Dear K-1 Families,
Welcome to Kindergarten! You and your kindergartner are about to begin one of the most exciting years in your child’s educational career. Kindergarten is a year filled with a tremendous amount of growth – physical, social/emotional, attitudinal, and cognitive. Together we will be an important part in this wondrous year. The information below provide you with some general information to help make the transition into kindergarten as smooth as possible.
Absence
If your child is going to be absent, please make sure to call the Safe Arrival/Absence Line: 781-316-3767. The number is available 24 hours a day and there is an answering machine so please feel free to contact the school as soon as you know your child is going to be absent, even the night before. In your message, please include the following information:
o Your name
o Your student’s name
o Your student's teacher
o Reason for the absence
Additionally, if you know in advance they will not be in school please notify me, either by note or email, as well as call the safe line.
Arrival
Our school hours are from 8:10-2:30 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 8:10-1:00 on Tuesday. At 8:00am, the kindergartners may begin lining up outside the maroon doors to the Kindergarten wing, near the circle in front of the school, on Mountain Avenue. The first bell rings at 8:10 when kindergartners will enter the school with their class. Our day is a busy one and we start promptly at 8:15, which means that students are expected to be in their classroom ready and to go by this time. Please be on time for school.
I will meet students outside and escort them to our room as a class for the first few weeks. After that, some assistance will be provided by the fifth grade safety patrol students. Please plan to wait with them until the 8:10 bell, as students should not be left to wait on their own. In order to promote autonomy, please say goodbye to your child outside the kindergarten doors and allow them to enter the building independently. If it is raining, snowing, or the temperature is less than 20 degrees, all students will meet in the cafeteria and then be escorted to their classrooms.
Late Arrival
If your student is late to school, please escort them to the office doors to be signed in and receive a late pass. For safety reasons the building is secured after the bell and everyone must enter through the front door.
Dismissal
Dismissal is at 2:30 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday dismissal is at 1:00. I will release students out onto the blacktop (the kindergarten doors that open out to the playground) please plan to meet your student there. Kindergartners will be dismissed when met by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult and after they have high-fived me so I know that they were picked up safely. Dismissal locations and procedures do not change with rain or extreme cold.
If you are going to be late to pick up, please notify the office as soon as possible. Please come to the main office, as all other doors will be locked in the afternoon. If your student has not been picked up by 2:35 they will be brought to the office to wait for you there.
After School Program
If your child attends A Place to Grow, they will be escorted to the program.
If your child attends an after school program outside of Stratton School, they will be escorted to the bus that will transport them there.
Change in pick-up procedure
One of the first forms you will fill out is the “After School Pick Up” form. This details who I should expect to see each afternoon and the appropriate adult(s) you have given consent for your student to be dismissed to. If your kindergartner is being picked up by another adult who does not typically pick they up, even if it is a family member, or if they having a play-date, please send me a note or an email on the day that the change is occurring.
Early Dismissal
Please email me or send a note indicating the time you wish to dismiss your kindergartner. This will ensure that they will be ready to leave at the designated time.
Birthday Celebrations
On the day of your child’s school birthday, family is invited into the classroom or via Zoom to read a story aloud to the class. Families are welcome to read a special book from home or to donate a book to the classroom in their student's name. However, due to life threatening allergies, we no longer celebrate birthdays with food of any kind.
Health Concerns/Allergies
Please let me, as well as the school nurse, know if your kindergartner has any health concerns or allergies. Due to life threatening allergies, our classroom will be nut free.
Snack
Every morning we will have a snack in the classroom. Please send students to school with a simple and healthy, nut-free snack. Due to allergies, students are not allowed to consume snacks containing nuts in the classroom during snack time. However, foods containing nuts are allowed in the lunchroom. Please do not forget to pack utensils if their snack should require them. We do not have any in our classroom.
Lunch
Students may get lunch from school or bring lunch from home. Each month please review the lunch menu to ensure that your kindergartner will enjoy the available lunch choices on the days they plan to get school lunch.
Recess
Weather permitting, every effort is made to take students out to recess each day. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.
Extra Change of Clothes
Please send in an extra change of clothes in a labeled bag with their name on it. The clothes will be kept at school in case of spills or accidents.
Home-School Folders
The home-school folder will be sent home on a daily basis. Folders are used to communicate many important happenings in kindergarten. Please check the folder daily and return it to school each morning. Feel free to include any notes for the teacher that day (early dismissal, upcoming absence, change in after school pick-up, etc.).
Newsletter
Newsletters will be emailed home every Friday, unless you request a hard copy to be sent home in your home-school folder. Our classroom website is another space where I will post our newsletter along with helpful information and links. Be sure to check it out at www.mrsnolanskindergarten.com. Additionally, I will be posting updates and pictures in "real time" on our private classroom Instagram and Twitter accounts. You can follow us on Instagram (mrs.nolan.k1) and Twitter (@mrsnolankinders)to see what we’re up to!
Play-Dates
If your student is having a playdate after school, please remember to send a note or an email giving permission for them to be dismissed to the other family.
Gym Days
Please make sure to send your kindergartner to school with appropriate clothing on gym days. Sneakers are a must and comfortable clothing is recommended!
Volunteers
There are many ways to volunteer in the classroom and opportunities range from weekly volunteers to special event helpers. Volunteers can sign up using the handle found on the “Volunteers” page of our class website.
Room Parents
Room Parents act as a liaison between classroom teachers and the parents/guardians in the class. Each class typically has two individuals who work with teachers to find volunteers for classroom celebrations, field trips, etc. If you’re interested in becoming a room parent, fill out the form included in your home-school folder.
Progress Reports/Report Cards
Kindergartners will receive a progress report twice a year, in late fall and late spring.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Formal parent-teacher conferences will be held in December and March. However, please keep in mind that if you have a concern or problem before, or between conferences, you can and should contact me so that we can make an appointment to meet.
Communication
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. I can be reached by email, anolan@arlington.k12.ma.us, by voicemail, or by sending a note to school in your home/school folder.
I hope this information is helpful as we begin the school year. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a wonderful year!
Best,
Ashly Nolan
Welcome to Kindergarten! You and your kindergartner are about to begin one of the most exciting years in your child’s educational career. Kindergarten is a year filled with a tremendous amount of growth – physical, social/emotional, attitudinal, and cognitive. Together we will be an important part in this wondrous year. The information below provide you with some general information to help make the transition into kindergarten as smooth as possible.
Absence
If your child is going to be absent, please make sure to call the Safe Arrival/Absence Line: 781-316-3767. The number is available 24 hours a day and there is an answering machine so please feel free to contact the school as soon as you know your child is going to be absent, even the night before. In your message, please include the following information:
o Your name
o Your student’s name
o Your student's teacher
o Reason for the absence
Additionally, if you know in advance they will not be in school please notify me, either by note or email, as well as call the safe line.
Arrival
Our school hours are from 8:10-2:30 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 8:10-1:00 on Tuesday. At 8:00am, the kindergartners may begin lining up outside the maroon doors to the Kindergarten wing, near the circle in front of the school, on Mountain Avenue. The first bell rings at 8:10 when kindergartners will enter the school with their class. Our day is a busy one and we start promptly at 8:15, which means that students are expected to be in their classroom ready and to go by this time. Please be on time for school.
I will meet students outside and escort them to our room as a class for the first few weeks. After that, some assistance will be provided by the fifth grade safety patrol students. Please plan to wait with them until the 8:10 bell, as students should not be left to wait on their own. In order to promote autonomy, please say goodbye to your child outside the kindergarten doors and allow them to enter the building independently. If it is raining, snowing, or the temperature is less than 20 degrees, all students will meet in the cafeteria and then be escorted to their classrooms.
Late Arrival
If your student is late to school, please escort them to the office doors to be signed in and receive a late pass. For safety reasons the building is secured after the bell and everyone must enter through the front door.
Dismissal
Dismissal is at 2:30 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday dismissal is at 1:00. I will release students out onto the blacktop (the kindergarten doors that open out to the playground) please plan to meet your student there. Kindergartners will be dismissed when met by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult and after they have high-fived me so I know that they were picked up safely. Dismissal locations and procedures do not change with rain or extreme cold.
If you are going to be late to pick up, please notify the office as soon as possible. Please come to the main office, as all other doors will be locked in the afternoon. If your student has not been picked up by 2:35 they will be brought to the office to wait for you there.
After School Program
If your child attends A Place to Grow, they will be escorted to the program.
If your child attends an after school program outside of Stratton School, they will be escorted to the bus that will transport them there.
Change in pick-up procedure
One of the first forms you will fill out is the “After School Pick Up” form. This details who I should expect to see each afternoon and the appropriate adult(s) you have given consent for your student to be dismissed to. If your kindergartner is being picked up by another adult who does not typically pick they up, even if it is a family member, or if they having a play-date, please send me a note or an email on the day that the change is occurring.
Early Dismissal
Please email me or send a note indicating the time you wish to dismiss your kindergartner. This will ensure that they will be ready to leave at the designated time.
Birthday Celebrations
On the day of your child’s school birthday, family is invited into the classroom or via Zoom to read a story aloud to the class. Families are welcome to read a special book from home or to donate a book to the classroom in their student's name. However, due to life threatening allergies, we no longer celebrate birthdays with food of any kind.
Health Concerns/Allergies
Please let me, as well as the school nurse, know if your kindergartner has any health concerns or allergies. Due to life threatening allergies, our classroom will be nut free.
Snack
Every morning we will have a snack in the classroom. Please send students to school with a simple and healthy, nut-free snack. Due to allergies, students are not allowed to consume snacks containing nuts in the classroom during snack time. However, foods containing nuts are allowed in the lunchroom. Please do not forget to pack utensils if their snack should require them. We do not have any in our classroom.
Lunch
Students may get lunch from school or bring lunch from home. Each month please review the lunch menu to ensure that your kindergartner will enjoy the available lunch choices on the days they plan to get school lunch.
Recess
Weather permitting, every effort is made to take students out to recess each day. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.
Extra Change of Clothes
Please send in an extra change of clothes in a labeled bag with their name on it. The clothes will be kept at school in case of spills or accidents.
Home-School Folders
The home-school folder will be sent home on a daily basis. Folders are used to communicate many important happenings in kindergarten. Please check the folder daily and return it to school each morning. Feel free to include any notes for the teacher that day (early dismissal, upcoming absence, change in after school pick-up, etc.).
Newsletter
Newsletters will be emailed home every Friday, unless you request a hard copy to be sent home in your home-school folder. Our classroom website is another space where I will post our newsletter along with helpful information and links. Be sure to check it out at www.mrsnolanskindergarten.com. Additionally, I will be posting updates and pictures in "real time" on our private classroom Instagram and Twitter accounts. You can follow us on Instagram (mrs.nolan.k1) and Twitter (@mrsnolankinders)to see what we’re up to!
Play-Dates
If your student is having a playdate after school, please remember to send a note or an email giving permission for them to be dismissed to the other family.
Gym Days
Please make sure to send your kindergartner to school with appropriate clothing on gym days. Sneakers are a must and comfortable clothing is recommended!
Volunteers
There are many ways to volunteer in the classroom and opportunities range from weekly volunteers to special event helpers. Volunteers can sign up using the handle found on the “Volunteers” page of our class website.
Room Parents
Room Parents act as a liaison between classroom teachers and the parents/guardians in the class. Each class typically has two individuals who work with teachers to find volunteers for classroom celebrations, field trips, etc. If you’re interested in becoming a room parent, fill out the form included in your home-school folder.
Progress Reports/Report Cards
Kindergartners will receive a progress report twice a year, in late fall and late spring.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Formal parent-teacher conferences will be held in December and March. However, please keep in mind that if you have a concern or problem before, or between conferences, you can and should contact me so that we can make an appointment to meet.
Communication
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. I can be reached by email, anolan@arlington.k12.ma.us, by voicemail, or by sending a note to school in your home/school folder.
I hope this information is helpful as we begin the school year. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a wonderful year!
Best,
Ashly Nolan
