WELCOME
to the
GUY B. BROWN
KINDERGARTEN PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
~Tuesday May 9, 2017!~
Agenda
O Welcome! Kelly Rizzo
O Meet the Current Kindergarten Team:
Principal: Kelly Rizzo, Vice-Principal: Lindsay Williams
Classroom Teachers: Alicia Mann Da Silva, Emily Rushton,
Natasa Cule, Rhonda Chaimovitz, Key Straughan
DECEs: Jennifer Harrison, Ethel Corbin, Andrea Campbell
Learning Resource Teachers: Tanya Bye, Jane Kyte
O
O
O
O
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
Other HWDSB/GBB Support/Personnel
Questions?
Closing Remarks – Lindsay Williams
The First Day & Classroom Visits
Tuesday September 5, 2017
O First Day
O postcard to your home at the beginning of the
summer
O advise of ‘visit’ date/time and entry to full days
O name of teacher/s
O Classroom Visits: your child visits the class with a
parent/adult for 1 hour in small groups with other
children and adults (1 day)
A time to:
O meet the teachers
O explore the classroom and play with materials
O become familiar with basic routines (arrival,
departure & washroom)
O complete information forms – (contact numbers,
child’s health and home routine)
O ask questions
When will school start?
Tuesday September 5, 2017
Year 1 Students
“ New to School”
Classroom Visits
Wednesday September 6, 2017 All Year 1 and Year 2 students
will attend
HWDSB 2017-2018 School Year Calendar
http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Elementary-Draft-Calendar-2017-2018.pdf
About the Full-Day Early
Learning Program
O Our program is based on the Ontario
Ministry of Education – Kindergarten
Program
O 2 year program
O based on learning through play-based
inquiry
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/ele
mentary/kindercurrb.pdf
Flow of the Day
O 3 instructional blocks
O 2 nutrition breaks
O 2 recess periods (20 minutes each)
O Dress for play and outdoor activity everyday
School/Home Communication
How will I know how my child is doing?
O Report Cards - Communication of Learning for
both Year 1 and Year 2 students will be staggered
throughout the year
O Important Bags - Your child’s “Important Bag” is a
helpful school and home communication tool. Please
send it to school with your child each day. Feel free to
write brief notes and place them in your child’s
“Important Bag”. For discussions which require a more
detailed conversation please contact the school and
we would be happy to set up a mutually convenient
time to talk.
School/Home
Communication
How will I know what’s happening at school?
Keep in touch through:
 Important Bags
 Monthly classroom & school newsletters/calendars
online
 Classroom Blogs
 School Webpage & Twitter:
http://schools.hwdsb.on.ca/guybbrown/
 HWDSB webpage: http://www.hwdsb.on.ca
 Sign up for daily announcements
School Arrival
Morning Routines
O Bell rings at 8:35 am for the start of the school day
O Supervision is provided outdoors at 8:20 am until entry
O Parents/caregivers and siblings are asked to wait
outside the playground enclosure to reduce
congestion in the playground
O All the students will line up before entry and give you
their best ‘Brave Wave’!
O As school begins, be sure the teachers are aware of
the arrangements for your dismissal plan and keep
them up to date of any changes in writing.
O There can be no cars left in the bus/fire lane in the
front of the school
School Dismissal
Home Time Routines
O The dismissal bell is at 2:55 p.m.
Students who Walk/Drive Home
O Parents and caregivers who are picking students up
are asked to wait outside the fenced area so that
dismissal is orderly and safe
Daycare:
O Community daycare providers pick up children
from the classroom
O W.D.C.C. – in-school daycare provider
Bus:
O letter sent in August re routes & times
O walked by staff member to bus
Prompt Arrival & Dismissal
O The instructional day begins promptly at 8:35 a.m.
Please do your best to ensure that your child arrives
on or before this time. Arriving on time, so that your
child can line up with his/or her classmates when the
bell rings, helps to provide a great start to the school
day.
O If you arrive after 8:35 a.m. please proceed to the
office for a “late slip”.
O Also, if your child walks home, please ensure that you
pick up at the Kindergarten enclosure promptly at
dismissal time, 2:55 p.m. Thank you in advance for
your cooperation.
Absences


If your child is ill, or will be absent from school for
any reason, please leave a message on the school
answering machine (available 24 hours a day)
Notes in advance of family events/trips are also
appreciated.
School Phone Number: (905) 689-8254
What if my child is ill?
O have a plan in place in case your child wakes up ill
O call the school at any time to leave a message
O you will be contacted by the office or a teacher if your
child appears ill while at school
What do they need for
school?
O play clothes
O velcro or slip-on shoes/boots for outdoor play
O indoor gym shoes
O outer wear suitable for the weather
O good sized backpack
O lunch bag
O extra clothes to be kept at school
What do they need for
lunch?
O 2 nutrition breaks (20 minutes)
O 1 lunch bag with snacks labelled #1 and #2 or
O
O
O
O
Balanced Day lunch bag – 2 separate sections
several nutritious choices, refillable water bottle &
utensils
check that your child can open containers
Special Days – pita, pizza,
Bake It Up- www.eatrightontario.ca
Allergy Alert
O Please be aware that there are students in our school
with severe allergies.
O Be sure that any food items coming to school DO NOT
CONTAIN NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS.
O Guy B. Brown is a NUT-SENSITIVE school.
HWDSB Food/Nutrition
Policy
O Please note that the HWDSB Nutrition Policy restricts foods
that are high in sugar, fat and sodium. More information can
be found at: http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/parents/nutrition/.
O Be sure to check out healthy Recipes from the Bake it Up
cookbook that do adhere to the new nutrition policy
www.eatrightontario.ca
Birthday Celebrations
O Birthday celebrations are very important for children
O Our classes will celebrate in a special way, which might
include a card, sticker, crown or a friendly serenade of
“Happy Birthday”
O We will be sure to celebrate all the July and August
birthdays at the end of the year
O Birthday Book Program: If you wish to send something
to school for your child’s birthday instead of a food
item you are encouraged to donate a book to our
classroom library. You may include your child’s picture
and inscription inside the book. We will read the story
on your child’s special day and place the book in our
library for our class and future students to enjoy.
How can I help my child get
ready for Kindergarten?
O encourage independence in the washroom,
O eliminate daytime naps
O create regular bedtime routines
O prepare your child for separation from you
O practice going to school
How can I prepare my child
for learning in Kindergarten?
O read to your child each night
O encourage fine motor activities
O play games as a family
O letter/number learning opportunities around you
O name printing/letter sounds
Becoming a GBB Volunteer
O Volunteers play a very important role in our schools and
often work directly with students.
O All volunteers in HWDSB schools MUST provide a new
Vulnerable Sector Screening every three years. Volunteers
must also sign a current offence declaration each year, in
between Vulnerable Sector Screening updates. We want
everyone at HWDSB to be safe in our buildings and the
updated Vulnerable Sector Screening is one way we can
protect our students.
O We recognize the cost of completing a Vulnerable Sector
Screening can be a barrier for some volunteers. If this is an
issue, please speak with our Principal.
O If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at Guy B.
Brown please pick up a volunteer package to begin to
process of becoming a volunteer. We will hold an
orientation in the fall.
Volunteering for an
Education Excursion
O Throughout the year there will be opportunities for Guy
O
O
O
O
B. Brown Volunteers to help supervise educational
excursions.
If you are interested in attending, when “trip forms” are
sent home please indicate your volunteer status and
your availability for the trip.
Your child’s classroom team will let you know if you
have been selected.
We may be not able to accommodate ALL interested
volunteers for trips.
We will make an effort to select different volunteers for
each trip if possible.
Eye See Eye Learn
O HWDSB participates in the Eye See…Eye Learn in
partnership with the Ontario Association of
Optometrists
O EVERY JK student (Year 1) is encouraged to an have
eye exam
O eligible to receive a free pair of glasses
O Dr.Todd Rhul will speak more about this at the end of
our presentation
Other HWDSB/GBB
Support & Personnel
Learning Resource Teachers at Guy B Brown:
Tanya Bye, Jane Kyte & Lisa Reynolds (FI)
Speech-Language Pathologist, HWDSB
Denice Pugsley
PSTAC (Parent Student Teacher Action Committee) &
School Council
Laura Harris and Lynda Newkirk
WDCC – Before & After Care Program
Shelley Bradaric
Cool Little Kids (Social Work)
Josie Falletta
Questions!
We look forward to working alongside you to
help your child think, play, grow, reach!