Week of 8/22

Dear Parents,

It was great meeting you at our Kindergarten Orientation, and we are looking forward to a fantastic year together!

This e-mail will serve as a test.  Please reply to me so that I know that you've received it.  If you'd like to add any other e-mail addresses to our distribution list, please send me those addresses as well.  As mentioned at orientation, we do nearly all of our communication via e-mail, so please provide an e-mail address that you check frequently.  We have found that e-mail is a much more reliable method to ensure that you are receiving our communications, as kindergartners often tend to lose things between school and home, especially if they are making a day care stop in between :)

On Monday, Mrs. Sheikh and I will both be there all day with your children.  Starting Tuesday, we will begin our typical schedule (Mrs. Grist=M, T, every other W.  Mrs. Sheikh=every other W, Th, F) so only I will be at school, and I will be there on Wednesday as well.  Hopefully, you all had time to review the letter we gave you on Friday explaining the benefits of the shared contract.  You will find that you are getting more than 50% from each of us, which is definitely a plus for your children!

I typically send out an e-mail on Sunday each week so that you know what's going on for the week.  You can also check our website for further information:
http://altavista.unionsd.org/home/Classroom+Pages/Kindergarten/Mrs.+Grist+and+Mrs.+Sheikh
The calendar tab on the left-hand side is particularly helpful.  We put all "big" events on our calendar, and we also have the sharing topic for the week posted there as well.  Sharing doesn't begin for a few more weeks, but you can find some information about sharing by clicking the "sharing" tab.  I have updated that link to include which day is your child's sharing day.

For tomorrow:

• Please arrive on time and have your child ready to enter the classroom at 8:05
• Please say goodbye to your children at the door, rather than following them into the classroom and prolonging the goodbyes.  We will both be there to comfort any children who need an extra hug!
• Pack a healthy snack for your child that includes a drink.
• We do like your children to have a small backpack.  Although it may often come home empty (except on Wednesdays!), we often do have a project here and there that we send home during the week.  Having a backpack gets the children in an early habit of taking responsibility for their things and putting them all in one place.
• All supplies are provided for your children, but we do have a list on our web page of optional donations.

This week in class will of course be all about procedures and getting to know the children.  We will be reading the story of the "Gingerbread Man" and decorating some gingerbread cookies of our own.  In years past, those gingerbread cookies have run away and so we have to go on a hunt around the school looking for them!  This is our way of familiarizing your children with the campus, and it is an extremely memorable event for the children-- look forward to them coming home and talking all about the gingerbread cookies later this week.  We will also be enjoying the story, "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and doing some fun art projects that go along with that.

Back-to-School Night is on September 1st at 6:00 p.m., followed by a Home & School Club meeting in the school cafeteria at 6:45.  Please be sure to attend both meetings, as we have a lot of information to cover to familiarize you with our classroom program and all of the wonderful programs at our school provided by funding & support from our Home & School Club. 

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning!  Again, please e-mail me back with a confirmation that I've entered your e-mail address correctly, and please feel free to e-mail any questions you may have or add any additional e-mail addresses that you'd like.

Sincerely,
Nikki Grist & Michele Sheikh