It's almost here..the first day of school. I know that many children are excited and ready to go to school, while others are hesitant and don't want too many surprises. No matter how your child feels about the first day of school, know that I am here for them to help them have a wonderful first grade experience. Below is what to expect on the first day.
One great idea is to talk with your child about the first day routine so there aren't too many surprises! I will be outside by the buses holding a sign with my name on it. The children are to come get into a line behind the sign. If your child rides the bus, have him or her look for me with my sign. If you are dropping your child off, have him or her walk out back by the buses and look for me.
You may walk them out back the first two days of school. After that, the children will walk to the classrooms by themselves. You may stand by the main stairwell and watch them walk down the hall if you would like. If at any point throughout the school year you would like to speak with me, please send a note with your child, email me or leave me a message to set up an appointment. It is too busy at the beginning of the day to conference with parents and the children really need our attention.
We will walk the children to the classroom and show them their desks. At that time, they will empty their backpacks and then we will take them to their lockers. This is how the daily routine will go for the first two days.
Be sure to have a name tag on your child with his or her first and last name, teacher's name, bus number or pick-up or kids kare written on it. Please also be sure to label all of your child's clothes and items that belong to them.
If your child has reservations about starting school, a great way to reduce anxiety is to send a picture of the family for your child to hang in his or her locker (please also send a magnet). The children love to look at the picture when they are feeling homesick! Also, please tell your child not to worry about staying all day and eating lunch in the cafeteria as I will be eating with them the first week of school!
Please keep in mind our school policy of leaving personal belongings such as toys, stuffed animals, etc. at home. We would feel awful if something were to happen to your child's special "security" item at school.
We will have a great first day! Our classroom theme this year is the "Furry Friends" (also known as cute little monsters)! Please feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions. I'm sure things will run smoothly as we are in the same classroom with almost the entire same class as last year:-)
