Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Welcome to our school community!

We believe that all families are composed of individuals who are competent and capable, curious, and rich in experience. We know our families love their children and want the best for them. Families are experts on their children. They are the first and most powerful influence on children’s learning, development, health, and well-being. Families bring diverse social, cultural, and linguistic perspectives. Families should feel that they belong, are valuable contributors to their children’s learning, and deserve to be engaged in a meaningful way.

Welcome to Kindergarten Event You will be invited to our school this year in the spring, where we can gather in community and get to know each other! There will be an opportunity for you and your child to participate in activities together and ask questions. Let’s get ready to Talk, Create, Read and Play!

Introducing Our Early Years Team

Marina Jacob – Teacher
Victoria Palmer – Teacher
Patricia Staples – Planning Time Teacher
Susan Janzen – Registered Early Childhood Educator
Sandra Santos – Registered Early Childhood Educator
Andrea Dabic – Registered Early Childhood Educator

Introducing Our School Community and Learning Spaces

Safe Arrival

• Kiss and Drop – we have a special program in place for our JK/SK families in which families will receive a parking pass so you can drop your child off in a designated area. Staff and/or adult volunteers will help your child exit the vehicle and will escort your child to the Kindergarten play area for safety. Giving a quick kiss goodbye is quick, safe and easy.
• Children gather safely in the Kindergarten area at the front of the school.
• Parents must stay with your child until supervision begins at 8:45. As hard as it may be, it is best to say a QUICK goodbye and let them play for 5 mins. Staying near the fence, and waiting for another goodbye, can be confusing, and often causes a lot of distress in children.
• Children enter the school when the bell rings and are escorted to class by staff.
• Extended Day students must be signed in by parent/ guardian upon drop off to the program before 8:40 am.

Safe Dismissal

• Bus Students – Children are picked up from their classroom by an adult staff member and together they walk to the buses. Staff then take attendance on the bus. Children must be met at their bus stop by an adult. IF there is no adult waiting at the stop, the kindergarten children are brought back to the school.
• Walking Students – Parents/Guardians/Siblings will wait at the front of the school by the Kindergarten area. Children will only be dismissed from the gym doors to ensure that we have proper distancing. Dismissal will only take place with the adults listed as the guardians or unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
• Extended Day Students – an educator will escort children to the extended day classroom.

Washrooms/Cleanliness

Each Kindergarten classroom has an individual washroom and classroom sink. We encourage students to frequently use the washroom throughout the day and to wash hands as often as necessary (ex: before snack/lunch, after coughing/sneezing). We do have a water fountain close by in our hallway, but it is still best that students bring a water bottle every day.
With current concerns over COVID-19, we will do our best to implement the cleaning practices shared by the Ministry of Health in order to ensure we protect the health of the students and teachers in our school (ex: increased frequency of hand washing and physical distancing).

Allergies/Health Information

If your child has any health concerns (ex. Asthma, allergies, etc), please inform the school Principal and our Early Years Team as soon as possible.
Please note: Our school board has a nut-free policy. Please be prepared to send foods that do not contain any nuts or nut products. This also includes nut substitutes.

Cash OnLine

“Cash Online” is a system we use to collect money (for school lunch days, field trips, etc.) and to sign permission forms. Families will be required to sign up for Cash Online in September. Here is the link for Cash Online if your family is not already signed up: https://wcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/

School Communication

“Newswire” is a mailing list to receive news releases, school updates, activities, and opportunities (ex: fundraising initiatives). To sign up for St. Michael Newswire, check out our school website at https://stmichael.wcdsb.ca/ and scroll to the bottom and click “Subscribe to our news events”.

To sign up for the school board Newswire (WCDSB), check out the WCDSB website at https://www.wcdsb.ca/ .

Suggested School Supplies

• Large backpack
• Lunch Box with snacks and lunch (reusable containers)
• Reusable container for beverages
• Comfortable clothing for indoor and outdoor play & learning
• Indoor shoes for gym (all of their footwear should be velcro)
• Change of clothes-Just in case!

Getting Ready For School

Check this list to see if your child is “ready” for school!
Is your child:

• able to interact and work cooperatively with others
• able to listen and follow some directions
• able to share
• able to see and hear clearly
• independent regarding washroom routines
• Can other adults understand what your child is saying. (hearing and vision check-ups are highly recommended BEFORE September)

Talk about school and get excited for what it will be like! This is going to be a great experience!

Resources

Tumblebooks:

1. Visit: https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/
2. Login with the following (all lower case):
   Username: wcdsb
   Password: books
3. Once you’ve logged in, click the following links to read the books:
   • Bear and Lolly: Off to School
   • Boomer goes to School
   • A Pocket Full of Kisses

YouTube:

• Owen
• Starting School with Akili

Information

If you have not registered your child for school yet, please click HERE to start the online registration process.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us!  We are here to help!