WooHoo! After 11 years, we are moving into the early childhood wing and many changes are in store. For now “The First Few Days” is under construction. Please be patient as I create a more useful post of information.
What restroom facilities will
the children be using?
- We will teach the children about proper restroom protocol for privacy, taking turns, flushing, correct handwashing techniques, and what to do if they run into a problem or notice unacceptable behavior.
- There will be two kindergarten classrooms sharing the 2 restrooms which are located between the classrooms themselves.
- If your child has bathroom accidents, it is critical information to share with us . When this happens at school, the child changes into their extra clothes in the restroom. If they need help making the change, they are escorted to the nurse for the change. The wet or soiled clothes are placed into a plastic bag and will go home with the child that day. It is very important that you replace the dry clothing the next day. Students who have accidents and do not have a change of clothes go to the nurses’ office where one of them will call the parent at home or work to take care of it immediately.
- We must have the dry clothes (socks, underwear, light weight long pants, shirt) in a zip top bag, labeled with the child’s name as soon as school begins. Keep the package small – please.
- Accidents happen regularly in kindergarten, rarely is this during an instructional block. Rather, they occur during recess and play times when the child doesn’t want to miss out on any fun with friends. Accidents are treated with as much privacy as possible and it isn’t a big deal if the other kids find out. “It’s an accident.” It is NOT a big deal to the other children and no one is ridiculed for it.
What About Lunch? Breakfast Too?
Keep In Mind
We Are a Nut-Safe School
As such, any and all food brought in from home will be checked, and nut-contaminated products will be confiscated. If your child has one of these products, a call will be made to your home, reminding you of the school policy. Your child will have something offered to them as a substitute. Please read all labels carefully. There are a number of websites addressing the risks and some acceptable snack alternatives.
Please check out this important information on the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. You will receive an application on the first day of school but this link allows you to access some of the information immediately. The income levels are higher than you would expect and the school benefits tremendously with federal subsidies of free food. So please fill it out. No money changes hands in the cafeteria at meal time and no one knows who is getting a free or reduced lunch.
- Norris offers a nice breakfast and lunch program designed with healthy nutrition in mind. Your child may want to buy breakfast at school through the cafeteria. This takes place at 8:30 AM. If your child is on a school bus, they will be asked if they are getting off for breakfast. Share any school breakfast plan with the driver when he/she picks your child up. Drivers try to remember things like that whenever possible. Cafeteria staff will supervise the children and offer assistance as needed then send the students off to their classrooms with the minimum of delay. Students do not bring and eat breakfast from home.
- Kindergarten lunch is at 11:30. Students may order the hot lunch, or a sandwich with or without soup. Fresh or canned fruits and vegetables are usually available as the side dishes for all meal choices. “Buying lunch” includes a beverage for no additional charge. Some children bring food from home and only need to buy a beverage. That’s fine. Other children will supply everything they need from home.
- Beverage choices are reduced-fat white and chocolate milk, and juices.
- Ordering lunch accurately is very important. The cafeteria prepares the total number of requests for each item they received from each grade level that day. For this reason, a child should not order a turkey sandwich and then change his mind in the lunch line for a different lunch instead. Please rehearse what your child should say when the staff ask what they are going to have.
- These conversations will also take place in the classroom with our classroom paraprofessional. She is recording, on a master sheet, everything your child plans to charge all week long, not just that particular day. The daily order will be checked against the ALL IMPORTANT!! LUNCH ENVELOPE that goes home with your child the first week and every Friday after that. Remember, checking off “Lunch” or “Snack” means a beverage is included. Mark the box for “milk only” if your child wants to charge just that for either lunch or snack. Only mark the envelope for the days your child needs to purchase something. If the lunch envelope and the daily order don’t jive, Mrs. Piper checks in with the student for clarification. Changes in lunch plans do happen. We need to get it finalized first thing in the morning when the orders are submitted. If your child is absent or brought an unplanned lunch from home instead, the account will not be charged because the child is not ordering anything that morning. By the same token, if your child buys a lunch, you will be charged. You will receive a monthly accounting from the cafeteria including any owed balance. If your child is buying lunch or snack against your wishes, you need to contact the lunch program manager who handles the account and can speak with your child on the spot when it arises the next time.
- Payments sent into school for the lunch account will go directly the cafeteria manager. Payment envelopes must always include the child’s full name, specify “cafeteria,” and include the teacher’s name as well. You will receive more information on payments to the cafeteria at the start of school. Many people, including myself, send in a good sized check to cover a couple of months. When my monthly balance statement shows it’s getting low, I send in another check. You decide how best to cover your cafeteria expenses. At the end of the year, any remaining balance can be applied to the coming year.
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It is never acceptable to send in loose money. All payments sent into school should be in a sealed envelope, should include the child’s full name, teacher’s last name, and where the payment is going (lunch program, library, field trip.)
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All notes sent into school must include the child’s full name, the date, and the full parent signature. Please be sure the note is legible. It is appropriate to send in a note for planned absences as well as any change in dismissal plans. Often parents have different surnames from their children. All notes must be legible.
The office will need to read and record up to 100 notes each day concerning dismissal changes for all school children. Many of the notes sent in to me personally will need to be checked by the office or the nurse as well, including all of the above mentioned dismissal changes.
- Parents may wish to have lunch with their child. This is great! Please call the cafeteria before 10:00 if you want to purchase a lunch, at least whenever possible. Special lunch options are available to adults, like chef salad and wraps but you can always just sit with your child sans eating. All visitors to the school need to stop by the office first, to get a Visitor badge.
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