Shared Reading
Books are used to address kindergarten (1) reading skills: concepts of print, phonics, comprehension, and (2) oral language skills: listening and speaking. This is an interactive reading activity where students join in or share the reading of a poem, book, or other text.
Word Study/ Literacy Learning Stations
Students learn handwriting and letter formation, while we reinforce letter sounds. As the year progresses we will focus more on phonics. Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, High Frequency "Sight Words", and word wall activities are taught. Learning Stations are used to reinforce language arts skills in a small group setting. During this time, teachers will work with small groups of students on reading skills.
Sight Words
When learning to read, kindergartners have 35 high frequency words that they need to memorize. The words should be recognized immediately without sounding out. This will help your child to read fluently and be able to comprehend what they have read more easily. If your child is struggling with these words, they will have difficulty reaching the end of the year goal of BAS Reading Level D or above. Although, we will practice daily, your help at home will be very beneficial to your child! There is a a list of sight words at the bottom of this section. When your child has mastered all 35 kindergarten words, other lists will be made available by your child's teacher.
Writer's Workshop
After a mini writing lesson, students produce independent writing products while the teacher monitors and conferences individually with the students. Students will then share written work with classmates. Kindergartners will be writing stories every day. Your child will begin with drawing pictures and telling about the illustration. We will then move to using letters to try to label the picture. Finally, students will be able to sound out words to phonetically write sentences. We will concentrate on writing stories about ourselves.
How can you help? Help your child brainstorm activities and experiences that he/she might want to share. Good ideas include big events such as family vacations or small moments such as trips to the pool or the ice cream store! Help your child to remember as many details as possible about the event.
Math
Calendar, Fact Fluency, Mental Math
Counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's, days of the week, months of the year, graphing the daily weather, estimating, problem solving, and patterning. We will begin to study place value and money as another way to count the number of school days. During this time, we will also review prior skills to build fluency and a deeper understanding of the concepts.
Guided Math
Math Mini-lesson, small groups, math journals, as well as, math baskets (games and manipulatives where students work individually or with a partner to complete math tasks. These tasks are generally review tasks. They are highly engaging, so the students LOVE THEM!) The teacher will be providing individual instruction or small group instruction.
The first semester, we will focus on number sense (0-20). In addition, we will begin working to master counting orally to 100. You can help your child by giving them daily opportunities to count and sort. Easy activities at home would include sorting laundry or socks by color, sorting silverware by shape or size, etc... "When I sort, I use my eyes to sort by color, shape, and size!"
The second semester, we will use our number sense to solve addition and subtraction stories. We will begin with manipulatives and then move to symbols. In April, your
child with be taking a district-wide "fast facts" test.
Science/Social Studies:
Books, discussions, songs, and student products. Subject matter is often integrated into language arts activities.
Snack
Students bring a healthy snack from home. Due to potential peanut allergies, we request that you refrain from sending peanut products. We encourage students to bring a reusable water bottle from home to avoid germs at the water fountains. Our school has water bottle refilling stations. The water bottles need to have a spill-proof top and be labeled with your child's name! Please do NOT send juice, lemonade, soda, etc...
Lunch
See information regarding lunches.
Recess
Students will go outside to playground daily unless it is raining. We will go outside in cold weather so please make sure that your child has appropriate clothing. Due to safety concerns, only Powell Staff members are allowed on the playground with the students.
Specials
Your child will attend 55 minutes of specials. They will rotate daily through Art, Music, Computer Lab, and Library. They will also have P.E. each day so please wear tennis shoes daily.
This is the teacher's conference time. You may schedule an appointment to meet at this time.