HMS Kindergarten Handbook

Dear Parents:

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to our Kindergarten program at Harold Martin School.  You will find our school and teachers to be warm, inviting and eager to accept your child as part of our community.  At Harold Martin School your child will gain many academic and social skills that will provide a foundation for years to come. I invite you to attend our  PTA meetings, volunteer within our school, and become involved with all that is happening at Harold Martin School.

We consider parents to be an integral part of our school family. I hope this handbook will answer many of your questions concerning your child’s first year at HMS.  If you have further questions or concerns, feel free to contact one of our kindergarten teachers or myself. We also have much more information on our web site. I trust that you and your child will have a wonderful Kindergarten year.  Let me know how I can help in any way.

Sincerely,

William V. Carozza Principal

Welcome to Harold Martin School

The big day is here…your child’s first day of kindergarten! We look forward to having your child in school and working together with you as partners in education.  Starting school is exciting for children.  They’ve heard about it from parents, siblings and friends, and now they’re finally going to school! At school we will further develop your child’s ability to:

• Listen
• Exercise control
• Work cooperatively with others
• Respect adult authority
• Appreciate art and music
• Work with letters and numbers
• Develop fine motor and gross motor coordination

What your child needs for school:

• A good sized backpack is a “lifeline” between home and school.  Check your child’s Home to School folder every day for newsletters and notes that keep you informed about school events.   Please put notes to the teacher in the “school” side.
• Jackets, sweatshirts, snow pants, hats and boots need to be labeled with your child’s name.
• Please keep toys at home.  We provide a classroom full of educational material for your child to explore.  If a small toy would help make the bus ride to and from school enjoyable, feel free to pack one.  (It will stay in the backpack during school.)  A  souvenir, nature find, or homemade project is welcome to be shown in class.

School Cancellation

• For inclement weather and any other reasons, school cancellations  and delayed openings will be broadcast on local radio station, the HMS Email List and Channel 9 television.
• On any delayed opening day, there will be no AM kindergarten.
• Check the school calendar for vacations, workshop days and holidays. Click here for the school calendar.
• When there is an early release day, there is no PM kindergarten. The morning kindergarten will dismiss at Noon.

School Health Policy

All medication should be brought to the nurse’s office, not sent on the bus.  It should be labeled with: student’s name, what the medicine is, dosage and time schedule, doctor’s name, and parent/guardian’s signature. If you wish your child to have over-the-counter drugs (Motrin or Tylenol), parental permission is necessary by either a note or a phone call. If students feel ill, they should ask their teacher to go to the nurse’s office, and if necessary, parents will be notified.  The school nurse offers basic first aid treatment in case of illness or injury.  Parents are always contacted if the injury is serious. It is imperative that the school has current information concerning home phone, work phone and address.  Please keep your emergency information up to date throughout the school year. If your child is going to be absent from school or tardy, please call the subline, 746-4030, and leave a message on the recorder.

Encouraging Helpful Habits

At home you can encourage helpful habits such as:

• Picking up playthings to develop responsibility and organizational skills
• Working with others to develop social skills
• Learning to listen and follow directions
• Doing simple chores to develop responsibility and reliability
• Getting dressed alone to develop independence

To help start each school day right, please be sure your child:

• Has a good night’s sleep.  (Children in kindergarten usually need 10 – 12 hours of sleep each night.)
• Eats a good breakfast.
• Dresses for the weather. ( Listen to the weather forecast before school.  Choose appropriate outdoor clothing and dress your child in layers in case the weather changes.)
• Arrives on time.

The Kindergarten Day

AM Kindergarten: 8:00 – 11:20 AM

PM Kindergarten: 11:20 – 2:35 PM

VISITORS: All visitors and parents are required to use the front door by the main entrance, opposite the flagpole.   Visitors need to sign in at the main office and pick up a “visitor” pass.  For safety and security reasons all other doors are locked.

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL: If you drive your child to school for the AM or PM session, please use the “Drop off” spot in the parking lot.  You may park your car and walk your child to the playground. or if class has started to the office. Parents are respectfully asked not to walk students to classrooms.

SNACKS: Please send a nutritious snack with your child every day.  The classroom has a cracker jar for the days when someone forgets a snack.  Contributions are appreciated throughout the year.  Favorites in school are: Graham Crackers, Animal Crackers, Goldfish and Pretzels. Children can bring their own drinks for snack, or order milk or juice at school.  Milk for kindergarten students is 5 cents a day,  Apple juice and  orange juice cost 40 cents a day.  Milk choices are: 1% and 2% milk, skim milk and chocolate milk.  We encourage parents to pay for snack drinks for the year:  milk = $9.00 or juice = $72.00. Approximate snack times:  AM – 9:15 and PM – 1:00

VOLUNTEERS: Parent volunteers are welcome in classrooms, in the school’s Publishing Center, the library, as well as on field trips.  Please let the teachers know if you are interested. When you volunteer, please make child care arrangements if you have younger children at home—thank you.

In order to be fair to all of our children, we ask you to do not send invitations to parties through school.

BOOK ORDERS and software orders are sent home monthly. If you choose to order,  please send a check payable to the specific book club—not cash.

SPECIAL CLASSES: Kindergartners have Music, Art, and Physical Education once a week.  (Students need sneakers for PE class.) You will receive a specials schedule at the beginning of the year.  Kindergartners also have Listening Groups, Computer Lab, and Second Step.

PICK UP: If you need to pick up your child early, please go to the main office and Mrs. Wilder, Administrative Assistant, will call the classroom to dismiss your child. If you are picking up your child at 11:20, the class will meet you at the bus lines on the main entrance sidewalk.  At 2:35 students will be dismissed from the preschool room.  The back doors will be unlocked at 2:30 so you can come in to sign your child out. A note is necessary when there is a change in dismissal routine.  For last minute changes please call the office.  There can be no change in dismissal routine without a note or phone call. When AM kindergartners are bused home mid-day, the bus driver will not drop them off at a house that appears to be empty.  To assure safety, the student will be returned to the school.

COMMUNICATION: We believe that communication between school and home is crucial to your kindergartner’s success: Feel free to call or email the teachers or Principal when you have a question. Our phone number is 746-3473.  If you call the school and the answering machine picks up, it only means the other lines are in use.  Please leave a message or call back in a few minutes. Our emails are: dblanchard@hopkintonschools.org,  sduval@hopkintonschools.org, and  bcarozza@hopkintonschools.org.  Hopkinton has a PTA, which meets monthly and represents the entire school district. Every Friday, Harold Martin School publishes the Parent Flash, which relates important school news. The AM session receives their Parent Flash the following Monday.  In addition, the Flash is sent out to every member of the HMS News Listserv once a week. Listserv members also receive regular reminders of important events, minutes of our PAC and PTA meetings, monthly lunch menus and announcements of school delays and closings. Click here to sign up.

IMPORTANT STAFF WORKING WITH YOUR KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

William  Carozza: Principal

Betsy Wilder: Office Manager

Sheila Conley: School Nurse

Dott. Blanchard: Kindergarten Teacher

Sara Duval: Kindergarten Teacher

Karen Pond: Technology Integrator

Jackie Kleiner: School Guidance Counselor

Kim Emerson: Art Teacher

Edna Marie Griffin: Music Teacher

Ed Girzone: Physical Education Teacher

Nancy Alibrandi: Library Media Specialist

Chris Dinan: Speech/Language Pathologist

Wanda Hebert: Speech Assistant

Sally Codd: Learning Abilities Specialist

Bonnie McAuliffe: Learning Abilities Specialist

Liz Cannon: Reading Specialist

Deidre Smith: Reading Specialist

Laura Messenger: Reading Teacher

Sally Turcotte: Reading Recovery Teacher

(Each staff member has email with this formula first letter of first name combined with last name@hopkintonschools.org. So, Tom Brady is tbrady@hopkintonschools.org. (We don’t have individual links due to spamming potential).