Hello Room 102 Families!
I am so excited about the start of the school year. We are going to have a great year together in Kindergarten!
For those of you who don't know me, I'm Nicole Melnik and this will be my ninth year teaching at Thompson. This is my third year in Kindergarten, after teaching First Grade. I graduated from Simmons College in Boston. My husband Peter and I had a fabulous summer with our two year old daughter, Kora, and our dog, Daisy.
If you have not yet, please click here to fill out some information for me. I will be asking you to fill this out at your child's visiting day otherwise.
Upcoming Dates:
Visiting Day- Tuesday, September 5th
Your child has a 30 minute appointment with a small group of classmates. I will be giving the children a quick tour of the classroom, showing them their morning routine, reading a book and having them color a picture. I will be able to answer all of your questions, big and small! Younger siblings are welcome to come along. This is a great day to drop off your supplies.
First Day of Kindergarten- Wednesday, September 6th OR Thursday, September 7th (8:10-2:30)
Our first two days of school will only be with half of our class. If you don't know which day your child has school and which day they do not, please send me an email.
Full day of K for all students!
Welcome back breakfast, 8:15am, Hosted by the PTO
Important Beginning of Year Information:
Arrival: I will meet you each morning on our classroom patio (door #8 on North Union Street---this number will be changing at some point due to the construction). The first bell is at 8:05 and is the signal to line up. At 8:10 the second bell rings and we will walk into the classroom as a cohesive class! I know there might be some tears (not just the kids!) but please know that we are used to it and are prepped with extra teaching assistants and staff from the building. Since you have the opportunity to spend time with your child in the classroom on Tuesday, I ask that you say good bye at the door so that we can walk proudly in together as a class. Once it's 8:15, the classroom door will close and your child is considered tardy. They will need to enter through the office doors and get a late pass from Ms. Vicki.
Dismissal: We will dismiss out the patio door. Please remember that the patio is an extension of our classroom and to respect our learning and independence. Dismissal is at 2:30, except every Tuesday at 1pm. If your child attends an afterschool, they will be escorted to their program.
Snack: Please send a quick snack each day. We eat an afternoon snack since the kindergarten recess and lunch period is 10:30-11:10 (recess first, then lunch) Please place their snack in a separate part of their backpack. If it is something that needs to stay chilled with their lunch, please mark it "Snack" and go over that with your child so it is not "accidentally" eaten at lunch! We are so lucky to have Arlington EATS provide snack for any child that might be hungry. I'm proud to say I'm one of the co-founders and you'll be hearing much more about this program!
Communication: Throughout the year, I will be sending a weekly newsletter via e-mail called the Friday Flash. You can also check out our blog (www.ThompsonK102.blogspot.com) and Twitter (@ThompsonK102) for more updates about what is going on in our classroom!
Here are a few ideas to help your child get ready for the start of school:
- Ask your child what their favorite memory from the summer was so they will be ready to share with their new classmates!
- Help your child to get back on a school schedule so they will be well rested. Full Kindergarten days are a big adjustment for all (including me!)
- Ask your child what they are most excited for this school year. Is anything making them nervous?
Feel free to email me any time with questions/concerns or just to day hi! :-) Have a great last few days of summer! I'm off to two weddings this weekend... one being my brother's!
Thanks,
Nicole
