Classroom Information

  • DISMISSAL & AFTER SCHOOL PLANS

    I want to make sure each child gets home safely each day. If you pick up your child, please wait for them in the designated pick-up area for our grade. I will take students to their buses first, and then I will bring your child to you. Thank you for your cooperation!  

    I ask that all students say goodbye to me and wait for me to return their goodbye before leaving. It gives me a chance to make sure they get to the correct place (bus, with their adult, etc.) and allows me to send them off with a smile. 

    If your child’s after-school plans change, please either:

    For your child’s safety, I cannot let them go someplace different without a note (even if your child says they were told to do so).

    ILLNESS & ABSENCES

    We work to limit the spread of illness (Covid and all other illnesses) in the classroom. We wash our hands often and practice covering coughs/sneezes properly. If your child is ill, please have them stay home, so they can rest and recoup. Getting well is the most important thing for them to do.  

    Some common symptoms of Covid include: fever, sore throat, cough, fatigue, runny nose and/or congestion. Please follow the guidelines for what to do if your child gets Covid. At this time guidelines say a positive case of Covid means a 5 day isolation (staying home). If your child has a fever or 2 major symptoms after 5 days, they need to continue staying home. 

    For basic illnesses, our school district policy says your child needs to be fever-free without medicine for 24 hours before returning to school. They also must be free of gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting for 48 hours. 

    The learning that takes place in our classroom is interactive and activity-based. There are rarely worksheets that can be sent home to duplicate what we have done in class. Upon returning to school, an alert, healthy child can quickly catch up on new concepts. If your child is up for doing work before returning to school, reading, writing (a story, an informational or opinion piece, poetry, journal, etc.), or doing Redbird are always excellent activities. 

    If your family plans an extended absence from school, please notify us in advance. To minimize disruptions to learning, please try to schedule vacations during school breaks.

    LUNCH

    We eat in our classroom, which provides a more peaceful eating experience. Mrs. Boyd-Helm and Mrs. Nowak (our amazing office staff) can assist you in depositing money into your child’s lunch account if you choose to have your child eat school lunch or buy milk/juice. Menus and applications for free and reduced lunch are available on our district's Nutrition Services page. 

    SNACKS

    Your child is welcome to bring a nutritious, healthy snack if they need/want one. The snack should be manageable by your child - quick and not messy. Good options include fruit, vegetables, crackers, Cheerios, and cheese. (Each year, I will notify families if there is a peanut allergy.) It will be each student’s responsibility to bring their own snack if they want one.

    BIRTHDAYS

    Birthdays are a very special time in a child’s life. Because they are so special, we will sing to your child and give them a card on their day. Families do not need to send in anything on the day of their child’s birthday. However, if you would like to do something, your child is invited to share a picture or story with the class of something funny or adorable that they used to do when they were younger after we sing to them. (It is helpful if you type it up and send it in or email it to me, so I can help support the story if needed). Another option would be to donate a book to our class library in honor of your child. We will not be having birthday treats in class as food allergies and time constraints make this too difficult.

    A note about birthday invitations: Your child can pass out invitations to students here at school only if everybody in the class is invited. Thank you in advance for your understanding of delicate feelings.

    CHROMEBOOKS

    We use Chromebooks a lot in class. We will be learning about Digital Citizenship to ensure that students are safe with the hardware and themselves and respectful to others. While there are countless apps we might use, we will mostly be using Google Apps for Education (Google Classroom, Docs, Slides, Draw, and Forms). If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. If I don’t know the answer, I will find somebody who does.