To Park Hill Pre-K!

We are very excited for you to be in the first full day pre-k class in our newly renovated building! 

Our class day is from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
 

You will have many opportunities to be an active part of your child’s pre-k experience. We have an open door policy, and parents are welcome to come in to volunteer in the classroom. We just ask that you wait until the end of October to come in so that we can establish the routines with the children first. If you cannot come in to volunteer, do not worry, there are many at-home activities you can do to promote learning, literacy, and problem solving. During the year your child will do the “mystery toy” and will have the opportunity to be “Friend of the Week.” We will also send a “home link” with each new lesson taught in our Second Step social/emotional program. These will be explained in more detail at Parent Information Night. 

 

Although face masks are not required, your child is welcome to wear one on the bus and to school every day if that makes you or your child more comfortable. If you choose to do this, having your child wear it for longer periods of time around the house would help prepare them for wearing it in school.

 

 

The first few weeks of school will be spent learning new routines (i.e. hand washing, sitting for a story, following in a line, etc.)  We will also be encouraging your child to be as independent as possible. This includes recognizing his/her name, trying to zip his/her jacket and book bag, and collecting his/her mail. Nothing promotes self-confidence like independence!

Please see the September calendar (which will be uploaded soon) for important dates and events. Our studies, skills, and concepts are also included. We have added some conversation starters for you as well. General questions such as “What did you do today?” can be quite overwhelming for children. A couple of more specific questions such as the ones on the calendar will help your child remember some of our activities.  Please don’t be alarmed if he/she doesn’t remember classmates’ names yet. We are all still learning them.

Each day we will have lunch and a snack. Your child has the option to bring these from home or eat the meal and snack that is being offered by the school. More information will be provided as to the cost of these meals.

 

 

Your child needs to bring a full size backpack with his/her bus tag attached each day. We will provide the bus tag with the information you have provided. We do not have time to check every child’s back each day so if you have placed something in it for your child to give us, please remind him/her.  If that does not work and he/she forgets (which definitely happens since they are only 3 and 4 years old,) please send me an email or message on Parentsquare so I can  ask him/her about it. We also ask that you check the backpack and empty it each night. We send information about our learning targets, special school events, community events, and artwork. We like to keep our families informed. It is also much easier for the children to put their own mail away if the bag is empty when they arrive at school, and it is easier for them to see if they have mail for us if there are no extra papers, books, etc in there.

As part of our health and wellness policy, we will be going to the gym or playground twice everyday. Therefore, to make your child as comfortable and safe as possible, please do not send your child in sandals, flip-flops, crocs, or jelly shoes. Sneakers need to be worn at all times for safety on our playgrounds and in our gym.

Please dress your child comfortably for a day of play and hands-on learning which can often be messy. Art smocks are used, but accidents do happen. Please do not send your child in his/her “good clothes.”

 

Children must turn four years old on or before December 1 to attend our four year-old pre-k program. All four year-olds will be bused to and from home or their day care as long as it is within our school district. If your child will be getting on and off at a location other than home, you need to complete a transportation request form prior to the start of school. The transportation department will send you your child's bus numbers and pick up and drop off times.

Children who are still three years old, must be driven to and from school. On their fourth birthday, they may begin riding the bus. If you are transporting your child, we will explain this process at our parent orientation. Whoever picks up your child each day must bring proof of ID every day. If someone else will be picking your child up during the school year, that adult must be listed in School Tool. You may contact our secretary, Mrs. Ward, to add or change your contacts in School Tool. They will also need to bring a driver's license each day. Our class meets 9:00-3:00.
 

The children will have the opportunity to rest and relax during our daily quiet time. The children do not have to sleep, but everyone will be encouraged to have some down time when they can listen to soothing music. The district provides yoga mats for the children, and we ask that you send a towel labeled with your child’s name. The towels will come home on Fridays to be washed and should be sent back to school on Mondays.

We hope you can stay involved and will keep in touch.  We offer lots of ways to communicate and check out what is happening in our classroom.

• Parent Square: I will send our monthly and weekly newsletters via this app.  I also send out little reminders during the year. You can message me using this app as well

• Email me at cgalle@esmschools.org  (checked daily) Please note that we cannot always check or answer emails or texts during your child's class time.

• Call the classroom at 315-434-3800 with questions or concerns. 

• Send a note in your child’s backpack.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your child’s early learning.  

We look forward to a great year!