Welcome Letter
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Hello Parents,
My name is Jennifer Hyatt, and I would like to welcome you and your child to a new year at Miamisburg Christian Academy. I am looking forward to working with your child and helping them achieve their full potential. As we embark upon new adventures in the world of learning, I would like to give you a glimpse of what our year will contain. I feel truly blessed to share this important time with your child and I am looking forward to a year full of discovery and learning. I believe learning should be meaningful and relevant while also striking an equal balance of interest that fosters a love of learning in a caring, and accepting class environment.
Daily instruction will consist of Bible, Reading, and Math for all students (K-2nd grade). First and second graders will also receive direct instruction in English, Spelling, Reading, Handwriting, Science, and History. In addition, students will participate in enrichment classes: Art on Monday, Drama/Chapel on Monday, Music on Tuesday, Gym on Wednesday, Computer Lab almost daily, and Science Lab on Thursday. We will also journey through History with famous historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln (to name a few). My class schedule is available on our class blog site. The schedule will also be posted within the classroom. I will use a grading scale of one through five for all students (grades are outlined in the Parent/Student handbook). Grades are based on daily work, homework, tests, and projects. Your child will also be assessed socially, emotionally, spiritually, and behaviorally throughout the school year.
Communication between home and school is vital and valued. Therefore, your child will carry a daily folder between home and school daily. This folder will contain graded work (returned once a week), homework assignments, a reading log, memory verse log, daily behavior sheet, and any other communication deemed necessary. Please check this folder daily and initial the enclosed calendar for the day viewed to indicate you have viewed the folder and its contents. Within the folder there will be a communication spiral notebook. Please use this notebook to communicate between home and school. I will check this folder daily and respond as needed. If you would like to discuss the information in person, I ask that you please schedule an appointment with me as class instruction time is valuable. Furthermore, I will maintain a class blog site, which will catalogue weekly newsletters, photographs of our learning experiences and memories, our weekly schedule, holidays, and any other valuable information. The newsletter may contain such things as what we are studying, star students (student of month), reminders, current/ upcoming memory verses, current or upcoming student birthdays, and other important information. *Hint: You may subscribe on the blog site homepage under “Email Subscription” to receive notifications and updates by email. My email address and class blog site are listed at the bottom of this letter for any comments, questions, or concerns you may have as the year progresses.
Homework will be kept to a minimum throughout the year. While homework gives the child an opportunity to practice and reinforce the concepts and skills we are learning…I truly believe that the evenings should be spent with family, so I will only assign homework that is meaningful and relevant to our current studies. The homework will consist of reinforcement activities (such as math facts and spelling words), assignments not completed in class, weekly memory verse, and concepts that have not yet been mastered. Homework (when positive) can establish the home-school connection and involve the family in their child’s learning experience. In addition, I request that you read with your child 15 minutes per night (at least twice a week…the more the better). Reading together can be a very enriching time for your family. Reading is also the doorway to lifelong learning, so a love of reading should be fostered.
Memory Verses will be part of your child’s grade. You will receive a memory verse sheet each quarter. Please work with your child at home to memorize our weekly verse. This time should be made enjoyable. We will also be working on these memory verses during class each week. * The memory verse log sheet for the week should be returned on Monday morning in your child’s daily folder.
I ask that each family try their best to have their child eat breakfast in the morning. Breakfast is important to getting the day off to the right start. Kids who are breakfast-eaters may have a distinct advantage over breakfast-skippers, in the following ways:
- better brain power, particularly when it comes to memory
- better test scores, school attendance, and mood
- longer attention spans in school
- better overall nutrition
To continue, every morning and afternoon we will have a snack time. The purpose of the snack time is to help your child stay alert and feeling well between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dismissal. To keep snack time simple and successful, I ask that your child’s snack be healthy (as outlined in the parent/student handbook). I highly recommend fruit, yogurt (optional granola), veggies (optional dip), pretzels, goldfish, crackers, granola bars, trail mix, cheese (remember ice pack). Further suggestions can be found at: http://familyfun.go.com/back-to-school/school-year-guide-for-parents
Kindergarteners please bring one snack, First and Second graders please bring two snacks per school day.
Field trips provide a real-life learning connection for our studies. Please sign up if you would like to chaperone a trip. I will do my best to rotate parents so that everyone has the opportunity to attend at least one trip during the school year.
Daily attendance is vital to learning. However, should your child be sick I ask that you please use your best judgment and if needed, please keep your child home to avoid spreading the illness to the rest of the students. Reasons to keep your child home include but are not limited to:
- A fever of 100 degrees F or higher
- Diarrhea
- Excessive greenish discharge from nose
- Sore throat when accompanied with a fever and swollen glands
- Vomiting; once a youngster has vomited, most health providers recommend or require that the child cannot return to school for a minimum of 24 hours
- Any sort of rash, especially when accompanied by a fever or behavior change
- Any contagious illness such as pink eye or chicken pox
Please refer to the parent/student handbook for the absences outline and how your child can make up missed work.
Birthdays can be a wonderful and memorable time of year. Please feel free to send in a birthday treat on your child’s birthday. With prior notification, parents are also welcome to join us for the birthday celebration. In complying with the school standards, I ask that you provide treats that are relatively healthy (versus treats that are high in sugar content).
The first bell is at 8:10 a.m. Students should be in their seats by 8:15 a.m. I encourage all students to be on time as class instruction will begin promptly at 8:15 a.m. Due to safety precautions I will wait outside for students to arrive until 8:10 a.m. At 8:10 a.m., I walk the students to the classroom. Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:15 a.m. I will walk the students outside to meet you. It is important that the parent be on time for student pick-up. Should you not be on time, at 11:20 a.m. I will walk the student to a table within the lunch area to wait for your arrival. First and Second grade students are dismissed at 3:00 p.m. I will walk the students outside to meet you. It is important that the parent be on time for student pick-up. Should you not be on time, at 3:10 p.m. I will walk the student to the office to wait for your arrival.
The following is the list of classroom rules your child will be introduced to on the first day of school and expected to follow throughout the year:
- Come to class prepared
- Respect and obey teachers
- Hands to self
- Respect classroom and other people’s property
- Raise hand to talk
- Remember WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)
I encourage you to discuss these rules with your child before the school year begins. In addition, children can receive “Sunshine Praises” for displaying Godly characteristics. If your child receives this reward I will notify you on their behavior sheet. Please take the time to congratulate your child and reinforce this accomplishment at home. Students will also receive an animal dollar (see below) when a Sunshine Praise is awarded. I will also be awarding one student per month with a “Student of the Month” or “Star Student” certificate. Finally, the class will work together to build our positive caterpillar each week. Once the positive caterpillar is built the class will receive an end of week surprise for their team work.
At the beginning of each school day, your child will receive three animal dollars. Kindergarten students will receive penguin dollars, first graders will receive giraffe dollars, and second grade students will receive lion dollars. The animal dollars may be exchanged in our class store. Students may also receive additional animal dollars for the following behaviors:
- Exceptional participation
- Staying on task
- Diligence in completing work
- Improvement in grades
- Displaying Godly characteristics
In case of an offense to the above rules, the following will take place:
- First offense- student will receive a verbal warning and is given the opportunity to correct the behavior.
- Second offense- student will lose one animal dollar
- Third offense- student will lose second animal dollar and will receive a time out or loss of privilege.
- Fourth offense- student will lose third animal dollar and must make a phone call to parent and/or will be sent to Mr. Maqsud’s office.
I am looking forward to the 2010/2011 school year. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the school year, please feel free to contact me at school via email. You may also request an appointment with me. In case of an emergency, you may contact the school office (866-6226).
God Bless you and your family as we begin this new school year together.
Teaching for Him,
Jennifer Hyatt
JHYATT@GOMCA.ORG
