Parent Involvement:
It is our belief that parents are the first and best teachers of their children and that they should be welcome to attend school with their children at any time. We have established an "open door" policy, which states that all parents are welcome to come to the pre-k class at any time - without permission from any staff member. In other words, we want you to visit. Even at a moments notice. There is no need to call ahead to let us know that you are coming. Please remember for the safety of the children in our building, it will be necessary for you to check-in at the office to receive a visitor's badge. For obvious reasons, the school staff must be aware of everyone who comes into our facility.
How To Get Involved:
*Visit the classroom.
*Volunteer to plan and to host classroom parties.
*Bring your child's favorite snack to the class.
*Attend school with your child on his / her birthday.
*Accompany the class on a field trip.
*Attend parent / teacher conferences.
* Request home visits.
* Attend back to school night.
*Present something you love to the class as an expert.
​
*please note: All volunteers must complete some paperwork that involves a background check before they may volunteer in any classroom in our district.
Schedule:
Calendar
Our program will follow the Grayville CU#1 school calendar. with both a.m. and p.m. sessions serving children.
Class Times:
The a.m. class starts at 8:00 and ends at 10:30.
The p.m. class starts at 12:00 and ends at 2:30.
Dismissal Information:
Pre-k is dismissed at 10:30 and 2:30 each day. Please arrive before 10:30 and 2:30 as it will take some time to get children into their vehicles safely. The rest of the school dismisses a little later and all pre-k children should be safely in their vehicles at that time. Please make sure that everyone who will pick up or drop off your children is aware of these safety rules. If you fail to pick your child up from school, we will use emergency information to provide transport for you.
Discharge Policy:
Children will be dismissed from school only to the child's parent(s) or guardian(s) or to a person who is designated in writing to receive the child.​
Independence:
Independence in young children is a necessary part of development of important skills. Because of this, we encourage parents to support your child's classroom experiences by allowing him / her to practice these things at home:
* Fasten clothing.
*Use the restroom independently. We ask that you send your child to school in clothing that he / she can pull up and down independently. And yes, it's time, your child will be expected to wipe his / her own behind.
* Bathroom manners are important too. Flushing, wiping, and handwashing are required at school and should be practiced at home.
* Children should be encouraged to blow their noses independently with a tissue.
* It is important to cover ones mouth when coughing and sneezing.
* Please encourage your child to keep their hands and toys out of their mouths and their fingers out of their noses. This is how viruses are spread.
Discipline:
Our program exercises assertive discipline techniques. Children are told when they are performing well and when they are behaving appropriately. We will accompany praise with physical contact such as hugging, patting, etc. Praising children is one way of teaching them good behavior.
At times, however, children continue to disregard classroom expectations. They will learn that undesirable behaviors result in "time out". Only teachers and paraprofessionals can place a child in time out. Parents within the classroom are not allowed to place children, even their own, into time out in the classroom. We do not allow any physical use of discipline in our classroom.
Absences:
Absence From School:
Children with a continual runny nose or cough should not come to school. If your child becomes ill at school, we will use the information that you provide on the emergency form to contact you. Children must be fever free, have been free form active diahrrea, and/or have not vomited for 24 hours before returning to school.
​
Notify classroom staff of the absence by texting Miss Kathy's Class through the Remind app or call the school at 618-375-7214, extension 203, as soon as possible to let us know that your child will not be attending school. It is ok to call this number in the night. Office workers will retrieve it before school begins the next day. If your child is home sick for a day or two, it will not be necessary to provide a doctor's excuse; however, excessive absences without a doctor's excuse or failure to comply with district attendance policies will result in notification of exclusion from our program.​​​​ ​​​
​
​
​
Visitors:
Visits to the pre-k classroom by parents, other adult residents of our community, and interested educators are welcomed and encouraged. However, to protect the educational process from undue disturbances, we ask that those persons who are not parents or guardians of program participants and who wish to visit the facility, make advance arrangements through the elementary school office. For safety reasons, we must insist that all visitors, including parents, report to the office to receive a visitor's badge before coming to our classroom.
Just So You Know:
*Fire and tornado drills will be conducted throughout the school year.
*Please mark your child's name on his / her coat and backpack with a permanent marker . If you don't have one you can borrow one from the classroom.
*Field trips will be planned for our students and their parents or guardians.
* Speech, occupational, and physical therapy is provided by our district. If a staff member suspects that your child could benefit from such services, written parental permission will be requested prior to any testing.
* If you have a complaint, please talk with us about it. We want this experience to be great fun for your child and for your family.
* Please send your child to school in play clothes. We get messy in Pre-k and we certainly don't want to ruin anything that is important to you.
* Hearing and vision tests will be administered periodically to our students. Parents will be notified only if a problem is detected.
*When selecting a backpack for your child to bring to school, please make sure you select one that is traditionally sized. Your child will place their coats inside of it daily during the winter months to maintain a barrier between their coats and other children's coats. This greatly reduces the spreading of germs and head lice.
​​​​
Other Information:
***Notes to school should be inserted in your child's daily folder.
**A folder will be provided for each student. This folder is considered to be each student's responsibility and is expected to come to school with each child on a daily basis. Please make sure that your child has his / her folder with them every day.
**Please do not send toys to school with your child. Our classroom contains many toys which makes it impossible to keep track of toys that come from home. Books are welcomed at school. Please make sure that your child's name is clearly written on it to eliminate confusion when returning items home.