TCISD Calvin Vincent Early Childhood Center An Orientation

TCISD Calvin Vincent Early Childhood Center An Orientation for Parents August 16, 2018

Our Goal Is… TEAMWORK For the child, parent, teachers and staff members to work together in a cooperative effort to enhance each child’s growth and development

Birthday Treats © Please check with your child’s teacher if you would like to bring a special treat on your child’s birthday. © Treats must arrive before 1: 15 to be served that day. If they arrive later, they will be served the following day. PPCD parents, please check with your child’s teacher for additional information © Treats must be prepackaged and purchased from a commercial vendor. We are not allowed to serve homemade treats to students. © We cannot accommodate birthday parties at school, so please do not bring hats, blowers, balloons, or gifts to the school.

Conferences © Parent conferences will be scheduled by each individual teacher. © Beginning the third day of school, students will be dropped off with a staff member at the front doors. However, if a parent chooses to sign in on any given morning, they are not allowed to stay in the classroom past the 8: 15 tardy bell unless they are signed in as a volunteer. © Teachers’ official conference time is 2: 30 -3: 30 on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. © Head Start parents will have two conferences in addition to the two home visits. Pre-K parents will have two conferences. © Conferences can be requested by the classroom teacher, parent, or administrator.

Curriculum © We utilize the Frog Street curriculum which is research based and developmentally appropriate for our students © Academics are integrated with: © © © © Gross motor development Fine motor development Receptive language Expressive language Perception Self-help Socialization Self regulation © We focus on educating the whole child

District Required Safety Drills © © Fire Drill: Once every month Duck & Cover: Once per semester Shelter-in-Place: Once per semester Lock-Down: Once per semester—District Sheriff Liaison is present during our Lock-Down drills

Dress Code © Please dress your child in comfortable clothing so that the torso (shoulders, back, and stomach) is covered. Please have girls wear shorts under dresses and skirts. Please ensure that your child is wearing underwear and socks with tennis shoes © Please do not send students to school wearing spaghetti straps, muscle shirts, or tank tops. Shoulders must be covered and clothing must fit appropriately. © Clothing must not portray profanity, reference to drugs or alcohol, or contain images that might frighten our students

Dress Code (Continued) © Tennis shoes, closed toe, or sandals with a back strap must be worn. Flipflops and cowboy boots are not allowed due to safety reasons. Students wearing flip-flops or cowboy boots will not be able to play on the playground or in the gross motor room and will participate in an alternate activity. © Please dress your child in clothing that they can remove without teacher assistance for toileting. Teachers are not going to enter the restroom to assist students with wiping after using the toilet. Please teach your child to do that for themselves. Flushable wipes will be available if needed. © Send an extra set of clothing including underwear and socks to be kept at school. Be sure to switch out as the weather changes and replace if used. Any school clothing that is loaned to your child must be washed and returned as soon as possible.

Email © Every staff member has an email address and can receive email from parents. © Teachers are not allowed to use email during the instructional day, so replies will be sent after school. © If you are emailing about having your child dismissed a different way, please call the front office instead so that the message can be relayed to the teacher in time.

Field Trips © Students will participate in a variety of field trips this year. © Each student will need to have a signed permission slip in order to attend. Please send forms back promptly. © All field trips are instructional in nature, so we are unable to hold students back because of behavior issues. © If your child has safety concerns regarding your child on field trips, you may be asked to accompany them. © Any parents or family members who volunteer as chaperones must have an approved background check on file. If there isn’t one on file, you will not be able to ride the bus or take a group of students alone, including your own child. These take several days to process, so please plan ahead.

Illnesses © Your child must be kept at home, or will be sent home from school, if any of the following are present: © A fever over 100 (When your child has been fever free for 24 hours without medication, they may return to school) © Fresh colds, yellow or green nasal discharge, or a continuous cough © Unexplained rashes © Weeping sores © Head lice (Will be checked by Nurse Bailey upon return to school) © Ringworms that are untreated and/or too large to cover © Earaches, draining ears © Red crusty eyelids and/or pink eye © Vomiting (Must stay home until they have no vomiting for a full day) © Diarrhea (Must stay home until they have no diarrhea for a full day) © When extremely irritable or out of sorts or feel too badly to participate in daily activities

Immunizations © A child cannot start school unless they have all required immunizations! Be prepared! Check with Nurse Bailey if unsure. © Boosters and new immunizations that are required after school starts will have a deadline. Please adhere to this date to prevent your child from being excluded from school until vaccines are completed.

Party Policies © We are allowed to have two parties per year; Christmas and End of Year. © Parties will take place the last hour of instruction (12: 45 -1: 45). PPCD parents, please check with your child’s teacher for times. © All classroom parties will take place on the same day. © All food brought in for parties must be commercially purchased and sealed. Homemade items are not allowed. © There will be two treat days this year; Halloween and Valentine’s Day. You may send a treat to school with your child on these days, but they will be sent home in each child’s backpack. Treats must be individually packaged and able to travel in a backpack.

Report Cards © Report Cards will be sent home every nine weeks © Teachers will report on-going progress during home visits and parent conferences. © You are welcome to contact your child’s teacher at any time to discuss your child’s progress.

Schedule © Each classroom schedule will vary, but will include the following: © © © © © Meet and greet in the classroom Breakfast in the cafeteria as a class family Circle time/large group instruction Small group instruction Read alouds Lunch in the cafeteria Learning centers Large motor activities at recess and in the gross motor room Closing circle/ preparation for dismissal © All students in our 3 year old classrooms will take a one hour nap each day. Please send a travel sized pillow and small blanket to school with your child to kept at school. A small stuffed animal may be brought from home, but must be left at school. We do not allow students to have pacifiers while at school. © A schedule will be hung outside each classroom after Labor Day.

School Phones © Each teacher has an individual phone number, but the phones do not ring during the instructional day. © If you call during the instructional day, you will receive the teacher’s voice mail box and may leave a message. © The messages will not be received by the teacher until after school hours at 2: 30. © If you have an urgent message for your child’s teacher, call the front office at 409 -916 -2312 EXT: 2311, 2313, or 2312 and leave a message.

Student Expectations © Students will be learning classroom expectations and procedures the first several weeks of school. © Numerous reminders and chances for practice will be given. © If students are continually disruptive and/or do not respond to learning opportunities, parents will be contacted. © Unacceptable behavior includes that which injures themselves and/or others around them, damages property, or causes a severe disruption in the learning environment. These students will be brought to the office and parents will be called. © Beginning in October, after our discipline workshop, communication journals will be sent home daily. Critical behaviors will result in a phone call from your child’s teacher.

Volunteers © All volunteers must have an approved criminal history check on file before being able to assist on campus. © Volunteers are essential to our program and are utilized in a variety of ways. © Your time as a volunteer directly benefits your child. © Volunteers could be asked to: Work in the classroom by reading stories, playing games, engaging in activities Assisting with playground supervision Helping monitor students in the cafeteria Pre-cut materials for class projects, staple and collate papers, make copies, change bulletin boards © Help with special events and activities on campus © © © Volunteers will need to attend an orientation training before working on campus.

First Day of School! August 20, 2018 Doors will open at 7: 45 Students are tardy after 8: 15 Dismissal Starts at 2: 15 All students must be dropped off and picked up at the classroom door by a parent or legal guardian with a government issued ID on the first day of school— Buses will not run until Tuesday