Welcome to Kindergarten! I am very excited to work with all of you throughout the year. This will be my second year at Harwinton Consolidated School, and I am sure that this school year will be just as rewarding as the last.

This year I will put “Miss Bessette’s Kindergarten Friday Letter” on my Wiki page in an effort to “go green.” The letter will detail events that have happened throughout the week. In addition, the letter will inform you of important upcoming dates and any changes in our schedule. Please be sure to check this letter online every Friday.

Here are a few notes to get things started:

Behavior Management: Color system
The behavior system we will be using in class is a color system. The colors are green, blue, yellow, and red. All children will start on green each day. The color system not only encourages the children to think before they act, but also encourages the children to treat one another kindly. Students are expected to follow the guidelines for earning a Husky High Five: respecting others, self, and property, being safe, following school rules, and being healthy.

If a student stays on green all week, he/she will be rewarded with a Husky High Five. After 15, 25, 35, and 50 Husky High Fives, kindergarteners are recognized by Mrs. Dodd and Mrs. Mazzei and are given a prize.

If the student moves to blue, he/she will receive a warning.

If the student moves to yellow, he/she will have an opportunity to sit and work at the “think and relax” desk.

If the student moves to red, he/she will receive a call/email home.

Husky High Fives: Husky High Fives will be given to students who not only stay on green all week, but who also go above and beyond in their daily behavior and actions. High Fives can be earned on the bus, in specials, in bus line, or any other time a student is caught doing something great!

Bus tags: Each student will have a nametag that lists his/her name and bus number. I will also give the students a yellow bus band that lists the child’s bus number as well. I ask that you please send your child with this tag for the first few weeks of school to avoid any confusion at dismissal.

Folders: Every student will be given a communication folder to bring to and from home and school every day. Important notices will go home in the folder, as well as any completed work. You can also send notes from home in this folder, as I will check them every morning (or afternoon for PM). Please be sure that the folder comes to school every day. No notices will be sent home without a folder.

Homework/Reading bags: Students will be given a reading bag to bring home every day. The bag will have a different short book to read every day. Please be sure that this reading bag comes back to school each day. It is extremely important that the children are reading every night. Reading at home will enforce the reading skills we practice in class. I encourage you to ask your students what strategy they are working on in reading, and show you how they use it.

In addition to the reading bag, homework packets will be sent home at the beginning of the week (usually Monday unless we have a vacation day) and will be due at the end of the week (Friday). Homework will typically be math or literacy related and will reinforce concepts that have been covered in class.


Parent Volunteers:
I thank all of your who will volunteer throughout the year in our class. I will make a schedule according to your preferences and send the schedule home with your child at the beginning of the month. If you are unable to volunteer on your scheduled day, please just jot me a note or email stating that you will not be here.

In order to establish routines and independence in the first month of school, I would like volunteers to start at the beginning of October.
The first volunteer schedule will go home the last week of September.


Snack: Please send your child with a healthy snack each day. I ask that you do not send anything containing peanuts due to allergies. Water bottles can also be sent in, but I ask that you do not send juice, as it is sticky.

Some healthy ideas:
Popcorn
Fruit
Vegetables
Granola bars


Mystery Bag: Each night a different student will bring home the mystery bag. This bag will give the students a chance to bring in an item that is important to them (kind of like show and tell, with a twist). I ask that you and your child think of three (3) clues to share with the class. The class will use these clues to guess what is in the mystery bag. Be creative and have fun with this activity!


If you have any questions throughout the year you can always contact me by email or phone.

Bessettea@region10ct.org

Phone: 860.485.9029 ext. 2147

Let’s get ready for a great school year!
Miss Bessette