St. Martin's Episcopal School - Pre-1st Mrs. Igleheart Overview

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Spotlight is on Walker Flint

Yeah!! Our spotlight is shining on Walker Flint, who is a new student this year at SMES. He always has a big smile on his face and is a great friend and super student. All week long he has brought fascinating things to share with us. On Friday, the word is that we will celebrate his Spotlight with a special ice cream treat from Bruster'! Yum Yum. What a perfect way to wind up a wonderful week "full of Walker."

Thank You to our Parent Volunteers

What would we do without our great Moms and Dads helping us in our classrooms and schools!! Your role here at SMES is critical to our success day by day, and we thank you so much.

Kudos to Marie Humphrey for voluteering to serve as our Rep on the EC Parents' Council. Also, many thanks to Laurie McCarthy and Kris Cannata for the time and work they put in as Room Moms through the PTO.

WE APPRECIATE YOU!!

Author Study on Nancy Tafuri

Nancy Tafuri has written some beautiful books for young children. She is both author and illustrator, in fact, and there is a charm to the text and pictures that will warm the heart. Plus the text is simple, making the books ideal for young readers. Our class will enjoy seeing the consistency in her themes, art, and overall style from book to book. We will be reading at least a dozen of her works in the next few weeks. Ask your student about his or her favorites.

Individual Student Photos

Tuesday, September 16th is our day for individual student photos to be made. Make sure that your child brings his happiest smile to school that day. We are scheduled for 9:15 a.m.--that's before the cute pigtails fall down and stray hair acts up. Your child does not need to "dress up," but I am sure you will want to help pick out the outfit or shirt in order to get the best photo of your child!

Don't forget...most important is that big, happy smile!

Handwriting is FUN in Pre-First

This year we will continue to use Handwriting Without Tears. I call it "HAPPY HANDWRITING!" because I like to put that positive spin on things, and I just love the way it sounds! You will hear more about HWT at Back to School Night and at the K-Pre-lst coffee. I'll also update this spot with particular letter info as we go forward.

I ask that you continue to help your child at home master correct writing habits during this school year--correct strokes to form the letters and numerals, appropriate use of the lines, good spacing and visual planning. If this an area that is difficult for your son or daughter, it is even more critical to have extra chances to practice fine motor skills! Thank you!

Send a Snack Each and Every Day, Please

Each student needs to bring a snack every day of school. Students do not need to send any beverage, as we serve water to all students at snack time. We will look for all boys and girls to have theirs on our Early Dismissal days, too! Don't forget. Snack time is a fun and relaxing part of our school day.

Many thanks for sending in the snacks with your child's name written with a sharpie pen or otherwise labeled on the packaging.

My Contact Information

My email at school is tigleheart@stmartinschool.org. You may also call the school and leave a message for me in my voice mail. Call 404-237-4260 ext. 332 to reach me.

I believe that ongoing communication between parents and teachers allows us to act as strong partners, benefitting the six year old! I look forward to getting to know everyone better as we move through the next weeks.

Homework

Homework is going well. I am happy to report that the children seem to be returning it the very next day as requested. And I can tell that they are listening and looking as I model and explain, too, because they are completing it as directed.

THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS

The patterns you establish now regarding your child's homework can enormously benefit them through the year. As I said at Back to School Night, we want them to do the work. But we certainly want you to see their effort, be nearby to help if there is difficulty, and offer encouragement and praise.

Shoes, Shoes

Boy, those "crocs" are cute!! We know they are comfy for summer days, too. We must, however, put safety first at school and follow policies in place to promote safety. Please check your new handbook and note remarks there regarding footwear. We ask that children wear tennis shoes, especially on our Music and Movement days. We are up and down stairs each day, and busy having fun on the playground at recess, too. Tennis shoes allow for the safest usage of all of our grounds. Thank you for helping your child transition from summer days to safe school play with the proper footwear.

We would love to have parents join us for lunch!

We love knowing that you will want to joing your child one day for lunch at school. It's a great way to make your student feel very special and for you to connect with the class. We will need to spend the first weeks of school becoming accustomed to our lunch routines and settling in, so the Kindergarten and Pre-First parents are asked to wait until after October lst to plan to join us. We will then be ready to welcome you with our very best lunchroom manners and big smiles!!

Once we hit that time frame, please touch base with me about when you would like to join us for lunch. We have a limited amount of space at our tables, and it really works best if we have a heads up before plans are firmed up. Just email me, and we will go from there! Can't wait.....by the way, SMES has the BEST lunches around!

We begin serving lunch at 10:50 and wind things up by 11:25. You may remember from last year that our group has quiet visiting time during lunch and also several minutes of "silent lunch" which allows the students to focus and actually eat their nutritious meal. We ask for your cooperation during this time......our kids really need their tummies refueled to maintain energy for the rest of our day!

We look forward to having you share lunch with your six year old. You may join us in the room at 10:45 to walk down, or meet us in the lobby outside the Commons.

Book Orders......Just a Note

Please remember that my note to you regarding book orders from Scholastic Book Clubs stated that ordering is completely optional. Please do not feel that you need to order....participation is for each family to decide as these forms come home. Sometimes we have 3 children ordering from a form, sometimes 8 or 9. I have never had every single child order from a particular form, so do not worry that if you don't want to order that your child will be the only one not receiving books. That is not the case. Just order when it suits you.

When you do choose to order, remember to send the check and order form back to school by the Friday of the week they are sent home. I will process them over the weekend and call in the order. It takes between 7-10 days to get the books from that point in time.

It is a GREAT day when our new books arrive!!!

Library News

All of us will love going to the Library each MONDAY this year. Please remind your Pre-Firster to read and enjoy their book during the week and over the weekend. Make sure it is returned Monday morning so that they may check out another book that day. It is pretty disappointing not to be able to check out a book when all of your friends are......

We want to help our children become responsible for returning all things to school in a timely fashion. Communicate with your student on Sunday about packing their book that evening, rather than waiting for the morning rush. This will make your Monday morning smoother and will help to ensure that your child has the fun of getting a new library book each week!

When children are just six, it is the parent who must take the lead and teach the child, reminding gently and choosing language that encourages "remembering and doing."

If a library book is not turned in on Wednesday, the student may choose a new one, and the librarians will hold it for them until the next day. Then if their book is returned on Thursday, that new selection is sent home until our regularly scheduled visit to the library. Info from the Library and Media Center will be coming home soon...it's going to be a busy, exciting year for our St. Martin's Library. Keep posted on the developments...

Morning Arrival

There's nothing sweeter than seeing those bright smiles coming through our door each morning. Arriving at school on time is of tremendous importance. You can imagine that it is hard to come late into the classroom with work and play underway when you are just six years old.....but then you still have all of the routine settling in things to do. Turn in homework, sign up for lunch drink, put snack in basket, fill in attendance chart pocket, etc. It is a busy time! Our youngsters want and deserve the chance to start on time and have a relaxed beginning to the day. We love to greet the children warmly and chat as we help them take care of the morning routines. Everyone is happiest and able to do their best during the day if they arrive in a timely fashion. Thank you so much for showing respect to the teachers, other students in the class, and your own child by making sure that you arrive promptly each day. We appreciate your help on this critical component of each school day!!

The Best Beginnining

I can't overemphasize the importance of how we begin our year together--we will set up routines and establish the tone that will carry us through with greater ease and success at every step!

One of the most significant things you can do is to make sure your child has a proper start each morning of the school week. There are several components to this:

1. Make the "wake up" routine as happy and cheerful as it can be!
2. Plan for enough time that your child does not have to rush, rush, rush!
3. Make sure your student eats a full nutritious breakfast before you leave home! This fuel is critical for their comfort and energy during our morning work and play.
4. Supervise teeth brushing each morning with your child. Teach the proper method and length of time for oral health and freshness.
5. Please help your child stop for a moment and think through their responsibilities for the day.......Is their homework in the backpack to return to school? Is their library book packed if it is library day? Is the snack labeled with your child's name and in the bookbag? Are any special dismissal notes or other communication for the teacher placed where the child will see it and remember to give it to us?

Big Hint for Less Stress:
Many parents, obviously, prefer to go through this backpack/bookbag routine the evening before--it can save a lot of worry and scurry if it is handled each night before bedtime. When a child is only six, they need and deserve help with these many responsibilities. We all want to build maturity and a sense of responsibility in them, but should not be expected to handle all of this on their own. Please let them watch you and hear you talk your way through all of this thinking and organizing, and they will begin to understand and internalize some of it, bit by bit. Thank you for being positive and encouraging as you get them organized for each day!

6. Finally, please arrive at school in plenty of time so that your child is not rushing in frantically at the last second. More on that in another note.....

I hope these tips and reminders come in handy. We do see the difference in the classroom, that is for sure!

Calendar Musts

Keep that school calendar handy! Every week has something wonderful to offer us and you'll want to keep track of which day is which!

Don't forget to send books back!

It is very important for your child to bring his workbooks, reading books, journals, etc. back to school the very next day after homework is assigned. If the book remains at home----well, that makes it very hard for the child to participate fully in any lesson planned for that subject at school the next day. It does cause difficulty.

Many thanks to you for making sure that things that need to come to school are packed right and brought at the appropriate time. Your helpfulness and consideration is greatly appreciated.

Very Important!! Return Homework Workbooks On Time

Moms and Dads, I do need your help! When your child brings a phonics workbook, journal, etc. home for their homework, it is immensely important that they return to school with it the very next day! We often work in these the day after the homework assignment, and it causes real difficulties if the student's workbook is not here. I'm sure that you can understand. Please discuss this with your son or daughter and help them as they develop maturity and responsibility in this regard, but know that I need for the parents to ultimately make sure it is returned to school for use the very next day. Thank you in advance for your help.

Becoming a "Family"

Nothing is more exciting to me than realizing I have the nine months ahead to teach this group of bright, sweet children! We are, in a sense, a new family forming day by day! In the beginning, we will have a strong focus on building a positive environment where good relationships can grow. As teachers, we'll be encouraging your children to show kindness to others, to work hard at doing their best, to use good listening skills and to follow directions. These school behaviors are critical during lessons in the classroom, in the lunchroom, on the playground, and everywhere else we learn and grow at school. I urge you to talk with your son or daughter about these values and why they are so important. The power of your influence and support cannot be overstated!

Little Reminders

Just a few words:
Shoes: Students should wear tennis shoes on all Music and Movement class days each week. Everyday they should wear shoes that are comfortable and safe, as we run and play outside on the playground almost every day. Sandals are rather tricky on our playground, partially due to the pine bark ground cover. Tennis shoe type shoes with socks are really the best bet! Safety and comfort are key!

Snacks: Please remember to label your child's snack with your student's name each day, using a "Sharpie" or similar permanent marker that will stay visible on the wrapper, bag, etc. Each morning, your child will bring his or her snack into the classroom and put it in our class snack basket. We need names on the outside, please. This will help us avoid confusion at snack time. It is amazing how sometimes the snacks are similar enough to be confused at distribution time, and we don't want any mixups!

Sweaters: You may want to send a sweatshirt or light sweater for your student to keep in his/her cubbie at school. There are times when the room temperature can seem a bit chilly, and we do want everyone to be comfortable.

Labeling: Make sure you mark all outer wear with your child's name. This is critical all year long!