ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Arrival: School starts promptly at 8:20. Students will wait in the lobby and will be allowed to enter their classroom at 7:55. Students are also encouraged to eat breakfast, as this is complementary to all families.
Dismissal: School ends at 3:00. All students will be walked to buses or parent pick up by their teacher or classroom para. If you are planning to pick up your child, please enter the parking lot on the North side off of 14th street.
Communication Folder: Each child will be provided a blue folder. This folder is a way to communicate with families. Make sure you are checking the folder and removing unnecessary papers each day. Your child is responsible for bringing this to and from school.
Communication Hours: If you need to get a hold of your child’s teacher, please call before or after school hours. Emails are also welcome and we will try our best to respond within 24 hours. If there is a transportation change or emergency, call the main office. All transportation changes must be made a half hour before dismissal to allow enough time for your child’s teacher to receive the notice.
Snack: Students will have an opportunity to have a snack each day. We are asking each student to bring their own snack that they can eat each day.
Birthdays: We love celebrating each child on their birthday. Remember to avoid bringing in food items. Appropriate ways to celebrate your child is through little goodie bags (toys, stickers, pencils) or by donating a classroom book or game.
Extra Clothes: During the first week of school, your child’s teacher will provide you with a zip-lock bag. Please include an entire outfit that can remain in the bag for the duration of the year. Accidents, spills, and other messes do happen. It’s always helpful to have backup clothing for each student.
Monthly Reading Logs: We encourage you to take the time each night to read with your child. Reading creates a bond between you and your child, while helping the brain grow! Each month you will see a reading log in your child’s folder. Take the time to fill this out. At the end of the month, please make sure you sign the reading log and have your child return it to their teacher for a free pass to Eagles Nest Indoor Playground.
Book Bags: We are excited to have at-home book bags that you and your child will be able to read and enjoy together. At the end of the week, your child’s teacher will send a zip-lock bag home containing 5-8 books. Please take the weekend to read them with your child. Your books may be placed back in the bag and returned to your child’s classroom throughout the week. A new book bag will be sent home with your child at the end of each week, as long as the previous book bag was returned.
Gumball Sight Words: In kindergarten, your child will learn 72 sight words! These words are words that are common within text and will help them become fluent readers. The more words they know, the better! To help your child learn and retain their words, we will be sending home flashcards. These flashcards contain the words that we have been working on in class. Please practice the list with your child. When your child feels confident in knowing all 10 words on the list, send the list back with your child. Your child’s teacher will check in with your child. If your child can read all 10 words, they will be able to stamp/sticker their own personal gumball machine.
Footwear: Tennis shoes are the best footwear to wear at school. Please make sure your child brings their tennis shoes on gym days. A weekly newsletter will be sent home informing you of when your child has gym for the week.
Newsletter: Newsletters are sent home weekly. These are written by your child’s teacher and contain important information such as what specialist your child has each day, learning targets in literacy, math, writing and social emotional, and other important notes and reminders.
Teacher Websites: Teachers have their own website on the Mounds View Public School’s website. Check this often as this is another wonderful tool for teachers and parents to communicate. There will be updates, information, and additional resources provided to families.
School Expectations: In kindergarten, students are expected to follow the Pike Lake Promise. Students throughout the year learn ways to show Respect, Responsibility, Self-Control, and Perseverance to one another within the classroom, on the playground, and in the cafeteria. We strive to work together as a building to earn school-wide rewards. These rewards will be announced to families through the Pike Lake News. Students earn these rewards by showing their promise. When their actions are noticed by a staff member or teacher, they will be given a puff ball to drop into a communal jar. Once the jar is filled with puffs, we will honor everyone’s hard work with a school-wide celebration.