Dear families,
Welcome to nursery school! I am Ms. Pepitone. I will be your child’s teacher. I have worked as an early childhood teacher here at Trinity Lutheran School since 2014. I love working with children. Seeing the joy that young children gain from the simple experiences of everyday life brings me happiness. Mrs. Rotondi will also be working in your child’s classroom as a full time teacher’s aide. Her warmth and compassion makes our classroom a friendly and accepting place. We are looking forward to another exciting year.
Attendance:
Drop off and pick up will both be at the the side ECC entrance. Pick up will be by drive by caravan at the side ECC entrance. Drop off is at 8:50 am and pick up will begin at 3:00 pm. Half day students will be dismissed at 11:45 am. At 3:25 pm, all students not picked up will be transferred to the Aftercare program.
If your child is ill or absent please contact the main office at 931-2211 option 4. Please also notify me in writing of any changes to your child’s dismissal plan. If an adult, other than the parent, needs to pick up your child, please notify me in writing and have that adult bring their ID with them so that their identity can be confirmed.
Please remember that separation anxiety is normal at this age. Separation anxiety can start, stop and begin again at any time, even after months without any issue. Staying calm and reassuring with your child can help a great deal when separating. Also following a consistent morning routine may help. Attachment items like blankies, photos, toys, and other such reminders of home are welcome in my classroom to make the transition to school smoother and more comfortable for your child. Please remember though that the classroom is no place for valuables, electronic equipment or precious items from home.
Communication:
I believe that communication is the key to your child’s success and to a great parent / teacher relationship. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. My email address is [email protected]. I also have a class dojo classroom blog and messaging app account. Please download the free app. There you will find photos, videos, updates and reminders from our classroom. There is also a messaging tool where we can message one another.
Your child is also expected to bring their communication folder to school daily. The folder will include newsletters, class work, projects and notes to/from home. The folder should be emptied daily.
Toilet Training:
All children are expected to be potty trained before entering school. It is still normal, however, for your preschooler to have accidents from time to time. In the event that your child has an accident in class, we will do our best to assist your child in changing into a clean change of clothes. If your child is soiled or has had a bowel movement and is unable to change themselves with assistance, you will be notified via both message and phone call. Your child should have a plastic shoebox stored in the classroom with a complete change of clothes in the event that your child needs to be changed.
Curriculum:
Each preschool day brings with it many opportunities to learn and interact with others. We follow an integrated preschool curriculum that we design around learning themes and concepts. We cover lessons in literacy, number, letter and shape recognition, quantity, measurement, music, movement, social emotional skills, engineering, art, and many more. This month we will begin with the themes, “School Routines,” “All About Me” and “All About Apples.” We also incorporate “Jesus Time” into each and every school day. We want each child to know how great is God’s love for them.
Field Trips:
We have at least two field trips planned. One will be to a pumpkin farm in the fall and the other will be to a park for a picnic in the spring. All parents must accompany their child on field trips and remain with their child until the end or provide another suitable adult to chaperone their child.
Clothing:
Please dress your child appropriately for the weather daily. We will make our best effort to go outside each day. Please remember that our school days are filled with active play and that your child should be wearing sneakers. Flip flops and crocs are not permitted in school as they are a safety hazard.
Water Bottles:
Each child should bring to class a spill proof water bottle filled at home with water or juice. Students will be keeping their water bottles at their table to drink when needed during the school day.
Lunch:
Hot lunch is available from the cafeteria for $7.50 each day. Lunch menus will be sent home monthly and lunches may be preordered in advance.
Pizza is served every Friday. Envelopes will be sent home each Monday and should be returned by Thursday, 9 am the latest, for pizza that week.
Each full day student should bring a packed lunch to school each day, unless buying a cafeteria lunch. A proper lunch typically includes a drink, main meal (sandwich), small snack and piece of fruit.
Classroom Routine:
Although everyday brings with it new experiences and new interactions, our classroom routine remains relatively the same. We try to follow a consistent routine in class because this structure gives children a sense of stability and predictability. Our daily routine tends to follow the pattern below:
9 am – Drop off / Greeting
9:00 – Table Top Time: Sensory Materials, Manipulative Toys, Worksheets,
9:15 – Morning meeting: Attendance, Calendar, Weather, Smartboard Activities, Group Lessons
9:30 – Snack Time (snack is provided by the school)
9:45 – Learning Play Centers, Art Projects
10:45 – Story Time / Music and Fingerplays
11:00 – Outdoor Recess / Gym
11:30 – Jesus Time
11:45 – AM dismissal & PM Potty Break / Table Top Play / Puzzles
12pm – Lunch
12:30 – Nap
1:30 – Table Top Time: Playdough, Writer’s Workshop, Math Manipulatives
1:45 – Outdoor Recess / Gym
2:15 – Story Time / Music and Fingerplays
2:30 – Learning Play Centers
3:00 – Pack Up / Closing
3:00 – Dismissal at the side ECC entrance
Birthdays:
We celebrate birthdays in school. Parents are welcome to send in store bought birthday treats for the class to enjoy on their child’s birthday. Birthday invitations may be given out in school as long as the entire class is invited.
Parent Involvement:
We would love for parents to be our classroom guests. Fridays are our parent volunteer fun days. We are looking for volunteers to be guest readers, pizza helpers, cultural experts, etc in our classroom.
We are so looking forward to our nursery school adventure together!
Love,
Ms. Pepitone & Mrs. Rotondi