Welcome to Kindergarten!
Back To School Night: August 31, 2017
Teacher: Ms. Lucy Guerrero
[email protected]
cell: 310-753-1168
Aide: Mrs. Carolyn Ramirez (with us from 7:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
Room Parents
Mrs. Barbara Aldana (Caroline’s mom)
Dear Families,
Thank you for coming to Back to School Night! I will introduce myself and make any last minute announcements once we get started. You can find a lot of information about our class on our class website. In addition, below are some questions you might have that I’d like to answer straight away.
Important Allergy News!
This year in Kindergarten we will be a peanut-free room! One of our kiddos has an allergy to peanuts so please do not send your kids with any snack or lunch that has peanut butter or anything made on equipment that has also been exposed to nuts.
How can I contact you?
I prefer that you contact me via email but if you think the matter is important enough, a phone call or text message is fine. For emergencies, however, please call the office first, then my cell. I check emails (and my phone) before and after school.
How long should students expect to spend on homework?
First of all, I’m going to send homework packets this year (on Mondays), which will be due on Friday morning. I usually assign 1 or 2 pages of homework each night (5-10 pages/packet), so I think spending 30 minutes a night is a sufficient amount of time to complete it. I also strongly encourage you to read with your child nightly. (See website for information on the monthly reading log.) It is difficult to underestimate the value of these kinds of shared reading experiences.
How often do you update the classroom website?
In general I update the website the last week of each month to reflect the following month’s calendar and academic information. However sometimes I have to update it with sudden calendar changes or news. If the changes warrant it, I’ll either send a note home in homework folders or ask our room parents to convey the news to you.
If my child is absent, how is make-up work handled?
For each day of absence, you have an extra day to turn in the packet. So, if your child is absent 2 days in a week, the packet for that week is due on Monday (rather than Friday.)
Will the kids go on field trips and can I chaperone?
I think field trips are an integral part of the school experience. Having said that, we are constrained by the cost of the bus so if our class goes on a field trip it’s because another class wants to go, as well. That way, the cost is not prohibitive. Last year Kinder and 2nd went to Irvine Park Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch in October and to The Aquarium of the Pacific in May with first grade. I chose 10 chaperones for each based on when I received the RSVP (after the notice went home in students’ homework folders.) Chaperones are able to ride with us on the bus and pay a reduced fee. For both of these locations, additional parents were welcome to attend but they had to arrange for their own transportation and pay the full entrance fee. (FYI, All students return to school on the bus; they cannot be dismissed from the field trip location.)
How are birthdays celebrated in the classroom?
Parents are welcome to bring a treat for all the kids (mini cupcakes, cookies, juice, popsicles, etc.) that you can help pass out during snack (9:30 a.m.) or lunch (11:30 a.m.) If you can’t be there to help pass things out, we’ll manage. J
Is a wish list for classroom supplies available?
As of yet, no. I am pondering putting a list on the class website or some other electronic format.
How can I help?
I’m so glad you asked! J I’ll have a sign-up sheet tonight on which you can jot your name for each of these items, if possible. Aside from extra supplies, here are a few things that are wonderful to have help with:
Back To School Night: August 31, 2017
Teacher: Ms. Lucy Guerrero
[email protected]
cell: 310-753-1168
Aide: Mrs. Carolyn Ramirez (with us from 7:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
Room Parents
Mrs. Barbara Aldana (Caroline’s mom)
- phone: 323-382-7129
- email: [email protected]
- phone: 562-229-2239
- email: [email protected]
Dear Families,
Thank you for coming to Back to School Night! I will introduce myself and make any last minute announcements once we get started. You can find a lot of information about our class on our class website. In addition, below are some questions you might have that I’d like to answer straight away.
Important Allergy News!
This year in Kindergarten we will be a peanut-free room! One of our kiddos has an allergy to peanuts so please do not send your kids with any snack or lunch that has peanut butter or anything made on equipment that has also been exposed to nuts.
How can I contact you?
I prefer that you contact me via email but if you think the matter is important enough, a phone call or text message is fine. For emergencies, however, please call the office first, then my cell. I check emails (and my phone) before and after school.
How long should students expect to spend on homework?
First of all, I’m going to send homework packets this year (on Mondays), which will be due on Friday morning. I usually assign 1 or 2 pages of homework each night (5-10 pages/packet), so I think spending 30 minutes a night is a sufficient amount of time to complete it. I also strongly encourage you to read with your child nightly. (See website for information on the monthly reading log.) It is difficult to underestimate the value of these kinds of shared reading experiences.
How often do you update the classroom website?
In general I update the website the last week of each month to reflect the following month’s calendar and academic information. However sometimes I have to update it with sudden calendar changes or news. If the changes warrant it, I’ll either send a note home in homework folders or ask our room parents to convey the news to you.
If my child is absent, how is make-up work handled?
For each day of absence, you have an extra day to turn in the packet. So, if your child is absent 2 days in a week, the packet for that week is due on Monday (rather than Friday.)
Will the kids go on field trips and can I chaperone?
I think field trips are an integral part of the school experience. Having said that, we are constrained by the cost of the bus so if our class goes on a field trip it’s because another class wants to go, as well. That way, the cost is not prohibitive. Last year Kinder and 2nd went to Irvine Park Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch in October and to The Aquarium of the Pacific in May with first grade. I chose 10 chaperones for each based on when I received the RSVP (after the notice went home in students’ homework folders.) Chaperones are able to ride with us on the bus and pay a reduced fee. For both of these locations, additional parents were welcome to attend but they had to arrange for their own transportation and pay the full entrance fee. (FYI, All students return to school on the bus; they cannot be dismissed from the field trip location.)
How are birthdays celebrated in the classroom?
Parents are welcome to bring a treat for all the kids (mini cupcakes, cookies, juice, popsicles, etc.) that you can help pass out during snack (9:30 a.m.) or lunch (11:30 a.m.) If you can’t be there to help pass things out, we’ll manage. J
Is a wish list for classroom supplies available?
As of yet, no. I am pondering putting a list on the class website or some other electronic format.
How can I help?
I’m so glad you asked! J I’ll have a sign-up sheet tonight on which you can jot your name for each of these items, if possible. Aside from extra supplies, here are a few things that are wonderful to have help with:
- Helping at home: I’ll need help with things like tracing or cutting, etc. (Students will be tracing and practicing scissor skills in class but the work I’m talking about is usually for a craft that needs lots of things prepped and ready to go.) This is something I can send home so you can do it on your own time. I try to send things home that are not needed until at least one week later.
- Scheduled help: Commit to helping in the classroom once a week or once every two weeks at a designated time slot. I hope to have help with sight word practice, reading aloud, and basic testing (letter names & sounds, for example.)
- Occasional help (usually room moms will coordinate who helps):
- For artwork and crafts, it’s helpful to have 1 to 2 more adults with me. Mrs. Ramirez is with us in the morning but if we have this kind of activity in the afternoon, I would love your help!
- For class parties, particularly with our 6th grade “buddies”, the two classes come together to enjoy treats and sometimes make a craft together. Because that’s double the number of children, additional help is a must.
- For field trips, it’s almost mandatory to have help given the age bracket of our kids! See the question above regarding field trips for more information.