Mrs. Heichberger s Child Development Class Dear Parents, Welcome to CD-A!!! This week your child will complete one of the most important milestones in his/her life, the first day of school! I hope this letter will help you know what to expect in Child Development (CD) this year, and answer any questions you may have. I first would like to introduce myself. My name is Stacey Heichberger. This is my sixth year teaching at JIES, and my third year teaching CD. I have a BA in Early Childhood Education from Wittenberg University. I am looking forward to a wonderful and exciting year with your child. Through the remainder of this Welcome Letter I will share some information with you that will help the class run smoothly.
Parent/Teacher Relationship I believe that communication and a good parent-teacher relationship is such an important part of your child s education. If the lines of communication are working well together, then your child is receiving an education that focuses on all of his/her needs and interests. Throughout the year I will communicate with you through notes, telephone calls, e-mails, newsletters, and conferences. Your child s folder will be sent home with papers and student work every night. Please, be sure to look over the papers and help your child with any work we will be sending home. Each time your child s folder goes home please make sure that it is cleaned out and returned the following day. There may be nights where forms will be due back to me the following day. PLEASE always check your child s book bag EVERY NIGHT for any additional flyers and other assignments. Parent Participation I encourage parents to attend school functions when possible, and to support our school/class by sending in supplies or treats when needed. Throughout the school year we will be going on field trips to enable hands on learning. Parents, you are encouraged to attend and chaperone as many field trips as your schedules permit. Your support of school activities makes your child feel important, and sends the message you value the school. Let your child see you being involved. Volunteers are always welcome! Please let me know if you would like to volunteer. School Attendance Your child s regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial to his/her success. He/She cannot learn and develop the necessary skills if he/she is not here. Please see that your child attends school
every day except in the case of illness or emergency. If your child is sick please keep them at home. Please be sure to send an excuse with your child on the day of his/her return to school following any absences. Don t forget to get a doctor s excuse if you take your child to the doctor s office. If your child is going to be out for any reason for an extended time, please let me know. I will help you in any way that I can. Students may enter the school building at 7:20am and go to the classrooms at 7:30am. The tardy bell is at 7:50am. Children may go to the cafeteria in the morning to eat breakfast. If your child is late, please bring them by the office to check in. School will be dismissed at 2:40pm. Car riders will be taken to their car and bus riders will go to the gym to wait for their bus. Change in Transportation Your child must have a written note from you if he/she is going home a different way than usual. You MUST send a note to school to let me know of the change. Do not rely on your child to tell me this information, because children often become confused and relay messages incorrectly. If your child tells me verbally he/she is to go home differently, I cannot rely on the information. Outdoor Recess The children will be going outside for recess everyday unless it is rainy or extremely cold. Please keep this in mind when helping your child to select clothing for the day. If your child is well enough to be at school, he/she is well enough to participate in outdoor recess, if properly dressed. In fact, the germs that cause colds thrive more readily in the heated indoor air, and it is beneficial to go outside to get fresh air. However, on those occasions when you feel it is best for your child to stay indoors, please send me a written note and I will make arrangements.
Money In the money section of your child s folder you will see a money record sheet. Please fill out the sheet each time you send money in with your child. Place the money in a plastic bag inside the money section after filling out the sheet. This way I will know when you sent the money in to school, how much you sent, and what it is for. I will then sign the sheet to show confirmation that I received the money. Book Orders Your child will be bringing home a form to order books once a month from Scholastic. If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send the correct amount of money by cash or check made out to Scholastic Books. Place this form, along with money in the money section of your child s folder. These orders are provided as a convenient way for parents to buy quality books for their child at a low price. As an added bonus, for every dollar that is spent on books, I earn bonus points which are used to purchase books for classroom use. This is a win-win situation because you get quality literature at a low price, and you are helping to provide quality literature for our classroom. Of course, you are never under any obligations to order. Birthdays Birthdays are a special occasion for children. If your child wishes, he/she may bring in treats for the class on his/her birthday. Please send me a note a day or two in advance so I can give you an exact number of children in the class as well as set aside a time for the celebration.
Lunch Please pay for lunches ahead of time if you can. We collect money every Monday for the week. You can also pay for lunch by the month, two months, half-year, etc. If you do send in money daily, I would like you to fill out the information each day on the money sheet. Also, if you send in a check for lunch money, please be sure your child s name is on the check. Snack Snacks will be provided for your child daily. I am asking that each child bring in $35.00 by Friday, September 7 th to offset the cost of snacks for the school year. There are many Fridays that we will be cooking. This is something we make or create that is related to our unit of study. Cooking in CD provides opportunities for countless skills including counting, measuring, and working together. **Please be sure to label your child s name on everything brought to school. (Jackets, bookbags, sweaters, lunchboxes, etc.) The classroom may tend to get a little cool at times; your child should keep a light sweater or jacket in his/her backpack for school. In closing, I am looking forward to an exciting and great year working with your child! You can reach me multiple ways this school year including notes, phone calls, conferences, and e-mail. My e-mail address is Stacey_Heichberger@charleston.k12.sc.us which I check periodically throughout the school day. I would suggest that you save this letter for future reference. Thank you for your support throughout our exciting and fun school year! -Mrs. Heichberger