KINDERGARTEN POLICIES, PROCEEDURES & OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Welcome to kindergarten at Riverside Elementary! I look forward to teaching your child and helping he/she grow socially and learn academically in a fun, caring environment. I am excited about working with you the parent in the upcoming school year and helping your child prepare for the future.
On this web page you will find information on policies and procedures at our school. Please read this information carefully and keep it handy throughout the year.
Arrival : Our classroom doors open at 7:50 A.M. Children who arrive before 7:50 should go directly to the cafeteria where a teacher will be on duty beginning at 7:40. Children are not to arrive before 7:40 or stand by the classroom door before 7:50 as supervision is not provided. All children should be in class by 8:00 so that they can prepare for the start of the day.
If you walk your child to our classroom door during the first few weeks of school, please say good-bye to your child outside our door. After a few weeks of school, parents are asked to allow students to walk to the room by themselves. You will be surprised to see how quickly they become independent as they learn their way around our school!
Tardy Bell: The tardy bell rings at 8:05. If your child arrives after 8:05, you will need to take your child to the office to sign him/her in before he/she goes to the classroom. Caddo Parish School Board has a progression of consequences for students who are continually tardy.
Afternoon Dismissal: Kindergarten children dismiss at 2:45, ahead of the older students. At 2:45 we will walk all kindergarten children to the front of the school and will meet you at the front. (School regulations state that parents should not go to individual classroom doors, but should wait at the front of the school.) At the front, children have assigned places to go, depending on the type of transportation they will take. “Car” children will wait with a duty teacher on the side of the covered area. Please do not get out of your car to get your child. They will be escorted to their car by a duty teacher. This will make the car lane move faster. I will be supervising the bus and daycare children to get them to their correct rides.
**Please tell older siblings to meet kindergarteners at the FRONT of the school, NOT at our room, as this causes confusion and makes us late getting to the front.
Children walking home or whose parents are walking up to meet them, must wait for a teacher to walk them across the car lane before they can leave. Parents must wait for children in the designated area across from the car lane.
Cafeteria/Lunch Money: Breakfast is served from 7:45-8:00 Cost is $1.00 ($.30 reduced)
Meleton lunch time 10:55 – 11:20 Cost is $1.60 ($.40 reduced)
Visitors cost is $3.90
You can set up an account to pay by debit or credit card at mylunchmoney.com.
Lunch money must be sent in an envelope labeled LUNCH MONEY with your child’s FIRST and LAST name, MELETON, and the amount enclosed. DO NOT SEND MONEY WITHOUT AN ENVELOPE. The cafeteria is not allowed to accept checks: CASH ONLY. Money should be sent on Monday for at least one week at a time, not daily.
Lunchboxes: If your child will be bringing a lunch from home, please follow these procedures as needed. Food should not have to be refrigerated or warmed. Food with hard-to-open wrappers for little hands or fruit which requires peeling should be prepared at home so that your child can handle his/her food easily and independently. Please have your child’s name on the lunch box or paper bag. Please pack nutritional foods without an overabundance of sugar so your child has the best foods to help him/her have a successful learning experience each day
Drinks: Your child may purchase milk (white or chocolate), juice or water, from the cafeteria. If you wish to send something else to drink, boxed drinks or the twist-off caps are items young children can manage on their own. Please do not send carbonated drinks such as Coke, etc.
Any leftover food in opened containers will be disposed of before leaving the cafeteria in order to avoid ants and roaches getting into our classroom.
Other Money: PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD BRING OTHER MONEY TO SCHOOL. Exceptions would be to purchase items sold by the school or PTA, such as school t-shirts, Pizza by the Slice, popsicles, etc. ALL MONEY SHOULD BE SENT IN AN ENVELOPE WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME AND WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR WRITTEN ON THE OUTSIDE AND THE ORDER FORM FILLED OUT (if applicable) ALONG WITH THE MONEY ENCLOSED. Separate envelopes should be used for different items.
Clothing: Riverside students wear uniforms. The uniform memo answers questions about the correct colors, plaids, etc. and the approved locations which sell the uniform items. Pants should not have any decorations on them. Cargo pants are not uniform pants. Our khaki color is the brown khaki, not the whiter wheat khaki. Sweaters are to be white or navy blue and a basic cardigan style. Jackets and coats are to be basic navy blue with no other color or decorations on them. Theses are available at uniform stores.
When wearing pants, children are to wear a uniform belt every day if there are belt loops. Shirts are to be tucked in. Please help your child learn how to tuck in his/her shirt, button/snap pants, zip zippers, and fasten the belt. This will be a continuing learning process, but they will be able to do it as time goes on.
When young girls wear skirts, they are not always aware of being modest. For this reason, girls should wear shorts under their skirts or tights (when seasonally appropriate). Leggings are not permitted in the dress code.
*For emergencies, each child should keep a complete change of clothes (including underwear and socks) at school. The clothing should be in a gallon zip lock bag labeled with the student's name, so that soiled clothes can be returned home in the bag without soiling the contents of your child’s backpack. A fresh change of clothes should be returned the next day.
PLEASE BE SURE TO WRITE/OR SEW YOUR CHILD’S NAME IN ALL CLOTHING, ESPECIALLY SWEATERS, JACKETS, COATS, AND SWEATSHIRTS. These uniform items can get lost easily, and they all look alike.
Restmats/Beach Towels/Stuffed Animals for Nap: Your child may bring a beach towel to cover up with at naptime. Please label. As our storage space is very limited, please do not send pillows, afghans, blankets or covers for restmats. A small stuffed animal to hug during naptime is OK.
Attendance/Tardies/Illness/Absentee Excuses: As kindergarten lessons build the foundation for first grade, it is important for your child to be at school each day and on time. Repeated tardies carry consequences which have been initiated by our School Board.
If your child is running a fever or has a contagious illness, he/she is required to stay home even if medication brings the fever down. If you suspect that your child has pink eye, please begin treatment before sending him/her to school. Each parent must be responsible in helping us to keep germs from spreading to both children and adults at school.
After a child has been absent, if there is no doctor’s excuse, please send a written excuse giving the reason for missing school. In order for the absence to be excused, you must send a doctor’s excuse.
Checking In/Checking Out: If your child arrives at school after 8:05, you will need to take him/her to the office and sign him/her in. Your child will be given a tardy slip to admit him/her to class.
If your child will check out of school during the day, or if your family will be out of town during the school week, please send me a note beforehand. If not notified of checking out early, there may be a delay in sending your child to the front in order to prepare his homework folder, etc.
Please wait in the office. I will send your child to the front with a friend.**It is school policy that parents will not check children out between 2:30 and 3:00 P.M. to allow for a smooth dismissal at the end of the day.
Medicine: Teachers are not allowed to give medication (including coughdrops) to their students, nor are students to bring any kind of medication to self-medicate during the day. The office can administer medicine if you have an official form filled out by the doctor. The form and medicine are to be turned into the office where it will be recorded, or you may come to the school to administer the medicine to your child.
Personal Items/Toys: Please keep toys and other non-school items at home unless a specific note comes home requesting that your child bring something for a school activity. Backpacks should only contain notebooks, homework folders, library books, jackets, etc. which pertain directly to our classroom and school activities.
Backpacks/Book Bags: Every child needs to have a backpack WITHOUT WHEELS (labeled with name) to bring to school EVERY DAY. I will be sending homework/behavior folders with notes, graded papers, announcements, etc. which need to go home and be returned in a secure manner. Please help your child by checking the backpack each day and being sure it comes to school each day.
Birthdays/Invitations: We enjoy recognizing birthdays at school by singing Happy Birthday and giving the child a birthday hat on his/her special day. Your child may wish to celebrate with his school friends by bringing a simple treat to share at snack time, such as decorated cookies, doughnuts, or Little Debbie cakes which can be passed out quickly at recess. (No cakes, cupcakes or party accessories, please) Please send a note in advance if you will be sending a treat.
Invitations: Invitations may only be passed out at school if you are inviting everyone in the class to a party. If you will only be inviting a few special friends, the invitations will need to be mailed. Addresses may be obtained by purchasing the PTA school directory at our BACK-to-School Night or the first PTA meeting. Teachers are not allowed to provide a class list with addresses.
Conferences: We welcome your interest and want to work with you to provide your child the best kindergarten experience. The best way for this to happen is for us to communicate well. If you have a short question or need to tell me something, it works well for me to have a written note from you or you can email me at jmeleton@gmail.com. Our school policy does not allow for us to visit with parents during the children’s morning arrival, as emphasis is on welcoming the children into the classroom and helping them get settled for the day’s learning activities.
If you wish to check on your child’s academic progress or other concerns, you can request a conference by calling the school office, sending a note or email. I will contact you to arrange a day and time. Conferences can be scheduled during planning period or after school to give us adequate time for discussion.
Parents as Visitors to the School Campus: During the school year, there may be times when you will want to visit the school campus. It is necessary for the safety of our children that we know who is on campus. Please follow this procedure for security:
**Parents are to go directly to the office upon arrival on the school campus to sign in, (not to our classroom first). You will be given a visitor’s badge which is to be worn and visible. Please request that the office inform me that you are here and then proceed to our room.
Parent Helpers/Volunteers/PTA: During the year, there will be opportunities for parents to help with classroom needs, special holiday activities, and field trips as well as PTA activities. If you would like to help, you can fill out the volunteer information form on Back to School Night.
School Wide Special Events: Our school enjoys many special events such as Jeans Day, Pizza by the Slice, Crazy Hat Day, etc. Notes will be sent home to inform you of upcoming events. Also be sure to watch for the newsletters/calendars from the PTA which will keep you “in the know”.
I know that we will have a great year! You will be amazed at the growth your child will make both academically and in maturity, by the end of the kindergarten year. It is my mission and desire to be there to encourage, support, guide, challenge, and love your child as we move through this first year of “Big School”.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Meleton