For this school year, 2015-2016, we are accepting both the new and old school uniforms. There are still 2 different uniforms. One uniform is for Swimming and PE days and the other uniform is for Art, ICT, Library, and Music.
Magic play-doh oh so white,
I make this wish with all my might. If another color does appear, I'm sure to have a great year! Ananya's play-doh turned to red Anders' play-doh turned to green Elizabeth's play-doh turned to red Emily's play-doh turned to red Filippa's play-doh turned to blue Hamdan's play-doh turned to blue Hamza's play-doh turned to blue Hugo's play-doh turned to blue Jasmine's play-doh turned to orange Lilah's play-doh turned to red Lolowa's play-doh turned to orange Lucas' play-doh turned to orange Marcus' play-doh turned to red Maximilian's play-doh turned to green Maxius' play-doh turned to green Sebastian's play-doh turned to blue Thymen's play-doh turned to blue Togzhan's play-doh turned to red So wonderful to meet so many of you today. I can already tell it is going to be a fantastic year. We will form many friendships throughout the year while we grow and learn together. If you need anything please do not hesistate to email. [email protected]
During the first few weeks of school, the class will be working on becoming familiar with the environment, routines, and each other. Children learn best when they feel comfortable and understand expectations. We will also use these beginning weeks to access individual skills and needs in order to plan activities that will challenge each student.
Arrival and Dismissal The school day begins at 8:15 am and ends at 1:30 pm. We are asking for your cooperation in prompt arrivals and dismissals. I am sure that you can appreciate that the time prior to 8:15am is for teachers and assistants to set up and prepare for the day. Students may enter the early childhood corridor and come to the classroom at 8:15am. However, arrivals earlier than this can wait with their parents in reception until 8:15am. At 1:30pm, parents will be able to enter the early childhood corridor to collect their children. Please wait outside of the classroom door until we are ready to dismiss the students. The children will be dismissed from the classroom one by one. Birthdays We do celebrate student birthdays. You may send a small treat (such as cupcakes, doughnuts, or cookies) that will be shared with the class. Please inform me at least a day in advance if you will be sending something for your child’s birthday. If your child’s birthday falls on a weekend or holiday, please let me know of an alternate day for celebrating. Communication School information will be sent through the Weebly, http://kgonegwa. Please check this webpage regularly for important school communication. This is the main source of communication between the classroom and home. Daily Specialist Classes The KG 1 students attend specialist classes daily as part of their program requirement. Please note that the school follows a six day scheduling cycle. You can refer to the KG 1 KM monthly calendar for your child’s specialist class schedule. Our first day of school August 30, it will be Day 1 of the cycle. We will not have swimming. Art Art is on Day 6. Please send your child to school dressed in their regular uniform. ICT ICT is on Day 4. Please send your child to school dressed in their regular uniform. Library Library on Day 3. Please send your child to school dressed in their regular uniform. Your child will be bringing home a library book each Day 3. Please read this book with your child and teach them good book handling skills (touching the book with clean hands; how to carefully turn the pages). The library book may be returned to school any day of the week, but must be returned by morning on Day 3 in time for our library class. If your child forgets to bring the book back to school, they will not be allowed to take another book home until the first one is returned. Please send your child to school dressed in their regular uniform. Music Music is on Day 4 & Day 6. Please send your child to school dressed in their regular uniform. P.E. P.E. is on Day 2 and Day 5. Please send your child to school dressed in their P.E. uniform. Occasionally, the students remove their shoes and socks for P.E. class. Please make sure these items are labelled. Swimming Our class has swimming on Day 1. Your child will need to bring the following swimming items to school: swimsuit, robe, flip-flops/crocs, towel, swimming cap, and goggles. A smaller backpack in which to carry these items is encouraged. Please send your child dressed in their P.E. uniform. Folders I will keep all work produced by your child at school until Thursday, when I will send it home in their clear plastic folders. Please look at your child’s work and discuss it with him/her. Have your child return the empty plastic folder to school on Sunday. Labeling Items Please label all of your children’s items; hat, all clothes (including undergarments and socks), and water bottle. This will make it easier to locate should they be misplaced. Snack and Lunch Children in KG1 are required to bring a packed snack and lunch each day. We will eat snack in the classroom at approximately 10:00am for 15 minutes and lunch at approximately 12:40pm for 30 minutes. Please pack and clearly label a healthy snack as well as lunch for your child. Please refrain from including chips, chocolate, or soda drinks as promoting healthy eating is part of our curriculum. It is also important we present children with healthy choices as this provides them with the proper energy required for a productive day of learning. Please ensure that all food items are nut free. Spare Clothes Please send a complete change of clothes to school with your child (these do not need to be school uniform). These will be kept here for the entire school year and used in case your child has an accident-whether this happens to be a bathroom, snack/lunch, or water table accident. Please ensure that your child’s name is printed on of all his/her clothing, and is enclosed in a clear plastic bag. Sun Safety As the weather is hot, please provide a hat for your child to wear outdoors. Please make sure the hat is clearly labelled with your child’s name as many hats look alike. Toys In an attempt to avoid the upset of having their toys broken, lost, or stolen; we ask that students leave their own play-things at home. We are fortunate to have a wonderful classroom that is very well resourced. Water Bottles Staying hydrated is very important and encouraged in the classroom. Please send your child to school with a re-useable water bottle clearly labelled with their name. Water bottles that have flip straws are preferred as they are easy for students to access independently. We will refill water bottles as necessary. Dear KG 1 Parents,
Hello! My name is Krista McCauley and I have the pleasure of being your child’s Kindergarten teacher this year. I would like to begin with a brief introduction of myself. I am from Tacoma, Washington which is located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In May 2005, I received my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Pacific Lutheran University, a small private university located right in my hometown. I obtained a reading certificate alongside my teaching degree, equipping me with specialized reading instructional techniques. From 2005-2013, I taught Full Day Kindergarten in Tacoma and relocated to Dubai two years ago, in order to join the GWA family. I am looking forward to an exciting year of working with you and assisting your child with reaching their full potential. Let me also take this opportunity to introduce Ms. Jinky Barriga, our class’s teaching assistant, who will be working on supporting the children’s educational and social needs over the course of the year. Ms. Jinky is originally from the Philippines but has called Dubai home for the past 7 years. Ms. Jinky has been a member of the GWA Family for 4 years now serving in the after school care room and as a KG1 teaching assistant. She enjoys working with children of all ages. In addition to Ms. Jinky, we will have an intern is our class until December, Ms. Natasha Strini. Ms. Natasha is South African and from Durban. Her husband, who is an Air Traffic Control Manager, and she came to Dubai in late 2006. She has always loved working with children and in her first year in the UAE she worked at a Nursery school, First Steps. Ms. Natasha’s only child, Cristiano started KG1 at GWA in 2014. It was then that she decided to study Early Years Education in Children with EYES, Dubai. We believe that KG1 is a very special time in a child’s life; it’s a time of laughter, forming new friendships as well as laying the foundation for an enjoyable and successful educational career. Our KG1 units of inquiry are trans-disciplinary units where the children learn to use different approaches to inquire into a topic and solve problems. Our learning is student centered and will focus on encouraging your child to use higher order thinking when exploring new topics. Daily center time will be used to work on activities which focus on all areas of the curriculum. Sincerely, Krista McCauley (KG1 KM Teacher) [email protected] Jinky Barriga (KG1 KM Teaching Assistant) Natasha Strini (KG1 KM Intern) |
Please feel free to email me at any time by clicking the link below.
Miss McCauley
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