DAVIS HILL KINDERGARTEN UPDATE
August 22, 2018
ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN PARENT(S)/ GUARDIAN(S)
I wanted to reach out with a few 'Kindergarten specific' notes prior to Open House tomorrow.
The energy in the building as we put on the finishing touches for next Tuesday is amazing. Our staff is thrilled to have your students begin their elementary journey here at Davis Hill.
Please note that for tomorrow's Kindergarten Playdate, I will have to change the location as we received a large bark mulch order in the last few days and we have not had the opportunity to spread it. Therefore, I will meet students and families in the front of the building by the bench and garden.
On a positive note, the transportation company has been kind enough to provide us with a bus in the parking lot tomorrow morning. The bus will be there to provide a chance for our students who may be unfamiliar with a bus to get on and explore prior to the first day of school.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow!
Kindly,
Jay C. Norton, Principal
Highlighted Events/ Information
POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL/ CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS
POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL
As of today, everyone should have had access to their teacher assignment in PowerSchool. If you are having trouble accessing PowerSchool, please feel free to reach out to me and/ or connect with me tomorrow at the Open House.
A reminder that Kindergarten students will have a paper letter/ packet, which will include a name tag for the first day of school, at the Open House tomorrow in their classroom. Any letters not picked up at the Open House will be mailed Thursday evening.
OPEN HOUSE
OPEN HOUSE
We will be holding our annual Open House on Thursday, August 23rd at 10:00am-11:00am and again at 5:00pm-6:00pm.
The Open House is designed to allow students and parents time to visit your child’s classroom and provide new students and families the time to walk through the school. During each Open House session (approximately 10:30 and 5:30), I will invite any new students and their families (as well as any kindergarten students and their families who may have missed our Kindergarten Orientation in June) to join me in our Community Room (second floor/ across from library) so that I may introduce myself, provide general information, and answer questions.
Due to all the work that is being done by teachers and custodians, the time frame for the Open House has to be kept to what is listed. Also, I ask that parents please let your children know that teachers are not present at the Open House and that the school is still being prepared for the first day. The meeting of their classroom teacher happens on the first day of school, not at the Open House. Additionally, not all rooms will look ready for the first day of school, as some rooms will be in the process of getting ready for the start of school.
I want to thank all of our staff for the work that they do in preparation for the Open House! We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of custodians and teachers!
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL:
MORNING SESSION AND FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN
All half-day AM session and full-day kindergarten students will be met by their teacher in the cafeteria. If you are dropping off your child, please enter the cafeteria through the side entrance by the front door. Staff members will be assigned to support kindergarten students arriving by bus and parent drop off to see that they get to the cafeteria safely. Damon and Jamieson Road walking line students will be dropped off in the cafeteria. We are able to identify kindergarten students by their name tags that they will receive in the welcome letter from their teachers. The doors of the building will open at 8:50am.
PM SESSION
All PM Session students will be met by their teacher in the main lobby on the first day of school. PM Session begins at 12:45.
NOTE: AM Session/ Full-Day Kindergarten will meet in the cafeteria only on the first day of school. After the first day, we will have extra staff in the main lobby to support kindergarten students transitioning to their classrooms.
Classes will gather in the cafeteria until all students have arrived. Once everyone in the class is accounted for, students will line up with their teacher and exit the cafeteria to begin their day.
We ask that parents say their ‘goodbyes’ in the cafeteria. I realize that some students may be emotional about separating from their parents. Please see below regarding some helpful hints taken from a magazine article that I believe contains excellent advice.
Morning session half-day kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:45 am. Full-day students will be dismissed at the end of the day. On the first few days of school, we provide extra time for both entry and dismissal in order to support student safety and teach routines. Please remember that the buses usually run late on the first day (and often throughout the first week of school). Bus drivers will not drop off kindergarten students unless there is an adult at the stop to meet the child. If there is not an adult present, they will keep the child on the bus and bring them back to the school.
TRANSPORTATION LETTER
Reminder to please complete and return the transportation letter on the first day of school (a hard copy will be available at the Open House and an electronic copy is available via link HERE). Having this information helps us to ensure that we have accurate transportation information on the first day. If the routine for transportation will be changing after the first day, please take the time to write a letter to your child’s teacher describing the routine.
RIDING THE BUS
Please see the link below from the WRSD’s transportation company for information regarding Kindergarten students riding the bus.
LINK HERE: KINDERGARTEN BUS RIDERS
LUNCH:
Full-day students will eat lunch in the cafeteria. Please make sure that our school nurse, Mrs. Sandra Berquist, has any information regarding allergies/ health concerns. Staff supports students in buying lunch if needed, opening containers and making sure that student needs are met. We do our best over the course of the year to support independence with all these procedures; however, at the beginning of the year we focus on making sure that students feel comfortable and secure in their surroundings.
SPECIALS (Art/ Music/ Physical Education)
We believe that it is important that all students have opportunities to participate in Art/ Music/ Physical Education (PE) during the school year. Subsequently, our current schedule supports specials for students in the half-day program, ensuring that all kindergarten students will have opportunities in Art, Music and PE during the course of the year. The specials schedule will rotate throughout the year. Your classroom teacher will provide you with more information regarding the schedule when the school year begins.
REFERENCE ON SEPARATION ANXIETY:
I have included information from an article below that outlines suggestions for easing separation anxiety. I believe it is an excellent resource. I have included items specific to the first-day of school. The website link is included below HERE.
By Lisa Medoff
Updated on Oct 26, 2012
When children are getting ready for their first day of kindergarten, most of them are pretty excited about finally being a "big kid" who gets to go to "big school". At the same time, their parents are preoccupied by picturing the worst-case scenario: screaming, terrified children who will be traumatized forever by the forced separation. Note that in this case, as in many parenting situations, it is the child who is originally looking forward to the new experience, and the parent who suffers the anxiety, which is then transferred to the child.
The good news is that kindergarten does not have to be a bad experience for anyone. Children pick up cues about how to act from you. If you are positive, calm, and optimistic about your child going to kindergarten, then your child will be just fine. To minimize separation anxiety, keep some of the following ideas in mind:
-Ask your child if she has any questions about school. Answer them honestly, and if you don’t know, find out the answer. If your child is worried about making friends or talking to the teacher, practice some easy phrases, such as, “Can I play with you?” and “Can I go to the bathroom?”
Give your child many chances to talk about how he is feeling about going to school. Do not assume he is scared, or plant the idea in his head by asking, “Are you worried about going to school?” However, if you are sensing that he is apprehensive, but can’t communicate that feeling, say, “Are you a little unsure about what kindergarten is going to be like?” Try to figure out specifically what the concern is. Let him know that whatever he is feeling is okay and normal. Share a time when you went into a new situation, how you felt at the beginning, and how it ended up okay in the end.
-If your child says that he doesn’t want to go because he will miss you, respond by saying, “I will miss you, too, but I’m really excited about everything you will get to do in school. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you come home.”
-When you get to school, keep it short, and stay calm. Hug your child, and say, “I love you. I know you’ll have a great day. I’ll pick you up at 1:00. Good-bye.” Smile and walk away. It is helpful to tell your child ahead of time what you will do and say that morning, so she is prepared.
Do not hesitate when you leave. Be prepared for the fact that your child might cry and be upset, but have confidence that the teachers know how to handle the situation. The more you drag out the good-bye, the more painful it will be, and the longer it will take your child to get adjusted to leaving you. If you run back the minute your child starts to cry, you are teaching him that crying will prevent you from leaving, and he will do it every morning.
Children will pick up on your slightest bit of anxiety and will wonder why you are concerned. It is incredibly important to prepare yourself, in addition to preparing your child. Practice what you will say to your child and how you will stay calm. If you feel like you are going to cry, do your best to hold it together until you are out of your child’s sight.
-Make it your absolute first priority to pick up your child at exactly the time that you said that you would. It will be easier to get her to school the next day if she trusts that you will be there on time to pick her up. Ask her questions about her day, focusing on the positive. Tell her how proud you are of her and how she must be excited to go back tomorrow.
-Prepare yourself for a few days, or even weeks, of difficult mornings and separations. Remind yourself to be consistent, be calm, and be optimistic. If you can soldier through a few rough days, your child will get used to the routine and future separations will be much easier.
8/22-PowerSchool Portal open for Classroom Assignments.
8/23- Open House (10:00AM-11:00AM and 5:00PM-6:00PM)**
8/23-Kindergarten 'Meet and Greet' at 9:30AM on Playground.
8/28-First Day of School!
9/3-Labor Day/ No School for Students
9/7-Ice Cream Social (6:00-8:00PM)
9/20-Professional Development Half-Day of School (12:20 Dismissal)
9/28-Spaghetti Supper (5:30 and 6:30 Seatings)
10/4-Picture Day
10/8-Columbus Day- No School
10/14-Dragon Dash (12:00)
10/23-10/26-Ecology School Trip for 5th Grade
10/25-Professional Development Half-Day of School (12:20 Dismissal)
*=Tentative
**=Open House is a time for children and families to walk through the building and see their classrooms. Teachers are not in attendance.
**=During Open House, I will hold a New Family Orientation at 10:30/ 5:30 in the Community Room.
Davis Hill Elementary School
Email: jay_norton@wrsd.net
Website: http://www.wrsd.net/davishill/
Location: 80 Jamieson Road, Holden, MA 01520, United States
Phone: 508-829-1754
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisHillDragons/
Twitter: @DHPrincipal