Welcome to Room 8

KindergartenLincoln Attendance Center

“All I really need to know... I learned in kindergarten.” -Robert Fulghum

Fun Activities in Room 8!

Miss Meredith Whitsitt• I graduated from Carmi-White County High School in

2004.• I graduated with a Bachelors' Degree in Education from

Murray State University in 2008.• I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education from

Oakland City University in 2010.• I substitute taught in Carmi and Grayville K-12 for 1 ½

years.• This will be my 2nd year teaching Kindergarten here at

Lincoln School.• I enjoy being outside, spending time with family,

ladybugs, the color red, traveling, my dog Murray, and much more!

Parent/Teacher Communication

• Daily Reports

• Weekly News

• Report Cards

• Parent Teacher Conferences• mwhitsitt@carmi.white.k12.il.us• Lincoln School’s phone number: 384-3421• My extension is #5145

Homework Folders• Homework folders will be passed out at the

beginning of each month. I strongly urge you to set aside a time for you and your child to complete these activities. There are activities that have been designed for every Monday through Thursday of each week.

• Homework folders are green!

• These activities have been designed to go along with the Report Card guidelines.

PBIS• PBIS stands for

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

• This set of rules is consistent throughout the school, playgrounds, and buses.

• Twice a month, Barb McCarthy, our school counselor, visits our classroom to discuss PBIS with the students.

These rules are taught at the beginning of the year to emphasize the 3 Bulldog Bs:• Be responsible• Be respectful• Be safe in all settings

Report Cards

• Report Cards will be issued once per quarter.

• They will show progress, improvement, and areas that still need work.

• There is a copy of the first quarter’s report card attached to your packet.

Arrival and Departure Times• Kindergarten instruction begins at 8:30 A.M.

Children who arrive at school before 8:00 A.M., must report to the cafeteria. Mrs. Stocke provides supervision there and will dismiss students to their classrooms at 8:00 A.M.

• For departure, the first group of students will board the buses at 2:40 P.M. Non-bus riders will be dismissed at 2:45 P.M. These students will be dismissed through the middle exit door on Fair Street. Crossville and Red Caboose bus riders will be dismissed at 2:55 P.M.

Changes in Transportation

If you want your child to go home a different way than the normal one, you must send me a note or contact the office. Please do not rely on your child to tell me this information because children often become confused. If no written note or phone call to the office is received, your child will be sent home by his/her usual method of transportation.

Book Orders/Read Aloud Program

• Monthly, your child will bring home a form to order books. If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send a check made out to the book company. Please never feel obligated to order.

• At Lincoln School we have a read-at-home program called Read Aloud. Books read to your child or by your child should be recorded on the form. Children who participate and return the form will receive a certificate and a Pizza Hut coupon.

Restroom Breaks• Children will be given regular restroom

breaks during the day. I also will allow students to go to the bathroom, as needed, one at a time.

• Therefore, if someone is already in the restroom, your child may have to wait a few minutes. I will strongly encourage students to go at the scheduled times, even if they “don’t have to.”

Breakfast and Lunch• Students wishing to eat breakfast at school may do

so between 8 and 8:30 A.M. Regular breakfast is 65 cents per day. Those on reduced prices will pay 30 cents per day.

• Lunchtime in our room is 11:20 A.M. Lunch is $1.35 per day. Reduced lunches will be 40 cents. Students who wish to bring their lunch may purchase milk for 25 cents. If your child is to be picked up for lunch, please send a note that morning. Our class returns from lunch at 12:05 P.M.

• Meal and Snack money will be collected only on Tuesdays.

Our Daily Schedule in Kindergarten

• Our kindergarten class starts at 8:30 A.M. Children who arrive at school before 8:30 must go directly to the cafeteria.

• 8:30 Bathroom Break and Attendance• 8:40-9:30 Calendar Time/ Language Arts• Language Arts will be taught through phonemic

awareness, a word block, guided reading, shared reading, and writing lessons.

• 9:30-9:50 Recess/Bathroom Break10:00-10:30 P.E./Music 10:30-11:20 Language Arts (Continued)11:20-12:05 Lunch

12:05-1:00 MathMath is incorporated into many everyday classroom routines. Your child will learn counting, patterning, sorting, classifying, graphing, comparing, number concepts, and beginning addition and subtraction.1:00-1:40 Story Time/ Rest Time1:40-2:00 Snack TimeEvery day there will be a classroom leader, he or she will be responsible for the snack. Great snack ideas are fresh fruit, crackers, pretzels, pudding, etc. Each student on their leader day will also have the opportunity to bring a show-and-tell to share with the class! This is a special day for them!• 2:00-2:10 Pack up to go home• 2:10-2:30 Afternoon Recess• Dismissal

Extra Reading Help• Mrs. Debbie South is our library/kindergarten

literacy aide. She will be working with students one-on-one in small groups for more individualized practice, as needed.

• If your child is out of the room working with Mrs. Debbie and misses an activity during this time, I will stamp or make a note on your child’s work to “complete and return.”

Special Classes

• Physical Education• P.E. will be on Mondays and Thursdays with Mrs.

Cindy Colman.

• Children MUST wear tennis shoes on these days.

• Music• Music will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with Mrs.

Alice Bryant.

• Library• We will visit the library on Fridays each week. Mrs.

Debbie South is the librarian.

Rest/Quiet Time• Each afternoon our class will have a 20

minute rest period. Although students are not required to fall asleep, they are expected to rest quietly. We will have SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) during this time where students will read books quietly on their mats. • During rest time, I will be working

individually with students on skills that they need extra practice in and listening to them read independently.

Flat StanleyRoom 8’s Flat Stanley

Thank you for coming!

I am ready for a wonderful school year!

• "Monthly Newsletter Template." Kelly's Kindergarten. Web. 20 July 2011. <http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Newsletters/downloads/January1.doc>.

• Carmi-White County Unit#5. Carmi-White County Schools. Web. 20 July 2011. <http://www.carmi.white.k12.il.us/>.

Resources