Bethany is called the Bethany Bunch- each grade level has a different mascot that begins with a B, in Kindergarten we are the Bethany Bears!

The Bethany school doors open at 7:15 am each morning. Before 7:30 AM, students enter the gym and sit with other students from their grade level. At 7:30 the bell rings and students walk to their grade level. After putting their backpacks, jackets, and lunchboxes in their lockers, the Kindergarten students will bring their take-home folders, enter the rooms and begin Writer's Workshop.

Kindergarten lunchtime is from 10:45-11:15. Students may bring their lunch, buy a lunch from the lunch line, or do a combination of both. Each student will have a lunch code. This is a number that is entered if the child buys anything from the lunch line. Parents are welcome to come and sit at the guest table with their child. Because of our limited lunch time kindergarten students do not participate in the purchasing of ice cream at lunch.

If your child is celebrating their birthday, their teacher will take the time to recognize their special day. If you wish to bring a treat, they will be shared at the end of the day. This year kindergarten will be recognizing one student a week as a “Star Student”. Different classes begin this activity at different times.

Recess -During the school day, the kindergarten students will have a 30 minute block of time for recess. This will usually be outside play from 10:15-10:45.

Snack - Each morning the kindergarten students eat a snack. Your child will need a simple snack that is packaged separately from their lunch. It should be one they can open easily and manage independently. Your child may bring a bottle of water to class. Their name should be marked clearly on the water bottle to prevent your child's water from getting mixed up with that of another child. Ideas for healthy snacks can be located on the following website www.squaremeals.org.

Rest Time - Kindergarten is a busy place and the students work and play the whole day. Our schedule has us involved in learning academically and socially from 7:30-2:45 each day. At the beginning of the year after recess, we will take a few minutes to lay down on the floor and listen to a story, look at books in our personal area, or just rest our bodies and brains. As the year goes on, this time will become more academic and less rest. To start the year off, your child may bring two bath size towels. We will send these home each Friday to be washed. Starting in late September, you will not need to return the towels.

Field Trips - Kindergarten takes one field trip. In the spring we will go to the Outdoor Learning Center.

Through experience, we have found that children strive to meet our expectations. At Bethany Elementary, we have high expectations for your children both academically and behaviorally. Our goal is to teach the students to be:

In Kindergarten, we establish and model behavior expectations for the classroom, the restroom, the hallways, cafeteria, playground and even in the neighborhood. As a visual reminder, we have a pocket with color sticks. The children also earn Bear Bucks. The specifics of the behavior plan are explained in the curriculum meeting at the beginning of the year and in information packets that go home. An explanation is also in the child's take home folder where a colored smiley face indicates how your child's school day went.

A communication card is in each childs' take home folder. It should be returned to school each morning and signed weekly.

Each day your child will bring home a folder. Some days it will contain finished work. This is our way of transporting information from school to home and home to school, so please place any papers from home in this folder also.

The students will bring their folder to an assigned place in the room and then at the end of the day place it back in their back pack. At home you may want to have an assigned place to keep this folder each night or after looking at it you may want your child to keep it in his/her backpack. This process will prepare them for their agenda in first grade.

After the children have settled into the routine of getting things back and forth between school and home, book bags will start being sent home. This is a zip lock bag containing a book that is on your child's independent reading level. Your child will have read this book several times in class and should be able to read it to you easily. After reading with your child, please return the book (in its bag) to school the next day.

Throughout the year we will have star word homework, integrated curriculum activities, and math activities to extend learning at home.

ALL students are encouraged to complete the homework and return it to their teacher. If you have any questions about the homework, please contact your child's teacher. Each child is encouraged to read or be read to for 20 minutes dail.

Updated October 2011