August 25, 2008
Dear Parents,
First let me welcome you and your child to Valley West Elementary School. My name is Ms. S. Stephens, and I will be your child’s Pre-K teacher for the 2008-2009 school year. I know this is a new and exciting time for you and your child and we here at Valley West will do everything we can to make this a positive experience for your child so they can develop a love for learning. Please keep this letter handy so you will be able to use it as a reference through out the school year.
This year your child will be learning many new things in reading, language arts, math and science and they will want you to share in their new learning experiences. I encourage you to get involved with them by engaging them in many conversations about anything and everything in order to fully develop their vocabulary. They will also be learning a lot about social skills and how to get along with others and as a part of that there are several classroom rules that I expect every child in my class to follow. They are as follows:
Listen to all teachers.
Keep hands and feet to yourself.
Walk inside the building.
Use quiet voices.
Respect yourself and others.
I expect that you will discuss and reiterate these rules with your children as to minimize the disruptions to your child’s and the other children’s learning environment.
Your child will receive an orange folder which he/she will take home everyday except for Friday. In this folder you will find a monthly conduct sheet which needs to be signed daily. You will also find class and school information as well as homework. As the school year progresses and your child learns to read simple words I will also send home decodable books for daily reading. The orange folder is to be returned to school everyday. In the event the orange folder is lost or destroyed, there will be a $1 replacement cost.
Since your child will be in school all day (7:45-2:45) we will have a rest period as well as snack time. I am asking that all parents contribute snacks for the whole class once a month. Please send healthy snacks for your child and his/her classmates to enjoy.
There are a few skills that I expect for your child to know when they come to school, and if your child has not mastered these skills, then I am expecting you to work with them daily to get then to be able to do these things. Your child should be able to:
· Take care of their own personal hygiene needs. This includes actually going to the restroom, washing their hands, keeping their faces clear of any bodily fluids.
· Eat at a table with other people and be able to use a straw, fork and a spoon.
· Tie their own shoes.
· Know his/her whole name.
· Know his/her parents whole name in case of an emergency.
These are my expectations for all my students and I know that once school is in full swing, you will be pleased with your child’s academic progress here are Valley West Elementary. If you have any questions, concerns or comments; please feel free to contact me I am available via email at sstephe4@houstonisd.org .
Important dates:
v October 24th field trip to the Oil Ranch
v March 12th field trip to Houston Zoo
v May 1st field trip to Children’s Museum
Other pieces of information:
Ø UNIFORMS ARE REQUIRED DAILY
Ø School supplies are REQUIRED ( please see school supply list)
Ø Report Cards for Pre-K are sent home every 12 weeks. The dates are as follows:
o November 19
o March 4
o May 28
Ø Progress Reports will be sent home on the following dates:
o October 13
o January 21
o April 7
Ø Please send lunch money to school daily or pre-pay in the cafeteria or online at https://parentonline.net. School lunch costs $1.60 until you have been notified of your status of free or reduced lunch.
Ø If you plan on chaperoning a field trip you are required to register as a VIP online at http://amun.houstonisd.org/visits/en-us/login.aspx or in the main office of the school. This process takes about 3 weeks to complete so we suggest you do this as soon as possible.
Ø For weekly updates please visit my Pre-K Blog at:
o http://stephens-prek.blogspot.com/
Ms. Stephens’ Pre-K School supply list
Ø 2 boxes of big crayons
Ø 4 jumbo pencils
Ø 2 bottles liquid soap
Ø 2 antibacterial hand sanitizers
Ø 1 sleeping mat (blanket-- optional)
Ø 1 box of facial tissue ( Kleenex)
Ø 1 backpack
Ø 1 container of Clorox clean-up wipes.
Ø Extra change of clothes i.e. socks, underwear, top, bottoms (please place these items in a gallon size zip lock bag with your child’s name on it.)
Thank you in advance for your support this school year!
Ms. S. Stephens
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