Welcome Back!

Welcome to all returning children and to those of you who are new to Clairlea! My name is Stephanie Bauman and I am very excited to be your child’s Senior Kindergarten French Immersion teacher. We have lots of changes at Clairlea with Full-Day Kindergarten in full swing so please bear with us as we work out some of the kinks of a new program. This year I have the privilege of sharing the role of teaching your child alongside Kayla Crewe, a certified Early Childhood Educator.

In this letter you will find important information regarding our classroom routines. Please check your child’s backpack each day and read all notices sent home so that you and your child do not miss important information and dates. Any information the office would like to convey is sent home in this fashion. As much as possible, we like to avoid sending paper home and more often post important information on the classroom blog: http://mllebauman.blogspot.ca/ . We also post what’s been going on in our classroom on the blog (the goal is to have a weekly update on what we’ve been up to) so please check it on a regular basis.

School begins at 8:40 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m. Children need to bring a backpack to school each day as well as healthy snacks for snack time in both the morning and afternoon in addition to their lunch. The way snack works in our classroom is children are allowed to eat whenever they are hungry – once in the morning and once in the afternoon – so please be aware of your child’s eating habits and send the appropriate amounts of food. Please try to make it as clear as possible what should be for snack and what is for lunch. We don’t want your child going hungry!

Lunch time is 11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. All students are expected to go home for lunch unless their parents are working or attending school full time. However, if this is not possible, a supervised lunch program is run in each kindergarten classroom. Students who stay are expected to bring their lunch. Please note, all drinks, cutlery and straws must come from home and will not be provided by the school. If you have questions or concerns about your child staying for lunch, please speak directly with one of us.  

Healthy options only please! The Full-Day Kindergarten program strongly emphasizes the importance of healthy living and healthy eating and as such we like to use snack and lunch as an opportunity to discuss what is good for us and what is not. We would also strongly encourage you to send a litterless snack (we are an eco-school and try to produce as little garbage as possible) by using a lunch-bag or other container clearly marked on the outside with your child’s name so we don’t have any mix-ups. Water is strongly encouraged as most others encourage ants if spilled.

Some great ideas for snacks are: (Please keep in mind Clairlea is a nut free environment so please do not send any food with peanut butter or that may contain nuts)

       Apples- cut or whole     

       Orange- preferably peeled

       Banana

       Grapes

       Berries

       Melon

       Carrots and celery sticks

       Snow peas

       Cherry tomatoes

       Broccoli

       Cucumber

       Cheese and crackers

       Granola or Nutrigrain bars

       Yogurt

       Applesauce

Our classroom is a busy place where children are encouraged to get fully involved in their activities. Paint and water aprons are provided at school and worn by the children, but despite this, clothing may become soiled or damp. Please send a full set of extra clothes in a labeled plastic bag to be kept at school in your child’s cubby. Rubber soled shoes, are required for gym and outdoor activities. A pair of running shoes should be left at school this year. Please choose slip on or Velcro closures so that your child can put on and remove his or her shoes independently. Please do not send shoes with laces. Please write your child’s name on their shoes in a place that is clearly visible. Many children will have the same shoes as your child and this will help to know which shoes belong to which child. It is important to label all clothing, especially boots, shoes, outdoor coats, sweaters, hats, mittens and scarves with your child’s name.

Our classroom is full of wonderful opportunities to keep your child busy. Although we encourage children to share, we ask that toys and treasures from home are not brought to school. They are frequently misplaced, damaged, or a distraction which causes upsets. If something is needed for a special day, an invitation to contribute will be extended to all of the children in the class.

Another thing we ask you to send in is a photograph of your family. Part of creating a safe and welcoming learning environment for your child is to make them feel comfortable and at home. With this in mind, we are hoping to create a collage of our families to put up in our classroom.

It is our goal for the children to LOVE school and have fun. In order to do this, we strive to provide a positive learning environment that is safe for your child. An expectation of your child in the Kindergarten program is that she or he grows to be independent. To encourage this, you are asked to say goodbye at the Kindergarten gate and have your child enter the playground by him/herself. In addition, to ensure the safety of your child, please wait outside the Kindergarten playground until your child is dismissed by a teacher on duty. If you need to speak to one of us, please wait until the entire class has been dismissed. Students will not be released to anyone but the approved caregiver unless the school has been notified in writing or in person. As we will be establishing routines in our classroom, it would benefit your child to establish these positive routines and practices at home:

       Early and consistent bedtimes

       Read to and with your child often

       Nutritious eating habits

       Independence to dress and to help with simple household chores

       Use good manners (especially pleases and thank yous)

       Respect for oneself, others and things

       Spend time talking with your child and play games (alphabet, word, number games, puzzles etc.)

Don’t forget! You are your child’s first and foremost teacher!

Thank you for your support. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to getting to know you and your child.