My philosophy I believe all children develop at the same level yet, the stages of development to reach that level

take time. Once your child feels safe his or her social- emotional skills will begin to show confidence. New skills will begin to bloom such as cognition, language, large and fine motor skills. As a teacher my role is to implement developmentally appropriate practices which will stimulate curiosity and help children succeed in new experiences. I will also model positive behavior, interact in role play experiences and talk about emotions and feelings which will help them guide in making good decisions. My goal for the children My goal for the children is to establish a non-biased atmosphere and a rich diversity -filled program. I will help your child establish the social-emotional skills needed to develop curiosity which can lead to the world of play. Why play you ask? Play stimulates the imagination which promotes cognition skills, language skills and group socialization. Classroom procedures Safety rules will be established as a group in the beginning of the year. Modeling positive language to promote positive responses and behavior Good hygiene practices (washing hands, cleaning up the room, brushing teeth, etc.) Daily helpers Promote the class as a whole team that will work together. Behavior management techniques 1. A technique I like to promote is redirection. Even at this age a reminder is helpful when a child is not behaving appropriate. Example, when a child is running redirect by saying walking feet or model walking feet. 2. Conscious Discipline is a program I will use which develops child-focused selfregulation. Children need a sense of security. Here are some examples, using the word safe. Pushing your chairs under the table will keep you and your friends safe. Staying in line will keep you and your friends safe and together. I will also teach the children several breathing techniques that help them regulate their emotional responses. 3. A safe place - This area is a soft comfortable spot. This allows the child to go to the area on their own terms and come join the group on their own terms when the child is ready. This is not a time out area.

When a childs behavior is not consistent, or is troublesome to others, I will do the four following. Meet with the Parents to develop a plan of action for both parent and teacher to implement at home and school. Work with the child to make progress and keep parent informed on a daily basis. I will use praise and recognition when goals are met or when the child succeeds independently. Consult with the school counselor, Teresa Wade or division head Becky OHearn for additional support. Curriculum The curriculum will provide a range of experiences for your childs cognition, socialemotional and physical growth. Learning experiences will be organized around themes that are related to every day events and special events. The curriculum will promote natural interests to the physical environment around your child. Children will have opportunities to work in groups and individually in all areas. Emphasis will be placed on: Language development Cultivating the childrens natural curiosity about their world Promoting math concepts Promoting alphabet recognition and phonemic awareness Developing social skills Encouraging independence Promoting creativity Developing gross motor and fine motor skills Arrival and Departure times The classroom doors will open at 8:10 a.m. School begins at 8:15 a.m. and dismissal is at 3:15 p.m. Wichita Collegiate school provides before school care in Kids Club for students needing to arrive before 8:00 a.m. Supervisors will then escort children to their classrooms. Children are dismissed directly from the classroom. Please be prompt in picking them up. When a parent is late, it can cause stress and concern for the child. Children that have not been picked up by 3:20 p.m. will be taken to Kids Club. Please notify me in writing in advance if your child is to be dismissed to anyone different. We will not dismiss a child to someone with whom we are not familiar. Please make the party aware that they will need identification when picking the student up. I can also notify the Kids Club staff with the proper information. I will only dismiss to people that have been listed on the yellow information card unless I have a written note from you.

Lunch In the all day program, you have the option of purchasing lunches form the Sage Lunch Program or you may send a sack lunch each day. Lunches brought from home are expected to meet the Kansas Department of Health and Environment requirements. By providing a nutritious lunch you are helping develop good food habits. Please remember, we can refrigerate the lunch but we cannot heat it up. Lunches will be stored in the lunchroom refrigerator all day. We are a peanut free school so do not bring any items with peanuts or peanut butter to school in a lunch box. Snack Developing good nutritional habits is a fundamental way to teach your child about making good choices. Thank you for providing snacks that will give children the energy they need to do their best at school. Cheese and crackers, raisins, fruits and vegetables, small meat trays, muffins or snack bars are good choices. No peanuts, peanut butter or peanut oils will be allowed for snacks. If there are any other allergies or dietary concerns a separate note will be sent home informing parents of these food restrictions. Birthdays Children love birthdays! Birthdays provide a wonderful time for recognizing individual children as being special and important and I would like to celebrate this event at school. You may bring a special snack (Peanut Free) on your childs special day. You may invite family and friends to the occasion. You may bring plates and cups for decorations only. I will provide the child with a birthday crown. You may donate in lieu of party favors a birthday book to the class book collection. You may write your childs name and date and a small message in the book. Of course, this is optional. Restrictions: No balloons no treat bags. Party invitations cannot be passed out at school. School Holiday Parties Party day is every childs favorite day! School parties are usually 45 minutes in length with treats and activities planned and provided by parents. There will be a sign up sheet available for you to volunteer.

Clothing We love to do messy activities in the classroom and outside of the room. Please send you child to school in play clothes that they will be comfortable in. Choose clothing that your child will not be concerned about getting dirty. We do use paint shirts, but paint has a way of getting on clothing. Please do not be upset with your child if their clothing comes home soiled. This could cause the child to not want to participate in these enriching activities. This could lead to limiting their exploration of the environment and a very important part of learning is lost. Please provide your child with a paint shirt. Here is a fun idea when selecting a paint shirt. Go into your closet and pick out an old t-shirt or button down short sleeve shirt. Let the child know this is their special shirt to wear for messy projects and label the shirt together. Your child will love it. Not only will they think this is a neat idea, this will remind them of you, and it will feel like a big hug when they put it on each time. Your child should come to school dressed appropriately for the weather. We will go outside every day. Some days it may be for just a few minutes as we walk between buildings. Fresh air does not cause illness. Staying cooped up does. Please label childrens clothing such as jackets, hats, mittens, coats or sweatshirts. There are occasion when a hat or jackets may be the same as another childs. There are also misplaced articles of clothing left on the playground, music room, etc. We will make every effort to return the clothing when it is clearly labeled. Restrictions: Please note, any clothing item with a cartoon, video or movie character is prohibited at Wichita Collegiate School. Please provide your child with an extra change of clothing. We do not have extra clothing and accidents do happen. Please place extra clothes (labeled) in a small bag in your childs locker. This should include appropriate weather clothing such as pants, shirt, socks, and underwear. Backpacks Please send a backpack with a name labeled on it for your child each day. Make sure it is big enough for a folder and art projects to fit inside, but small enough to fit in a locker. School Folder Please send a labeled folder inside your childs backpack. Folders help facilitate communication between parent and school. Consider it part of your daily mail. Ill use the folder for my notes to parents, snack calendars, and your childs work. Please check the folder daily and remember to put it in your childs backpack.

Illness Our school policy states that a child is to remain at home for 24 hours after the child has had a fever or vomited/diarrhea. All children will be going outside each day. They should be well enough to go outside when they come to school. Absences If your child will not be at school for the day, it would be helpful to call the school or let me know in advance (if possible). I encourage families to participate in vacation experiences together but sincerely appreciate knowing well in advance if you child is going to be gone. I will try to coordinate classroom assessments and activities accordingly. Accidents I will try to inform you when you child has had a minor mishap. Please let me know if your child is allergic to band-aids, because they are usually a cure-all for this age group. For cuts and abrasions, the area will be washed with soap and water. No medication is applied. Special Needs Please keep me informed if you child has any allergies or special needs. If at any time during the year there are changes that may affect your childs behavior or health please let me know. Field Trips When field trips are planned, you will receive in advance a detailed account of the trip and a permission slip. You will need to sign the permission slip and return it to school in order for your child to go on the field trip. Parents will be recruited as chaperones and to provide transportation, if necessary. Parent conferences and contact information Parent conferences are scheduled three times during the school year. I encourage both parents to attend the fall and winter conferences. Our first two conferences are very important. We will be setting both academic and social-emotional goals and charting progress in these areas. Please feel free to contact me any time you have a question or concern. My phone number at WCS is 634-0489 Ext.318 and email is cjohnson@wcsks.com. I will try to respond with in the same day. If you need immediate assistance you can dial the administrative assistant at the front desk in the early childhood office at 634-0489 ext. 318.

Traditional Preschool 4-5yrs

Mrs. Johnson