Back to School Night

1. Transitional Kindergarten
Revised September, 2013
Arrival/Dismissal Information
Arrival
our child should arrive at school between 7:10AM and 7:40AM. Parents are encouraged to carpool and use the traffic pattern.
Please do not park in the Memorial Care parking lot or in the neighborhood off of Galisteo Street across from the Primary
Education Building (PEB).
Students arriving by 7:30 a.m. will be escorted to the PEB lunch tables where they will be supervised by the TK aide. They will
be picked up by their home room teacher at 7:30 a.m. Students arriving after 7:30 a.m. will be escorted to their classroom by
staff. After 7:45 a.m., students must go to the School Office with an adult to receive a late slip.
Dismissal
All Transitional Kindergarten (TK) students are dismissed at 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with the exception of the first two
Fridays of the month and on other minimum days as indicated on the school calendar. Dismissal on the first two Fridays of the
month (and other minimum days) is at 11:30 a.m. Students are to be picked up promptly. If your child has a first or second
grade sibling or your carpool is participating in an after school program such as Mad Science, Homework Club, Chess,
etc., the TK student still needs to be picked up at 2:00 p.m. They do not qualify for the Later Gator program in those
cases.
Later Gator Program
If TK students are in a carpool with siblings or students who are in Grades Three through Eight, they will be supervised by
Instructional Assistants at the PEB lunch tables until the second dismissal. This program is called “Later Gators”. If your TK
child is in the Later Gator Program, please direct the oldest sibling or carpool child to pick up the TK student from the
Later Gator table in the PEB lunch area and escort the TK child to the line to wait for the carpool. If your child’s oldest
sibling or older carpool member is absent, chooses to play a sport, or participate in an afterschool activity such as
Homework Club, chess, etc, the TK student must be picked up at the 2:00 p.m. dismissal.
2:40 PM Dismissal
Children not picked up by 3:05 p.m.will be signed into the Extended Care Program and the family will be charged for the time
spent in the Extended Care Program.
Extended Care
If your child has a change in schedule, please inform the classroom teacher in writing as soon as possible. We want to make sure
that we know where your child needs to be for his/her safety. The Extended Care hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. and from
2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Emergency Contacts
If your child is going home with someone other than usual, please write a note indicting that he/she has your permission to do so
or we cannot release the child. In addition, the person must be listed on your emergency card on file in the office. Due to traffic,
please do not arrive for the afternoon carpool until 1:45 p.m. Please –no cell phone use during dismissal traffic times.
Illness
Illness
If your child has had a fever or the “throw-up germ”, they must not come to school until they are symptom free for
24 hours. The classroom teacher must be informed along with the Health Room of strep throat, pink eye, lice, or any
other contagious disease as soon as possible. Please review the Health Room policy carefully.

2. Revised September, 2013
Conferences
I am available to conference with you concerning your child. Parents are welcome to e-mail, call, or write a note to request an
appointment. I will respond to the message within 48 hours or as soon as possible. This year formal parent-teacher conferences
will be held in November.
Snack Time
In TK, we will be having a morning snack break. On Monday through Friday, please have your child bring
a small individual snack to be eaten at our 8:55 a.m. recess. We also ask that you send a drink in a small
disposable juice box or send a water bottle for them to enjoy with their snack. Please do not send in glass
containers. Please send your child’s snack in a paper bag or baggie with his/her name on it. Please
pack the snack separate from the lunch box. The snackbar is not available to TK students.
Lunch
Lunch boxes or brown bags must have your child’s name on them. Hot lunches will be offered and can be
purchased through an outside company called Choice Lunch. Please watch the SerraDIPITY newsletter or
more information on the Choice Lunch Program and the In ‘ N Out Lunch provided on some Thursdays.
Allergies
There are some students in the class this year who have food allergies. For the safety of students who are
allergic to peanuts, there is a peanut free table designated specifically for them. Students who are not allegic
to peanuts but have other food allergies such as egg or dairy products, there is a table designated for them as
well.
Dress Code
Parents, please review the Serra Catholic School Dress Code policy carefully which can be found in the
Parent Handbook. If you child has not met the requirements for the uniform dress code, a reminder will be
sent home. All sweatshirts need to be clearly labeled. P.E. uniforms are only to be worn on TK’s
P.E. days which are Tuesday and Thursday. Teachers are not responsible for lost items such as sweatshirts,
lunch boxes, and backpacks. Having your child’s name on their personal items will prevent losing them.
Lost and found items are placed on a rack in the hallway near the Extended Care room in the MEC building,
Room C1-103.
TK Treasure Box / “Pot of Gold”
If you would like, please help us keep our treasure box stocked with little trinkets such as pencils, small boxes of crayons, erasers,
play jewelry, plastic figures, or other small, inexpensive items the children may enjoy having. The Dollar Tree, 99 Cent Store,
and the Oriental Trading Catalog are good places to purchase these items.
TK Daily Folder
Your child will bring home a folder each day containing completed work, teacher communications, forms, etc. Please return the
folder back to school the next day in your child’s backpack. There may be days when the folder does not contain anything . For
the purpose of keeping your child’s routine consistent, the folder may come home empty at times. If a student is absent and
misses doing classwork that can be done at home, the missed class work will be sent in the folder.

3. Revised September, 2013
TK Birthday/Half-Birthday Celebration
On your child’s birthday, he/she may have free dress. You may send in a treat or other individual simple snacks for your child to
share with their classmates. Drinks are not needed. Please keep in mind that TK has several children with allergies (peanuts,
walnuts, eggs, dairy, milk), so we ask you to avoid sending in snacks that have peanuts, walnuts, eggs, or dairy products in them.
The following are some recommended snacks: fruit cups, fruit kabobs, jello fruit salad, popsicles..
You may send the birthday treats to school with your child or you may park and drop them off. If you would like to be at school
when the snacks are handed out, please e-mail me and advise if you will be coming at morning snack time or at lunch time.
For children whose birthdays fall during the summer months, you are welcome to celebrate their “half” birthdays. Please inform
the teacher ahead of time which day you would like to do so.
Elaborate school parties and gifts are not allowed. Birthday party invitations will be passed out in class only if all students are
invited or all boys or all girls are invited..
Change of Clothes
Please provide your child with a Ziploc bag with an extra change of clothes (socks, underwear, shirt, and shorts) for any accidents
which may occur. These clothes do not have t be the school uniform but preferably school colors.
Stickers
We use many stickers to reward the students for positive behavior and effort. Any donations of stickers are greatly appreciated.
Stickers can be seasonal, religious, or motivational in theme. Thank you!
Personal Belongings
Due to space limitations, students may not bring wheeled backpacks to class. Trading cards, small toys, excessive jewelry, and
non-school related accessories should not be brought to class.
Communication with the Teacher
We will have a formal parent-teacher conference in November. E-mail is my preferred method of communication but feel free to
call me as well. . Please e-mail me at drosier@serraschool.org or call me at 949-888-1990, ext. 213. If you call during the day,
please leave a message.
Classroom Management
Classroom rules and procedures are given to the students at the beginning of the year. The initial part of my behavior
management is that all students begin the day with a clip (with their name on it) on a green cardboard circle (ready to learn). After
a first warning for a misbehavior, the clip is not moved. If another warning is required to redirect the behavior, the clip is moved
to a yellow circle (warning circle). If the misbehavior continues, the clip is moved to the red circle (note home or a phone call
home depending on the circumstance). If a child hits another child, the clip is moved directly to the red circle.
At the end of the school day, the students who kept their clips on green earn a rainbow colored stick and place it in their slot on
my Rainbow Pocket Chart. When the student has earned sticks with all six colors of the rainbow, they have earned a trip to the
Pot of Gold (treasure box) to pick out a prize.
For whole class behavior incentives, the class will receive Awesome Behavior Marbles. Whenever the class does an exceptional
job following the classroom rules and procedures, a magnetic ot magnet (a.k.a. marble) will be placed on the “Awesome Behavior
Marbles” chart. Class rewards are given at different increments: at each new increments of 10 marbles (up to a hundred
marbles), various rewards will be given to the class..

4. Revised September, 2013
Star Student
Each student will have a turn to be “Star Student of the Week”. The order with which the star student will be chosen is
alphabetical order by last name. This year our first star student week will be the week of September 8th. I will send home an
“All About Me” poster on Thursday of the week before your child will be star of the week. I purchased the “All About Me”
posters for your convenience but if you would rather create your own poster by using different poster paper or the back of the “All
About Me” poster, please feel free to do so. The completed poster should be brought to school on Monday. On Monday, your
child will share their “All About Me” poster. It will be displayed for the week. On Tuesday, have your child bring in their
favorite book and I will read it to the class. On Wednesday, please have your child bring in a “show and tell” item to share with
the class. On Thursday, please send in a letter that you write to your child or about your child. The letter may be about what is
special to you about your child, about special events or moments in their life, something about their unique personality, anything
that captures the little “star” in your life. This could turn out to be a special letter your child might keep and cherish into
adulthood. On Friday, I will give your child a certificate for being our star of the week.
Field Trips
An on-campus presentation will be planned for the TK class. More details to follow.
Scholastic Book Club
Each month your child will bring home book club brochures for books. I highly recommend them to you. One of the best ways to
help your child get excited about reading is to read to them. If you want to order the books you may order online at
www.Scholasticbookclub.com using the Class Code: (please, be sure to use this code for the books to count towards our class
order.. You do not have to order every month. Books usually take 1-2 weeks from the due date to arrive. The books are
delivered to the school and will go home with your child upon receipt. The classroom receives many bonus gifts from Scholastic
Book Club, depending on how many books are ordered each month. Thank you for your support.

5. Revised September, 2013
Curriculum
Religion
We are using the I Am Special series by Joan Ensor Plum and Paul S. Plum. This program called Jesus is Our Friend is a Catholic
Kindergarten religion program. This program is designed to support parents in educating their children about the Catholic faith by
helping children:
 To develop positive attitudes about themselves, their families, and friends by discovering and learning more about the
many gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given them;
 To increase their knowledge and participation in the Church’s liturgical season of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter;
 To increase their knowledge about God and their friendship with Jesus;
 To increase their knowledge and practice of Christian actions towards others such as taking turns, listening, helping,
caring, sharing, loving, and thanking others.
This Religion program is designed to stimulate the faith development of young children by providing them with the following
opportunities:
 Reinforcement of Christian values and attitudes being taught at home;
 Participation in Christian learning experiences and activities geared to their age level;
 An introduction to community worship through active participation in prayer and song;
 Fellowship and fun with other children their own age.
This program uses stories, song, dramatizations, finger plays, sensory activities, Scripture, and prayers in which participation is
the primary component since young children learn through action.
Each week your child will bring home a parent letter and a take home story on Thursday. Please read the story to your child and
use the discussion questions at the end of the story to discuss the story with your child to prepare him/her for the next week’s
lessons.
Language Arts
Meet the Superkids
Handwriting without Tears
Journal (daily work)
Print Awareness
 Demonstrates the proper way to read a book (e.g., right side up) and where to begin reading
 Identifies the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book
 Begins to identify the title and author of the book
 Follows the words from the top to bottom and left to right when reading
 Recognizes and names all of the capital and lowercase letters

6.  Understands that a sentence is made up of separate words
 Distinguish letters from words
 Identifies periods, question marks, and exclamation points
Phonological/Phonemic Awareness
 Understands that individual letters have sounds
 Matches each consonant or short vowel sound to the corresponding letter
 Identifies and creates simple rhyming pairs (e.g., cat/hat)
 Identifies beginning sounds in words (e.g., /h/ in hat)
 Begins to identify ending sounds in words (e.g., /t/ in hat)
 Identifies when two words share the same beginning sound (e.g., hat and hammer)
 Attempts to blend phonemes into simple words (e.g., /h/ /a/ /t/ = hat)
 Attempts to segment phonemes of words (e.g., hat = /h/ /a/ /t/)
Reading Comprehension
 Utilizes new vocabulary when speaking and writing
 Uses picture cues and text to make predictions prior to reading
 Retells or acts out a story in accurate sequential order (beginning, middle, end)
 Uses picture cues to talk about what is happening in the story
 Answers simple questions about the main characters, setting, and events in a story
 Distinguishes between fiction and nonfiction
 Recognizes and understands environmental print such as school and classroom labels
 Begins to recognize high-frequency words (e.g., and, the, you, etc.)
Writing/Spelling/Handwriting
 Dictates stories about events and/or experiences for others to write
 Participate in a variety of writing opportunities (e.g., journal writing, shared writing, etc.)
 Uses classroom resources such as a word wall to support the writing process
 Shares own writing with other children. Teacher, and/or parents
 Writes own name (first and last)
 Writes informal notes, lists, letters , etc. using developmental/inventive spelling and pictures
 Prints all capital and lowercase letters
Listening and Speaking
 Expresses feelings, ideas, and needs in complete sentences
 Follows one- and two-step directions
 Listens attentively to stories and poems
 Takes turns during conversations and responds appropriately

Revised September, 2013
Mathematics
Number Sense
 Counts forward to 20 or higher and backward from 10
 Identifies the numerals 0-20
 Counts a set of 20 or fewer objects in a set one-by-one
 Identifies the numeral that matches the quantity (0-20)
 Identifies and creates sets of objects (0-20)
 Compares sets of 20 or fewer objects using words such as more, less, same, different, fewer, etc.
 Identifies the ordinal position (first through tenth) of objects
 Uses concrete objects to add and subtract whole numbers using up to 10 concrete items

7. Geometry and Spatial Sense
 Identifies the following two-dimensional shapes: circle, triangle, square, oval, pentagon, and octagon
 Identifies the following three-dimensional shapes: sphere, cone, cylinder, and cube
 Demonstrates spatial awareness by using positional words (e.g., on, off, above, below, besides, etc.)
 Compares and contrasts objects according to two attributes (e.g., shape and size, shape and color, etc.)
Measurement
 Measures and estimates length and/or capacity using nonstandard units of measurement (e.g., paper clips, blocks, etc)
 Compares objects according to size (e.g., longest, shortest, tallest, big, bigger, biggest, etc.)
 Selects the appropriate measuring instrument to measure length (ruler), time (clock), and temperature (thermometer)
 Tells time to the hour on both digital and analog clock
 Identifies the days of the week and the months of the year
 Identifies the following coins and the value of each: penny, nickel, dime, and quarter
Data Analysis
 Collects data related to familiar experiences
 Creates objects and picture graphs
 Interprets information presented on a graph (picture or object)


Revised September, 2013
Science
Science Process and Physical Science
 Observes, describes, classifies, and sorts real objects according to common characteristics
 Plans and conducts simple experiments
 Uses the five senses to make observations and gather information
 Ask questions, makes predictions, and shares observations both orally and in drawings
 Compares and describes the properties of some types of materials (e.g., magnetic-nonmagnetic, float-sink, solid-liquid,
etc.)
Life Science and Health
 Observes and describes what living creatures (plants and animals) need in order to live
 Classifies objects as living or non-living
 Describes the life cycles and changes plants and animals go through during their life (e.g., egg to chick, seed to plant)
 Understands the importance of daily physical activities
 Identifies and practices personal health habits (e.g., washing hands, using a tissue, etc.)
 Identifies types of food that help the body grow
Earth and Space Science
 Describing the properties of common earth materials (e.g., rocks, soil, water)
 Observes and records weather changes from day to day and over four seasons
 Describes simple conservation measures used to protect the environment (e.g., recycling)

Social Studies
Civics and Government
 Works and plays cooperatively in a variety of situations (one-on-one, small groups, etc.)
 Understands and identifies the importance of school and classroom rules
 Identifies governmental employees and their roles (e.g., postal worker, police officer, etc.)
 Identifies the American flag as a symbol of our country
Geography
 Identifies a globe as a representation of Earth
 Knows terms that describe location (e.g., near, far, left, right, behind, etc.)
 Understands how different modes of transportation move people and goods from place to place

8.  Understands that a map is a representational drawing of a location
 Understands how children within a community and around the would have common needs (e.g., food, shelter, clothing)
 Understands how children within the local community and around the world are different (e.g., language, customs, etc.)
History
 Shows interest in stories and past events and important Americans (e.g., George Washington, Abraham Lincoln,
Benjamin Franklin, etc.)
 Understands the historical significance of commemorative holidays (e.g., Presidents’ Day, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day,
etc.)
Economics
 Understands that money is used to purchase goods and services
 Begins to understand the difference between wants and needs
 Understands that people must work in order to earn money
 Begins to understand the value of saving for future wants and needs
 Gives a simple description of the work and jobs people do
Revised September, 2013
The Arts
Visual Arts
 Creates artwork using a variety of colors, forms, and lines
 Develops manipulative skills when drawing, painting, and constructing artwork
 Explores a variety of different art methods such as drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.
Music
 Participates in music through singing or playing instruments
 Responds to the beat or rhythm in music by clapping, tapping, or playing classroom instruments
Creative Dramatics
 Uses props to participate in dramatic play
 Works cooperatively with others during dramatic play
Motor Skills
Fine Motor Development
 Holds writing instruments between thumb and fingers
 Cuts on a line most of the time
 Uses glue with control
Large Motor Development
 Demonstrates basic locomotor movements (e.g., galloping, hopping, running, skipping)
 Demonstrates nonlocomotor movements (e.g., bending, swaying, twisting)
TK Specialty Classes
Technology:
Physical Education:
Spanish:
Classwork Folder
our child will bring home a folder on Thursdays containing completed classwork and religion story. Please look over the
classwork with your child and have your child bring back the empty folder on Friday. If a student is absent, the missed classwork
will be sent in the folder. The work may be completed at home and returned to the teacher by the next week.

9. Communication with the Teacher
We will have a formal parent-teacher conference in November. E-mail is my preferred method of communication. Please send a
message to me at drosier@serraschool.org or call me at 949-888-1990 x213. If you call during the school day, please leave a
message as I will check my messages after the students have left for the day. I will respond to e-mail messages within 48 hours.
Classroom Management
Classroom Rules
1. Listen when someone is speaking
2. Raise your hand to speak
3. Follow directions quickly
4. Be a caring friend
5. Always do your best work
For a positive incentive system to encourage good classroom behavior, we use a “Bear Stick” reward. Students earn sticks for
being on task. Every five sticks earned is rewarded with a prize from the treasure box. In addition, the student who earns 25 sticks
will receive a certificate.
The behavior chart posted in the class will encourage students to stay on task. Each student starts on Green “Ready to Learn” in
the morning. From the Green the students can move their clip up for good behavior or down for bad behavior. The good behavior
goes form Blue “Good Job” to Purple “Great Job” to Pink “Awesome”. The negative behavior goes from Yellow “Slow Down”
to Orange “Warning” to Red “Teachers Choice”. If a child is on Green at the end of the day he or she receives a bear stick, Blue
receives two bear stick, purple receives three bear sticks, and Pink gets to go straight to the treasure box.
If your child displays repeated inappropriate behavior and/or moves his/her clip to red, I will be contacting you to discuss the
situation so we can help your child as a team.
Stickers and Treasure Box
I use many stickers to grade papers in TK. It would be greatly appreciated if you could send in a package of stickers once a
month. Stickers can be seasonal, religious or motivational in theme.
It would be greatly appreciated if you would. please help keep the TK treasure box stocked with little trinkets, such as pencils,
erasers, rubber balls, plastic figures, play jewelry, baseball cards, or anything else you can think of.
Playground Rules
Students will:
1. Climb the ladder and go down the slide in a sitting position. They should not climb up the slide.
2. Keep the sand in the sand box and not throw the sand.
3. Put away the toys at the end of recess and lunch.
4. Ride the tricycles on the painted track and take turns.
5. Raise their hand to be dismissed from the tables after eating.
6. Throw their trash in the trash can.
Snack and Lunch Time
nack time for TK is at recess. Recess is at 9:00AM Monday through Friday. Healthy snacks are very much encouraged. Due to
allergies, students are not allowed to share food at school. Please bring a small individual snack for recess and a separate container
for lunch. Each should be labeled with your child’s name. Serra Catholic School does have a hot lunch program, Choice Lunch
that can be purchased on-line. Please see the Serra web-site for information. All foods distributed through the lunch program are
peanut free.
Revised September, 2013

10. Allergies
here are several students with food allergies. If your child needs to sit at the peanut free table, please let me know. If your
child has food allergies, you may send some extra snacks that we will keep for your child to eat on special
days if you like. Just let me know.
Change of Clothes
lease provide your child with an extra change of clothes in a Ziploc baggie for any accidents that may occur. These clothes do
not have to be the uniform and should include socks, underwear, shorts and a shirt or t-shirt. It is important to note that students
may get paint or dirt on their uniforms as sometimes we do messy crafts or they get wet using the water table at recess. These
activities do help them grow and develop, so it is good to have a change of clothing.
Birthdays
our child will be provided with a special birthday crown (designed especially for them) on the day they celebrate their
birthday. Your child my wear non-uniform clothing on the day that his/her birthday is celebrated. Parents may bring a birthday
treat. Healthy snacks or small trinkets are encouraged. Please inform the teacher so that she can schedule it in! Please see the
“Half Birthday” schedule if your child has a birthday during the summer months.
Dress Code
ress codes will be enforced. Please see parent handbook for more details.
Field Trips
An on-campus presentation will be planned for the TK class. More details to follow.
Student of the Week
We have a special bulletin board for the “Student of the week.” All students need to purchase and prepare a poster telling us about
themselves. Please fill out the “All About Me Page.” The poster and “All About Me Page” should be brought to school on
Monday or the first day of the assigned week. The purpose of this activity is to build self esteem. On Monday the student wil l
share their All About Me poster. On Tuesday have your child bring in their favorite book and I will read it to the class. On
Wednesday, please send in a letter that you write (more information about the letter in the Back to School Night Packet). On
Thursday, please send something with your child to share with the other students in the class. There are 25 students in the class.
On Friday, your child will share the poster about themselves
Scholastic Book Club
Each month your child will bring home book club brochures for books. I highly recommend them to you. One of the best ways to
help your child get excited about reading is to read to them. If you want to order the books you may order online at
www.Scholasticbookclub.com using the Class Code: M8B9P (please, be sure to use this code for the books to count towards our
class order) or you may fill out the form and return to school by the due date with a check payable to Scholastic Book Club. You
do not have to order every month. Books usually take 1-2 weeks from the due date to arrive. The classroom receives many bonus
gifts from Scholastic Book Club, depending on how many books are ordered each month. Thank you for your support.
Revised September, 2013

11. Revised September, 2013