Welcome
to Kindergarten!
My name is Megan Kearney
and I am very excited to have your child in my class this year! We will be
having so much fun over the year and will be learning many new things. I’m very
excited to begin the school year and look forward to getting to know you, your
child, and all the other children and families in my class.
About
Me
Before
we get into information about kindergarten, let me tell you a little about
myself. I am originally from Adel, Iowa, a small town just west of Des Moines.
I graduated from Adel-De Soto-Minburn High School in 2008 and then attended
Northwest Missouri State University. While at Northwest, I majored in
Elementary Education and minored in Early Childhood Education. I also took
classes to obtain an Iowa Reading Endorsement. In the fall of 2012, I student
taught in the Waukee School District. While there, I was able to teach in
kindergarten and in fifth grade. I graduated from Northwest Missouri State in
December of 2012 and then was a substitute teacher for Adel-De Soto-Minburn during
the spring of 2013. I began teaching kindergarten in Clarinda last fall. This
will be my second year of teaching. When I am not teaching, I enjoy shopping,
cooking, watching Iowa Hawkeye Football, and spending time with my family and
friends. This year, I will also be spending quite a bit of time planning my
wedding, which will be held in June!
Communication
Each
month I will send home a classroom newsletter, usually one of the first few
days of the month. This will let you know what has happened over the previous
month and what will be happening in our classroom over the next month. I will
also try to send home reminders about special events or things needed for
school. I also send out emails when needed and email pictures and reminders
throughout the month. This year, I also have a classroom blog. This will
contain newsletters, reminders, pictures, and updates about what is going on in
the classroom. This is the link for the blog: http://misskearneyskids.blogspot.com/ .
This blog also allows you to follow the blog by email and any time I update the
blog, you will receive an email. To do this, type in and submit your email
address in the box on the right side of the blog website. You can also get to
my blog by going through the school website and clicking on the Garfield Staff
page. Next to my name, there is a link that takes you right to my blog!
Behavior
I’m
trying out a new behavior policy in my classroom this year. On the chalkboard
in our classroom, there are 6 posters that list 6 “rules” the students will
follow. Each rule has its own color. When a student breaks a rule, they will
put that colored stick in their designated pocket. Depending on the number of
sticks, there is a consequence that occurs with the number of sticks moved. If
a student does not move any sticks, or obtains the star stick for amazing
behavior, they will be able to put 1 or more stickers on their sticker chart.
After their sticker chart is filled, they will get to choose a prize from the
prize box. If a student moves three or more sticks in a day, a note will be
sent home listing which rules were not followed. I will NOT send a note home
about their behavior unless 3 or more sticks are moved in a day, or there are
any other problems that have happened. Students will be given more warnings in
the beginning of the year before I have them move a stick, but as the year goes
on, I will expect better behavior and will not give as many warnings. If you
ever have a question or concern about your child’s behavior, please feel free
to contact me!
Birthdays
On
your child’s birthday, you are more than welcome to bring in treats for the
class. We will have treats during our snack time in the afternoon. The school
handbook requests NO HOMEMADE TREATS. You many bring prepackaged items or items
prepared in the grocery store bakery. We will celebrate summer birthdays on the
student’s half birthday.
If
you plan to have a birthday party outside of school and want to send
invitations to school to be handed out, you MUST invite every student in the
class, or invite all of the boys, or all of the girls. If you want to invite
only a few students from the class, you must mail the invitations.
Class
Schedule
I
will send out a classroom schedule with the August Newsletter. This way we can
try out our schedule to see how it goes and I can make changes where necessary
before I decide on a set schedule. The school schedule will be different than
it has in years past. We will run on basically an 8 day schedule but they will
be named like this: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day A, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, and
Day B. On days A and B, your child will attend two specials instead of
one. On the numbered days, your child will only attend one special. To get used
to this new schedule, I will send home a calendar listing what specials will be
each day. We recommend that your child wear tennis shoes on P.E. days.
Dismissal
Time
Our
dismissal time is 3:10. If your child will be picked up or walks with older
siblings, you or the older siblings MUST come pick them up in the classroom. It
is easiest to park in the north parking lot and come in the north doors to our
hallway. The north doors will not be unlocked until 3:10. Once unlocked, please
come to our classroom to pick up your child! If the door is closed, please wait
until I open it to come in and get your child. Thanks!
Transportation
Changes, Illness, Appointments
If
your child will be having a change with the way they go home or will be leaving
school during the day for an appointment, please send me an email or send a
note to school. Any changes that need to be made during the day, please call
the school office as soon as you can. If your child will be staying home from
school because of an illness, please call the school office. If possible,
please also send me an email.
I’m looking forward to a great year with
you and your child!
Miss Megan Kearney
