Welcome!

Soon your child will complete one of the most important milestones in his/her life - the first day of preschool! I understand that you and your child may have met this day with excitement or apprehension (or a little of both) and I hope that this information will help you to know what to expect in preschool this year and answer any questions you may have. I am looking forward to working with you, and helping your child achieve his/her full potential. You may visit our school and class website http://www.scbschool.org/preschool.htm at any time to find all of this information. Blessings Mrs. Les Basset

Parent/Teacher Relationship I believe that you, the parents, are the primary educators of your child. You and I are partners in this exciting adventure. A good parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success for your child. Throughout the year I will communicate with you through weekly newsletters via email and parent-teacher conferences. I ask you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can call me at school (789 0224), home (722 6450), or email me at home (5sosatie7@cox.net). I check my email many times each day.

School Attendance Your childs regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial for success. Most preschool learning activities involve interaction with classmates. Therefore, it is next to impossible to make up work at home. Please view school as a priority, and see to it that your child attends every day except in cases of illness or emergency. School starts at 8am ! We will begin our day at 8am if your child is late, they will miss out on important activities please make every effort to be at school on time. Problems are less likely to arise if your child arrives at school on time and is picked up on time. Before care (and after care) Before care opens at 7:15am. This will be handled differently this school year details to be announced soon). Your childs tuition includes before care.

Aftercare is not included in your childs tuition if you require after care for your child, please let the office know at final registration in August, and you will be given details. The fee for after care is $3.50 per hour, 3pm till 6pm. Pick up and drop off Parents who pick up their children at 3pm may not park right in front of the preschool because of the grade school carpool line. All preschoolers must be brought into the building by an adult in the morning. No child may be dropped off outside to come in by themselves, no matter how much they insist that they're "big enough" to do it. Backpacks Your child will need a backpack. A medium sized one is perfect. The over-sized ones are too large for our small storeroom to handle and the tiny ones will not hold all their belongings. The children are very proud of their work and if it has to be scrunched in their backpacks, they are disappointed. Check backpacks daily you dont want to miss any important information.

Outdoor Recess The children will be going out for recess every day unless it is extremely cold. Even during rainy weather, we have the luxury of a covered play area so that we can still enjoy some fresh air. For the most part, if your child is well enough to be at school, he/she is well enough to participate in outdoor recess, if properly dressed. In fact, the germs that cause colds thrive more readily in the heated indoor air, and it is beneficial to go outside for fresh air.

Clothing All items of clothing are to be marked with your childs name, including jackets and coats we have a large collection of unclaimed and unnamed clothing in our possession! On the first day of school, please send a zip loc bag with a change of clothing (socks, underwear, shirt and pants) for your child the bag and everything in it must be marked with your childs name. These clothes will be sent home if your child has an accident, and needs to be replaced the very next day. Problems are less likely to arise if your child knows how to attend to her/his toileting and clothing needs without assistance do not send your child to school in clothing that is too difficult for them to fasten, unfasten, tie, zip, snap and buckle by themselves. We will always be there to help them, but if they are desperate to use the bathroom, these tough tasks make it a lot more stressful and upsetting for them, and that is when accidents happen. Keep clothing simple this is not a fashion parade. As much as I believe children should go barefoot as much as possible, school policy requires that every child wear shoes. We insist on sneakers and socks, or strap-backed sandals, not flip flops and open back sandals. For Girls Girls need to wear shorts under their skirts or dresses. Illnesses I encourage the children to be at school every day, but if your child is sick, please do not send them to school we have too many little bodies in a relatively small space spreading every available germ around. Your child must be fever free (or without vomiting or diarrhea) for 24 hours WITHOUT medication before they may return to school. Do not send your child to school if they have a fever, or upset tummy. If they have strep, they have to be on an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school. Here are some of the measures we take daily to prevent germs from spreading. Most activities in the preschool are hands-on; the germs are more likely to spread rapidly.

We Clorox counters, faucets and handles often during the day, and wash hands many times. We insist in the classroom that the children sneeze and cough into the crook of their arm or the neck of their t-shirts/sweaters, NOT into their hands. After a sneeze we tell them to use a tissue and then wash their hands. After using the bathroom, they MUST flush (youd be very surprised to find out how often most of the children do not do this!), and wash their hands with soap. We do not flush for them we call them back to do it themselves. We strongly advise them to eat most of the healthy food at lunch time, and also encourage the eating of fruit and vegetables at home. Our experience is that many of the children will throw their entire tray of food into the trash can if we werent looking. Even though we do not force anyone to eat, we do give choices, and we do not allow children to buy treats like ice-cream, lollipops and popcorn if they have not eaten most of the healthy food first. We talk about getting enough sleep at night. A sleepy, tired child will not learn, and will be susceptible to all kinds of infections. 9-10 hours is the right amount of sleep for a 4 and 5 year old. We turn the heat down in our classroom to 68 degrees hot and stuffy air is the perfect breeding place for germs. We open the door many times during the day to get fresh air circulating. We encourage the wearing of long sleeves, long pants, and shoes and socks in the wintertime t-shirts, shorts, bare legs and arms, in winter lead to runny noses. Lunch

We eat lunch in the gym every day with the rest of the school at 11am . Lunch is not included in your tuition you will need to purchase a lunch card.

Your child is able to choose a school cafeteria lunch or bring a healthy cold lunch from home. No candy or soda please. We have a fridge to keep food cold. You are welcome to join your child for lunch at any time (you may inform us of this in the morning before school), but we do encourage independence as much as possible, especially in the beginning, so that they are able to learn the procedures without distractions. We do not force them to eat all their food but we do expect them to choose at least two things from the menu, which includes the main food item, and finish eating those. We also expect them to drink most of their milk. You will receive a menu from the cafeteria each month so that you will be able to determine when to send a lunch from home if your child does not eat that food. Special candy days The school offers the students opportunity to buy lollipops, ice cream or popcorn every few weeks. The price is 50c for lollipops and popcorn and 75c for ice cream. On these days, you may bring the money to school and we will allow your child to buy it after lunch. However, if your child does not eat a good lunch that day, we reserve the right to send the money home without a purchase. Home Room Mom One of the duties of a homeroom mom is to help us on the second Wednesday of every month by watching the children during lunchtime and lunch recess for about 45 minutes. This is teacher appreciation day and we are able to enjoy a child and duty-free lunch at the school while two or three parents watch the children. If you would like to help during this time, please contact the homeroom mom so that it becomes an easy task for her to find helpers. We always appreciate your kindness on this day. Mass Mass is on Wednesdays at 9:30am . For the first few weeks we do not attend, because we are trying to work on important classroom procedures. After that, we join the rest of the school for mass. We do not stay for the entire service; Father dismisses us after the homily. You may join us for mass at any time, but, again, we do encourage independence in the beginning, so that they are able to learn the procedures without distractions. Our pew buddies are the 4th grade class. The children become very attached to them.

Birthdays Students may bring cookies or other fun snacks to share on their birthday. This treat will be shared at our morning snack time between 9:15am and 9:45am . There are 20 children in the class please make sure that all the treats are the same! If youd like to pass out invitations at school for a birthday party, there needs to be 20 invitations, one for each child, or at least one for each girl or one

for each boy. If you want to keep the party small, please mail the invitations from home. Field Trip We have a school bus which enables us to take trips to local areas of interest. Field trip dates will be given to you well in advance. The children will be encouraged to travel on the school bus for field trips, but we love parents joining us. If you would like to be a driver for your child, or accompany us on trips, you will need to sign the safe environment forms at the office and you also need to see the safety video, and begin the background check online, even if it is only your child you are driving. During school hours, I am responsible for your child and this is our school policy. The school handbook will be given to you for all our school policies.

Allergies Let me know of any allergies your child has. We do not allow peanuts and peanut products in the classroom until we have determined that no child in our room is allergic to it. I am willing to work within the boundaries of your childs allergies to some extent, but cannot diminish the enjoyment and learning experience of the rest of the children in the class. If this is a problem for you, we need to meet and talk about the issue as soon as possible. Toys No toys from home will be allowed at school. Naptime In the afternoon, we take a nap every day Your child will need to bring their own naptime blanket and a SMALL pillow to be kept at school. Blankets will be sent home for washing. The perfect size blanket is about 5ftx4ft. After naptime other great enrichment activities are planned every day.

Box Tops and Campbell s labels This is an important fundraiser for our school and you are asked to collect these. There is a red collection box on the shelf at the door so that you can drop the labels in there at any time. Physical Education We try to do PE once a week on Wednesdays in the gym or outside, weather permitting.

PTC Meetings Please make every effort to attend the monthly PTC meetings. Every meeting attended counts as a volunteer hour for the family. Many of the meetings are less than an hour long. We have an annual auction in April, and a Carnival in Oct, which are our main fundraisers for the year. 30 volunteer hours are expected for all families. These are recorded in the office. Volunteer hours include PTC meeting, lunch and office duties, field trips, making play dough in preschool, and teacher appreciation days. Parties We have two parties, one at Christmas time and one at Mardi gras, but we do have a simple Valentine celebration.

Tom Turkey Play We have a Thanksgiving tradition of presenting a play for the school and our families, called Tom Turkeys Thanksgiving. It is an easy production which encourages confidence, interaction and participation. We have the costumes and they will be used from year to year.

Poetry Festival In May the preschoolers and Kindergarteners have an opportunity to take part in reciting a poem for classmates, family and friends. This usually takes place in May. Journal Your child will be keeping a journal (examples of their work) this will be collated and given to you as a gift from them at the end of the year. Snack We will have special snacks from home every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Your child will be assigned a day once every 6 weeks or so to bring 20 small snacks for the class. I will send home a Snack Bucket which will remind you of your turn. Your turn will be marked on the calendar I send home. No candy please! The easiest snacks are the individually wrapped ones. On Mondays and Fridays we will use the general snacks you will bring as part of the school supplies at the beginning of the year. The children participate in the

distribution and clean up of snack time. Social graces and proper table conversation are taught and encouraged.

Library We visit the library once a week, on Tuesdays. Your child will be able to choose a book only if the previous one has been returned. If the book is damaged or lost, the librarian will send you a notification to send the money to purchase it again. Your child will not be able to take out another book until the money has been given to her. We have a library tub on the shelf at the door. The children may put their books in there as soon as they have finished with it. We ask you to allow your child to be responsible for taking care of the book as much as possible. It is their responsibility to put it into their backpack when they are finished with it. You may remind them once or twice, but after that, it may be a lesson for them to miss taking out a book for that week. We do not want parents to run back home to get the book for them on Tuesdays. Ms. Alma from the Warr Acres library will visit us again this year, and she is wonderful with the children. She has family attending St. Charles. Please join the library and make yourself known to her.

Art in our classroom The process is more important than the product. Please remember that sometimes it looks very close to what its supposed to be, and sometimes it absolutely does not! But you can be sure they had FUN doing it! If you cannot decipher the picture, a good question to ask is, Tell me about your picture, and not, Whats that?

Play dough We need fresh play dough every week. At the end of the week it will be thrown away to prevent germs spreading. I would appreciate parents volunteering on a rotation basis to make play dough for our classroom. It is an easy recipe, and it makes the best play dough in town! Please email me at 5sosatie7@cox.net to offer your help. Recipe: 4 cups water, 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tblsp cooking oil, 4 teasp cream of tartar, food coloring. Combine ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until most of the moisture is absorbed. Store in a covered container - does not need to be refrigerated. Add a bit of baby oil to get a softer texture and a nice smell.

Email addresses One of the easiest and fastest ways for me to communicate with parents is through email. I am also able to provide websites for excellent educational and fun games and activities for your child to do at home on the computer. Please make sure I have your email address you can email me at 5sosatie7@cox.net with the address. School website This is a very important source of information for you. I keep it updated every week with photos, ideas and information, from our calendar to our weekly news. If you have lost any of the paper trail, you will find what you need on the website. Please visit our class web page often. The address is http://www.scbschool.org/ for the school, and http://www.scbschool.org/preschool.htm for our classroom. Add these to the favorites on your computer. Book Orders Your child will be bringing home many Scholastic forms to order books about once a month. If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send a check made out to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School. These orders are provided as a convenient way for parents to buy quality books at a low price. As an added bonus, for every dollar that is spent on books, we earn bonus points, which I use to purchase books or equipment for our classroom. Discipline Our school motto is

Act kindly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8) With that I also use eight expectations as the standard in my
classroom. This provides a predictable environment in which the children know what is expected of them. It is a pro-active way to teach procedures and

establish expectations that build self-esteem and make the classroom a place where children are immersed in a "character" rich environment. The Eight Expectations are 1. We will value one another as unique and special individuals. 2. We will not laugh at or make fun of a person's mistakes nor use sarcasm or putdowns. 3. We will use good manners, saying "please," "thank you," and "excuse me" and allow others to go first. 4. We will cheer each other to success. 5. We will help one another whenever possible. 6. We will recognize every effort and applaud it. 7. We will encourage each other to do our best. 8. We will practice virtuous living, using the Life Principles. (The Life Principles are chosen by the principal as the Word of the Week for the school, and include concepts like respect, initiative, compassion, selfdiscipline, cooperation, perseverance, honesty, patience, and responsibility you will find the Word of the Week on the calendar I will send to you) Three additional expectations I have for the children in my class are that we address each other by name, speak in complete sentences, and use the Magic Triad (smile, gentle touches, and kind words) in our treatment of each other. I will not tolerate hitting or inappropriate touching of any kind. I want every child to feel safe in our room without the fear of being hurt by someone else. If a behavior is persisting or interfering in the learning process I will call a conference with you and your child to discuss further options.