August 21, 2017
Dear Kindergarten Families,
Welcome to Kindergarten at Meridian Park, Cheetah Family! The Kindergarten team and the entire Meridian Park school community are excited for a wonderful year with the coming together of so many kindergarten students and families from across the district. Kindergarten is a wonderful new adventure of growing and learning. We are committed to providing each child and family a safe, positive learning experience.
With the summer whizzing by, we want to share a few key things to think about before school starts.
Class Lists: Classroom assignments will be posted outside the school entrance (under the clock) by 5:00 pm prior to the Back to School Barbeque on Thursday, August 31st. We are making every effort to place students with children from their neighborhood
Classroom Visit and Back To School Barbecue: On August 31st, Kindergarten classrooms will be open for a short visit from 5:00 – 5:30 pm. It is a great opportunity to meet the teacher, see the classroom space, and help ease first day jitters. Please bring school supplies to your child’s classroom at this time, if possible. A list of supplies is attached. Following the open classroom session is an all school barbeque from 5:30-7:00 pm. Please watch for a flyer from the PTA about the barbeque.
WaKIDS Family Discussion: There is NO SCHOOL for Kindergarten on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday September 6th, 7th and 8th. Across the state, all Kindergarten families participate in a 30 minute WaKids Family Discussion at the start of the year. This is a chance for each family to help the classroom teacher learn more about their child’s interests, culture, and family. Sign-ups will be available on August 31st during the open classroom session at 5:00 pm. Discussions will take place between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM on the no school days. Students are welcome to attend but are not required to be at the meeting.
Please be thinking of some helpful information for the teachers to know about your child and family. For example: What makes your child happy or sad? What activities does your child really enjoy? In what areas does your child excel or struggle? What are your hopes or concerns? How does your child respond to new situations?
First Day of School for Kindergarten – Monday, September 11, is a 1/2 Day!!!
Your child’s first day will be Monday September 11th. THIS IS A HALF-DAY!
If your child’s last name begins with A-L, we will see you in the AM ONLY. Begin at 9:05 – End at 11:45
If your child’s last name begins with M-Z, we will see you in the PM ONLY. Begin at 12:50 – End at 3:30
Bus transportation will be provided for both the AM and PM.
Tuesday, September 12th is a full day of school for ALL students
Daily Schedule: The typical school day starts at 9:05 am and ends at 3:30 pm. Students can arrive at 9:00 am. Teachers will greet students at the exterior classroom door. Each exterior door has numbers on the window indicating the classroom number. This is also where you may pick up your child at the end of the day. Please do not enter through the hallway, as supervision is not guaranteed before the bell rings. You are welcome to walk with us into the class and stay for a few minutes on the first day.
For student safety, we ask adults to stay with your child until 9:05 am.
Attendance: Attendance at school is important and valuable for a child’s learning. If your student will be absent or late, please contact the Kindergarten office.
Breakfast, Lunch, & Snack: Free or reduced breakfast or lunch are available for families who qualify; watch for information in your back to school packet. Breakfast costs $1.75 and lunch costs $3.25. To make it easy, students have a meal card. If you plan to have your child buy breakfast/lunch regularly, we suggest making payments online at the following link https://wa-shoreline.intouchreceipting.com or by depositing checks in the drop box outside of the main office. If you pack a lunch, please send food in containers your child can open. We will have a small snack in the classroom each day. Most often we will share a common snack. We are very interested in additional adult help in the lunchroom, especially during the few weeks, so please come help out if you have time.
Curriculum Night: Kindergarten Curriculum night is scheduled for Thursday, September 14th from 5:15 – 5:55 pm. This is an adult only event. Teachers will talk about their classroom program, school nuts and bolts, and answer general questions you have about the year. Ridgecrest families with siblings at Ridgecrest will have time to travel to Ridgecrest so families will be able to attend both curriculum nights.
Immunization: Washington state law requires that all children be fully immunized on or before the first day of school. Please make sure you have turned into the kindergarten office proof of immunizations. Tama Leahy, our Nurse can help answer your questions. tama.leahy@shorelineschools.org
Transportation:
- Kindergarten students who attend their home school and live outside of the 1 mile walk area or in a area designated as a hazardous walk area by the district are eligible for school bus transportation. All Kindergarten students will be provided transportation from community stops and NOT door-to-door stops. Students that are overflowed to a school other than their home school due to space availability are eligible for specialized bus transportation. The bus stops for overflow students are located at the stop they would use for their home schools.
- To find the location and times of your student’s bus stop please log into E-Link or call 206-393-4277. You will be asked to enter your student’s grade and home mailing address including zip code.
- Kindergarten bus riders are encouraged to ride the bus each day starting with the first day.
- The first day, children will be met at the bus and taken to their classroom by an adult. Students will receive K tags to wear on their backpacks the first week. Due to careful attention to K students getting off the bus, the bus may be running a few minutes behind the first week.
- Transportation requires an adult to be at the bus stop before allowing a K child off the bus. We strongly encourage you to be 5 minutes early if possible. The bus cannot wait, so if an adult does not meet the child on time, the child will be returned to school. If this happens, we’ll call for an adult pick up!
Classroom teachers find it very helpful to know more information about the daily transportation of your child. Please complete the transportation instructions included at the end of this letter and return it at the barbecue or at your WaKids conference. Feel free to use the additional information section to include anything else we should know about your transportation needs.
Kindergarten Office: Our school and district websites are great resources, and we also have Kindergarten specific office staff who are thrilled to be part of the team. Please contact Suzy Cowgill if you have questions.
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Lara Drew
Administrator | Kindergarten Program lara.drew@shorelineschools.org
206.393.4127
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Suzy Cowgill
Office Manager | Kindergarten Program
suzy.cowgill@shorelineschools.org
206.393.4127
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Enjoy the rest of the summer and start getting excited for the start of the school year!
We can’t wait to meet your child and family.
Sincerely - Meridian Park Kindergarten Team
