4-Year-Old Kindergarten Dolphin Pup Handbook 2018-2019
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4-Year-Old Kindergarten
Dolphin Pup Handbook
2018-2019
Doby’s Mill Elementary School
Principal: Dr. Allison Hepfner
Assistant Principal: Alana Powers
Teacher: Sarah Gardner
Teaching Assistant: Rhonda Donley
Welcome Aboard!
Welcome to the 4-year-old kindergarten Program. We are happy to have you
and your family be a part of the Doby’s Mill Dolphin Family!
Meet the Teachers:
Miss Gardner Mrs. Donley
Communication:
Daily Communication: Daily communication is vital to your child’s success. Your child will have a daily
communication folder and an agenda. We will use the agenda to write notes back and forth. Other notes,
forms and money should be sent in your child’s folder. Please initial your child’s agenda each day. Be sure
to write excuses for absences or changes in transportation on a separate sheet of paper that can be
turned into the office. Also, all money should be in an envelope with its purpose noted. Be sure to check
your child’s folder and agenda every day!
Communicating with Teachers: Collaboration will help us to maximize your child’s learning and growth. A
close home/school connection is key. We will keep you in the loop with what is going on in class as well as
inform you of upcoming events with newsletters, our family connections page and class DoJo. Individual
notes will be written in your child’s agenda as well. If you need to contact us, there several ways to reach us.
You are welcome to send a note, call the school, send an email or private message, or schedule a
parent/teacher conference. We try to respond as quickly as possible but please allow at least 24 hours for a
response. Email/private message is probably the best way to contact us during the day. We check
email/DoJo throughout the day. You are welcome to call the school but please note that all calls are sent
to voicemail during the instructional day. We will check messages and call you back at the end of the day.
Also, drop off/pick up conversations must be limited for time sake and to ensure we keep the lines moving.
Please understand that we cannot interrupt instructional time to meet with parents but are happy to
schedule a time to meet. Our goal is to ensure we are communicating in a manner that is convenient for you
but courteous of others.
Contact Information is listed below:
School phone number: 803-438-4055 ext. 8419
Miss Gardner’s email address: sarah.gardner@kcsdschools.net
Class Dojo: Send a private message
Parent/Teacher Conferences: can be scheduled upon requestDaily Schedule:
**This is a sample schedule and is subject to change**
Morning Class: Afternoon Class:
Arrival/Work Time Arrival/Work Time
Meet and Greet Meet and Greet
Breakfast Big Experience
Circle Time Lunch
Learning Centers Circle Time
Big Experience Learning Centers
Recess Recess
Big Experience /Closing Big Experience/Closing
Curriculum and Themes:
We have lots to learn this year! Our instruction is determined by developmentally appropriate practice,
student’s needs and the South Carolina Early Learning Standards. We will use The Big Day for Pre-K Curriculum.
It is divided into themes including a social emotional focus, knowledge focus, and big ideas. The founding
principles of the program include social/emotional development, integrated learning, partnerships with
families, language development, learning through play and responsive instruction. Our themes for the year
include: Ready for School, My Family, Our Community, Awesome Animals, Imagine it/Make it, Growing Up
Healthy, Nature All Around Us, and Moving On. There is an online component that allows families to access
the Family Space as well as read stories, download activities and play games. We will use Letter Land for our
letter of the week studies. A list of the letter land characters as well as the corresponding motions is attached.
Homework:
Reinforcing Concepts: We believe in the essential need for children to play, enjoy time with family and
have unstructured time to pursue their own interests. Therefore, we do not require daily homework.
However, a strong home/school connection will help foster your child’s development. Key ideas and
concepts we are doing at school will be listed in our newsletters. Reinforcing these ideas and concepts at
home is vital. You can also find materials, games, books and downloads on the Family Space page to work
on related concepts at home. We will send home tips and optional activities for skill development in our
newsletters and on our Family Space page.
Read and Talk: Learning to read begins now! Your child can learn so much from quality time reading
together. Work on pointing out the title, describing the pictures, turning the pages, making predictions, etc.
Talk to your child about his/her day. Ask who they played with, what they did, or anything that allows them
to express their thoughts. Reading and talking together is so very important to your child’s development.
Letter Land Sheets: Each week, we will send home key vocabulary words and letter formation sheets that
correspond with our letter of the week. These activities are simply materials for you to use. The possibilities
are endless (work on vocabulary, letter sounds, color recognition, following directions, pencil grip, etc.)
Special Projects: We will occasionally ask families to work on a simple project together that the student will
share in class or will ask families to send in materials for a class project to be completed at school.Centers:
“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”
Students will have access to a variety of centers. Thematic concepts, literacy concepts and key ideas will be
integrated into our learning centers. Materials will be switched out throughout the year to incorporate various
concepts and relate to our thematic units.
Centers will include:
Construction (blocks, cars, Legos, trains etc.)
Art (painting, chalk, playdoh, drawing, etc.)
Pretend Play (kitchen, restaurant, airplane, fire house, garden, school, house, dress up etc.)
Math/Manipulatives (various manipulatives, pattern blocks, counters, graphs/charts, marble run, etc.)
Reading and Listening (books and audio books)
Writing (book making, journaling, word wall, etc.)
Science (books, manipulatives, sensory, light table, photographs, plants, etc.)
Technology (hatch computer, smart board games and smart table)
Puzzles/Games (puzzles and board games)
Classroom Management, Class Rules and Behavior:
Classroom Management and Rules: The key to our class behavior management system is teaching and
prevention. We spend a lot of time throughout the year talking about good choices/poor choices, reading
social stories, and role playing. Our class rules and routines are posted in the classroom and reviewed
frequently. Our main classroom rules is: When someone (a teacher or student) says stop, you stop. From
there, we are able to address the problem and choose a better solution. We try to turn problems into
teachable moments. When problems arise between children, we help children work out the problem
themselves by offering strategies, giving them time to come up with a solution, etc. Our goal is for children
to learn how to control themselves, become problem solvers, and understand how their actions impact
others. We use logical and natural consequences when possible so our students learn the real world
consequences for their choices and actions. When minor problem behaviors occur, the child is reminded of
correct behaviors and is redirected. If the problem behavior continues, the behavior will be addressed one
on one with the teacher. All situations will be handled with the child’s wellbeing as top priority so that the
children’s physical, social, emotional and academic wellbeing will be fostered. We use time out when a
child needs extra time to calm down or reflect. We also use a reward system to praise students for
appropriate behavior. We highlight positive behaviors, review rules/routines frequently, use proximity, utilize
hand signals and gestures, etc. to encourage socially appropriate behaviors and prevent negative
behaviors when possible.
Problem Behaviors: Sometimes children have difficulty developing social skills or demonstrating socially
appropriate behaviors. When children’s behaviors interfere with the safety and learning of others, then
more direct intervention may be needed. The following is a list of unacceptable behaviors: biting, kicking,
hitting, throwing, running away, spitting, destroying materials and repeatedly refusing to obey the teacher.
When unacceptable behaviors or patterns of inappropriate behaviors occur, parents will be notified. In
extreme or repeated cases, the behavior will be reported to the school principal (and/or school nurse if
necessary).
Reports to the school principal, will result in the following:
1st report: Parent and teacher conference
2nd report: Parent, teacher, and principal conference
3rd report: Possible dismissal from the program
We are willing to work with every child to overcome behavior problems but must have the cooperation
and efforts of the family in order for the child to continue in the program. Our number one goal is to ensure
the health, safety and learning of all children.Arrival and Dismissal:
Morning class: Arrival for the morning class is from 7:15-7:45. Your child will be marked tardy after 7:45. If your child
is a car rider, please follow the car rider line. Adults will be on duty to help your child safely walk inside. Adults are
also on duty in the building to help your child walk to class. All 4K students will have a red book bag so adults on
duty know they are in 4K. Please pull all of the way down and have your child exit the vehicle when you reach the
sideway. Dismissal is at 10:45. Please form a line at the crosswalk near our classroom door. Stand outside of your
vehicle and we will walk your child to your car. Once you safely buckle your child into their seat, please pull forward.
We try to load everyone into their vehicle quickly to keep the line moving. There is another class dismissing shortly
after ours. Have your car rider tag displayed on your mirror to help us.
Afternoon class: Arrival for the afternoon class is 11:30-11:45. Your child will be marked tardy after 11:45. When
dropping your child off, please pull up to the crosswalk near our classroom door. An adult be at the top of the
sidewalk to open car doors at 11:30. Once your child has exited the vehicle, please pull forward to keep the line
moving. Please do not let your child out of the vehicle early. We do not want children playing on the grass near the
road for safety reasons. Your child may not enter the building prior to 11:30. Dismissal is at 2:40. If your child is a car
rider, follow the car rider line and then pull into the grass. Please walk to the side door to pick up your child. Merge
back into the car rider line once your child is safely in the vehicle. The car rider line ends at 3:05.
Absences and Tardies:
Absences: Children are expected to be in school each day except for lawful absences such as illness. A written
excuse is required for each absence. Keeping a child home for personal reasons such as to be with a relative, to
shop, for vacations, or because a parent is home are not considered an excused absence. If a child is ill and will
not be attending for 2 or more days, please contact us and let us know. Please be aware, children with ten
unexcused absences may be dismissed from the program. If a child misses ten consecutive days and the
school/teacher is not notified, that child will automatically be withdrawn from the program.
Tardies: Students are expected to be in their classrooms on time each morning. Any child who is not at school on
time will be marked tardy. Being tardy should not be a regular occurrence. Please be prepared to show your
driver’s license or a state identification card when signing in your child. Also, please be on time to pick up your
child. We understand things happen but please do all you can to be on time. If you are late, your child will need to be
signed out with the front office.
Early Dismissals: Early Dismissal is discouraged and should not be a regular occurrence. Please send a note that
morning stating the reason and the time you will meet the child in the office. For safety responses, students are
not allowed to be signed out after 2:00 p.m. Please be prepared to show your driver’s license or a state
identification card when signing out your child.
½ Days: Our class does not attend on ½ days of school or district scheduled early dismissal days. If there is a delayed
start due to weather, the morning class does not attend.
Change in Transportation:
Please be sure any person allowed (or not allowed) to sign your child out from school is on record in the
classroom and front office. If there is a change in transportation, please send a signed note on the morning of the
change. However, a note is not a required if the person is listed on the transportation form and has permission to
pick up your child. Due to safety reasons we will not accept phone calls or emails for changes in transportation.
Sickness:
It is important that your child attend school regularly. However, if your child is sick, please keep him/her at home. Please
send a medical excuse or parent note (up to 7 per school year allowed) when your child returns to school. Children
must be free of fever, vomit and/or diarrhea without the use of medication or other medical assistance for 24 hours
before returning to school. If your child becomes ill or injured at school, you will be notified immediately. Children will be
sent home with fever, diarrhea, and/or vomiting. Each school has enrollment information that lists the names of
individuals authorized to pick up children. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep phone numbers and other contact
information up to date. The school should be notified of any change in contact person, emergency numbers, doctor’s
number or hospital care. Failure to keep contact information current can jeopardize the health and safety of your child.Medication:
All medication must be prescribed by a doctor and brought directly to the nurse’s office by a
parent/guardian. Please refrain from sending medication in your child’s book bag. We are not allowed to
use any over the counter medication, creams or sunscreen without a doctor’s note. Be sure all allergies
and medical concerns are on file with the nurse.
Toileting and Clothing:
Children must be toilet trained and able to manage toileting independently before entry into the program
and in order to remain in the program. Chronic toileting problems may result in dismissal from the program.
Please be sure your child has extra clothes at school in case of accidents/spills. If a child has an accident,
he/she will change into spare clothes. Students are expected to clean themselves and change into clothes
independently. Clothes will be borrowed from the nurse’s office if your child does not have spare clothes at
school Any clothes that are borrowed need to be washed and returned. A note will be written in your
child’s agenda to inform you of the accident. The dirty/soiled clothes will be sent home in a bag tied to
your child’s book bag. Heavily soiled underwear may be thrown out in extreme cases.
Personal Belongings:
All items (including jackets, book bags, hats, etc.) need to be labeled with your child’s name. Students are
not allowed to bring toys or personal items to school unless requested by the teacher for special occasions.
Your child will be provided a book bag, agenda and folder.
Snacks/Meals:
Breakfast/Lunch: Students in the morning class will eat breakfast at school. If your child is tardy and arrived
after breakfast time, your child will need to have eaten breakfast prior to their arrival at school. Students in
the afternoon class will eat lunch at school. Students are welcome to pack a meal or purchase a school
meal. Good nutrition is a vital part of your child’s day. keep this in mind when packing meals for your child.
Also, we are unable to heat or refrigerate meals so be sure to pack meals that do not require
heating/refrigeration or pack icepacks/thermoses. Applications for free or reduced meals are available
online. Meals may be paid by cash or check at school or by credit card through the district website. Lunch
Prices: $1.75; Reduced Student: 40¢ Breakfast Prices: $1.00; Reduced Student: 30¢
Snacks: We will not have a daily snack but will occasionally have special snacks tied to our curriculum,
during celebrations, etc. You are welcome to send a special snack on your child’s birthday as well. All
snacks and foods sent for the class must be unopened and store bought. Ingredients must be listed on the
packaging. We are not permitted to serve anything homemade. Please alert your child’s teacher as well
as the school nurse of any food allergies.
Visitors and Volunteers:
We welcome visitors and volunteers to our school and in our classroom. When visiting, you must report to
the school office to sign in and receive a Visitor’s Badge before going to the classroom and you must be
approved by the district. You must be an approved level II volunteer to volunteer within the
school/classroom and to chaperone field trips. The procedures to become a level II volunteer can be
found on the district website.**Please return this form to your child’s teacher**
Student Name: _________________ Person Completing this Form: _________________
Letter of Understanding:
I,________________________________________, have read and understand the
policies, procedures and information listed in the 4K handbook for Miss Sarah
Gardner’s 4K class.
____________________________________ __________________
Signature Date
Technology Agreement:
**Please check your selection**
____ I give permission for my child’s picture to be used within the classroom
environment as well as to be posted on the class DoJo page, used in class
books and/or on the school’s website/Facebook page.
____ I DO NOT give permission for my child’s picture to be used within the
classroom environment or on the class DoJo page and/or on the school’s
website/Facebook page.
____________________________________ __________________
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