Important Information
Welcome to Southwood Valley Head Start
Room 501
Dear Parents,
We are so excited to begin the new 2017-2018 school year in Head Start. We look forward to having your family as part of our Head Start family.
Regular School Hours: 7:15 a.m. – 3:05 p.m.
First Day of Class: Tuesday, September 5th will begin our Head Start school year. The first three days (Sept. 5th, 6th, 7th) parents are welcome to walk their students to our portable classroom at 7:15 am without having to register at the front office. Please enter the building through the front doors and walk down the Kindergarten hall, exit through the playground doors and walk around the building to the portables. (Due to safety regulations parents may not walk students through the 3rd and 4th grade hallways.) All Head Start students must be with an adult at all times.
Our morning schedule begins at 7:15 – 7:45; car riders please follow the single car lane and stop where a school staff member may assist your child out of your vehicle. Do not get out of your vehicle, a Head Start/ Pre-K staff member will help your child to his or her class. If you arrive after 7:45 you will need to park, and sign in at the front office. Then you will need to walk your child the cafeteria and wait with your child for their class to arrive for breakfast. Head Start/Pre-K students must remain with an adult at all times. It is very important that your child arrives to school before 7:45 am.
Attendance: It is very important that your child attends school every day to keep them on a routine schedule.
Absence Due to Illness: If your child is sick, he/she must be free of symptoms (fever of 100.4 or above, vomiting, or diarrhea) for 24 hours before returning to school. Remember to send a note or a doctor’s excuse in your child’s weekly folder when he/she returns to school.
Early Pick-ups/Late Drop-offs: If you need to pick up our child early, you must bring an I.D. then go to the office first to sign him/her out. If your child is late to school, make sure to sign them in at the office. If your child will have a different means of transportation for the day, you must call the front office before 2:30 pm to make those arrangements.
Dismissal: Head Start dismisses at 2:50 – 3:15. All students MUST be picked up before 3:15 pm!! Please put your child’s name tag on the passenger side visor of your car. If the name tag gets lost or if you need more than one, you must inform your classroom teacher immediately.
Bus Riders: If your child is a bus rider, please remember to be at the bus stop every day; the bus driver cannot drop off your student unless you or an approved adult is present.
Meals: Students will receive breakfast, snack, and lunch that is provided by Head Start. Breakfast and lunch will be served in the cafeteria. PLEASE DO NOT SEND SNACKS OR TREATS TO SCHOOL unless it is a designated celebration.
Volunteers: Parents are encouraged to volunteer and make a difference in the lives of children. Parents must sign in at the office before coming to the classroom to volunteer. Visitors will not be admitted to the room without a visitor’s sticker from the office. This is a safety precaution. If you are interested in helping, please fill the volunteer form in our school district website. Here is the link http://www.csisd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=161705&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=335513
Nap time: Children will take a nap each day. Blankets and mats are provided for your child.
Please send an extra change of clothes to keep at school. Please put in a large Ziploc bag and label the clothes and bag with your child’s name.
Academic Program: Young children learn best through play. They do this by interacting with people and their environment. They are natural explorers! The students will learn skills outlined in our Head Start and Texas Pre-K guidelines, we will work on these skills throughout the day with activities using manipulatives, games, art, songs, and stories.
Our program requirements of instruction from the state of Texas can be found at www.tea.state.tx.us
Conscious Discipline: Conscious Discipline is the social and emotional classroom management program that is used by our district. Some of the main components that you will hear your child talk about are: school family, safety, safe place, noticing kindness, connecting with others in our school family, understanding emotions through feeling buddies, classroom jobs for each child, greeting in a special way, STAR (stop, take a deep breath, and relax), other calming techniques through breathing (balloon, drain and pretzel) and giving children positive choices
Birthdays: We will celebrate your child’s birthday at school. Head Start will provide a special birthday treat to share with the class. Please let us know if you would like to participate in any of the celebration activities. Please do not bring outside snacks for your child’s birthday. The district allows for 3 party days throughout the year where outside food can be brought in.
Assessment and Parent Conferences: We will assess your child throughout the year. After assessing your child we will share the results with you in our parent conferences which we will have during our school year. Also, there will be an end of year home visit to discuss your child’s progress and the upcoming school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us and we can set up more meetings as needed.
Folders: All important letters and children’s artwork will be sent home once a week in a Red folder on Mondays. There will be a weekly newsletter sent home in the folder to let you know about what we are doing in our classroom. Please remove the papers and send the empty folder back signed. You can always send a note back inside the folder, if you wish.
Question of the Week: Each week you will receive a question of the week to be completed with your child. This is an important time for you to participate in his/ her life and learning process.
“Read to Me Books”: We will start sending the “Read to Me” books home in on our 3rd week of school. Your child will bring one book home at a time in a special White folder. After you and your child have read and enjoyed the book, your child will complete the “read to me page” and return the book in the folder.
Toys: Please have your child keep all personal toys at home. They may get broken or misplaced. Toys from home are not allowed at school and will be taken up and returned at the end of the day.
Required Supplies: All students need a regular size backpack and a change of clothes.
No other supplies are needed.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Head Start Room 501
Southwood Valley Elementary (979) 764-5590
Head Start Office: (979) 764-5423
Wanda Mason (email): [email protected]
Oya Genceli (instructional assistant): [email protected]
***If you have any questions, please feel free to call, email or send us a note!
Thank you,
Ms. Mason, Mrs. Genceli
Welcome to Southwood Valley Head Start
Room 501
Dear Parents,
We are so excited to begin the new 2017-2018 school year in Head Start. We look forward to having your family as part of our Head Start family.
Regular School Hours: 7:15 a.m. – 3:05 p.m.
First Day of Class: Tuesday, September 5th will begin our Head Start school year. The first three days (Sept. 5th, 6th, 7th) parents are welcome to walk their students to our portable classroom at 7:15 am without having to register at the front office. Please enter the building through the front doors and walk down the Kindergarten hall, exit through the playground doors and walk around the building to the portables. (Due to safety regulations parents may not walk students through the 3rd and 4th grade hallways.) All Head Start students must be with an adult at all times.
Our morning schedule begins at 7:15 – 7:45; car riders please follow the single car lane and stop where a school staff member may assist your child out of your vehicle. Do not get out of your vehicle, a Head Start/ Pre-K staff member will help your child to his or her class. If you arrive after 7:45 you will need to park, and sign in at the front office. Then you will need to walk your child the cafeteria and wait with your child for their class to arrive for breakfast. Head Start/Pre-K students must remain with an adult at all times. It is very important that your child arrives to school before 7:45 am.
Attendance: It is very important that your child attends school every day to keep them on a routine schedule.
Absence Due to Illness: If your child is sick, he/she must be free of symptoms (fever of 100.4 or above, vomiting, or diarrhea) for 24 hours before returning to school. Remember to send a note or a doctor’s excuse in your child’s weekly folder when he/she returns to school.
Early Pick-ups/Late Drop-offs: If you need to pick up our child early, you must bring an I.D. then go to the office first to sign him/her out. If your child is late to school, make sure to sign them in at the office. If your child will have a different means of transportation for the day, you must call the front office before 2:30 pm to make those arrangements.
Dismissal: Head Start dismisses at 2:50 – 3:15. All students MUST be picked up before 3:15 pm!! Please put your child’s name tag on the passenger side visor of your car. If the name tag gets lost or if you need more than one, you must inform your classroom teacher immediately.
Bus Riders: If your child is a bus rider, please remember to be at the bus stop every day; the bus driver cannot drop off your student unless you or an approved adult is present.
Meals: Students will receive breakfast, snack, and lunch that is provided by Head Start. Breakfast and lunch will be served in the cafeteria. PLEASE DO NOT SEND SNACKS OR TREATS TO SCHOOL unless it is a designated celebration.
Volunteers: Parents are encouraged to volunteer and make a difference in the lives of children. Parents must sign in at the office before coming to the classroom to volunteer. Visitors will not be admitted to the room without a visitor’s sticker from the office. This is a safety precaution. If you are interested in helping, please fill the volunteer form in our school district website. Here is the link http://www.csisd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=161705&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=335513
Nap time: Children will take a nap each day. Blankets and mats are provided for your child.
Please send an extra change of clothes to keep at school. Please put in a large Ziploc bag and label the clothes and bag with your child’s name.
Academic Program: Young children learn best through play. They do this by interacting with people and their environment. They are natural explorers! The students will learn skills outlined in our Head Start and Texas Pre-K guidelines, we will work on these skills throughout the day with activities using manipulatives, games, art, songs, and stories.
Our program requirements of instruction from the state of Texas can be found at www.tea.state.tx.us
Conscious Discipline: Conscious Discipline is the social and emotional classroom management program that is used by our district. Some of the main components that you will hear your child talk about are: school family, safety, safe place, noticing kindness, connecting with others in our school family, understanding emotions through feeling buddies, classroom jobs for each child, greeting in a special way, STAR (stop, take a deep breath, and relax), other calming techniques through breathing (balloon, drain and pretzel) and giving children positive choices
Birthdays: We will celebrate your child’s birthday at school. Head Start will provide a special birthday treat to share with the class. Please let us know if you would like to participate in any of the celebration activities. Please do not bring outside snacks for your child’s birthday. The district allows for 3 party days throughout the year where outside food can be brought in.
Assessment and Parent Conferences: We will assess your child throughout the year. After assessing your child we will share the results with you in our parent conferences which we will have during our school year. Also, there will be an end of year home visit to discuss your child’s progress and the upcoming school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us and we can set up more meetings as needed.
Folders: All important letters and children’s artwork will be sent home once a week in a Red folder on Mondays. There will be a weekly newsletter sent home in the folder to let you know about what we are doing in our classroom. Please remove the papers and send the empty folder back signed. You can always send a note back inside the folder, if you wish.
Question of the Week: Each week you will receive a question of the week to be completed with your child. This is an important time for you to participate in his/ her life and learning process.
“Read to Me Books”: We will start sending the “Read to Me” books home in on our 3rd week of school. Your child will bring one book home at a time in a special White folder. After you and your child have read and enjoyed the book, your child will complete the “read to me page” and return the book in the folder.
Toys: Please have your child keep all personal toys at home. They may get broken or misplaced. Toys from home are not allowed at school and will be taken up and returned at the end of the day.
Required Supplies: All students need a regular size backpack and a change of clothes.
No other supplies are needed.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Head Start Room 501
Southwood Valley Elementary (979) 764-5590
Head Start Office: (979) 764-5423
Wanda Mason (email): [email protected]
Oya Genceli (instructional assistant): [email protected]
***If you have any questions, please feel free to call, email or send us a note!
Thank you,
Ms. Mason, Mrs. Genceli