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Activity Bags

Activity bags are a way to extend learning outside the classroom.  Each week your child will bring home their bag filled with an activity, supplies, and worksheet.  Please help your child play the game and then complete the worksheet.  Once a month, I will be sending home a special project in their activity bag for your child to complete.  The family projects are special because your child gets to complete a fun activity with you and other family members.  Activity bags need to be turned in by Monday for a new bag on Tuesday.

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Birthdays

We like to celebrate birthdays as a school and as a class.  The first Friday each month at Mass, we honor everyone who has a birthday that month with a special blessing.  In our classroom, we celebrate each child’s birthday on their special day.  The birthday child is able to bring store bought treats in to help celebrate.  During the week of their birthday, the birthday child gets to bring home a special birthday literacy bag.  It is full of books to read and fun activities to do.  The birthday bag needs to be returned within a week.  That way it can be ready for the next birthday.  For those children who have birthdays during the summer, we celebrate 1/2 birthdays.  June birthdays are celebrate in December, July in January, and August in February.

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Book Orders

Every month I will send home a Scholastic Book Club Catalog for you and your child to look over.  Scholastic offers lots of wonderful books at reduced prices. We also earn free books for our classroom for every dollar spent. You have the option sending your order form back to school or ordering online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs.  Class Activation Code: GPX2N

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Class Books

We create several class books throughout the school year.  They are placed in our classroom library.  Each student creates and illustrates one page in each book.  Once the book is finished, I will upload it our our classroom website.  This will give your child an opportunity to share it with their family. 

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Classroom Parties

We hold 3 main classroom parties throughout the school year at Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day.  For each holiday, children are able to bring treats to share with their classmates.  Please make sure to bring enough for everyone.  

At Halloween, the children are encouraged to dress up.  Please remember no weapons, make-up, and scary costumes (witches, devils, etc...).

During Advent, we celebrate the coming of Christmas with Advent Angels.  Your child will receive the name of another child in the class.  They are then asked to do small things for that child.  For example, draw them a picture, say a prayer for them, play a game with them.  At our Christmas party, they need to give a small gift (under $5) to the Advent Angel.   We also take time to celebrate with our 5th grade buddies by exchanging a small gift. 

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Communication

There are several ways to communicate with me. I have a website that contains a lot of information about our classroom. The web address is www.torborgclass.com. You may contact me by email at btorborg@schoolofstphilip.org or call the school at 320-693-6283. If you call during the school day, please leave a message.  Email is probably the best way to reach me!

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Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences are held after school in November and February.  We will discuss your child's accomplishments, strengths, and overall progress.  You will receive your child’s midterm progress report before our conference.  Please feel free to schedule additional conferences at any time throughout the year if the need arises.

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Dress for the Weather

We live in a wonderful environment with 4 different seasons.  Please make sure to dress your child for each season.  In winter, we play outside if the temperature is above 0 degrees.  Please send your child with boots, hat, mittens, snow pants, and coat.  Please let me know if you would like your child to keep their boots and snow pants in school.  In the spring and fall, it can get warm outside in the afternoons, but the mornings tend to be chilly.  Please help them dress in layers, so they are comfortable all day. 

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Field Trips

Field trips are a great way to extend our classroom outside of our building.  We hope to take several field trips throughout the school year.  Some of our field trips are walking field trips to nearby businesses and parks around town.  We also take our blue bus on trips.  All information about our trips will be posted on our Peek at the Week and you will receive a permission slip to sign and return.

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Fifth Grade "Buddies"

At the beginning of the year, each Kindergartener is partnered with a 5th grader.  This is their “buddy” for the year.  The 5th graders look forward to helping the kindergarteners through their “first” year at the School of St. Philip.  Their buddy helps them throughout the year including watching out for them on the playground during recess, eating lunch together, celebrating the holidays, and so much more.

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First Aid

There is a little first aid station set up in the classroom.  Students have access to bandaids, hand sanitizer, lotion, and vaseline (for chapped lips in the winter).  Please let me know if you do not want your child to use any of these supplies.  

Literacy Bags

Literacy Bags are take home activities and books in a themed tote bag.  (They are different from our activity bags.)  Literacy bags are designed to be fun and informative ways for families to share literacy and learning experiences at home.

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Each week your child will have the choice to take home a large canvas bag filled with books, activities, and a journal.  They are not required to take a bag home every week- just when a bag sparks their attention!  Literacy bags are given out on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  Activity bags need to be returned before Literacy bags are handed out.  Literacy bags need to be returned by the next Tuesday.  Because I have personally purchased everything in the bags I am asking that any student and families that choose to take part in this project replace any missing or damaged books or activities that occur while the bag is in your care.  Most books or activities didn’t cost more than five dollars each.  Also, students that do not have a parent permission slip will NOT be able to take part in this activity - which is ok.  If you would rather not have your child participate, that is OK.

Lunch

Our hot lunch program is provided through the Litchfield Public School.  Children may bring a packed lunch (cold lunch) from home or eat a school lunch.  School lunches must be reserved by 8:30 in the morning in the office.  Students bringing cold lunch may purchase a carton of milk.  The lunch menu is posted on the school website at beginning of the month.

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Mass

We participate in Children’s Liturgies each Friday at 8:30 and on Holy Days during the school year at the Church of St. Philip.  We ride the blue bus to the  church.  The bus leaves school at 8:15 and returns after Mass around 9:30.  All parents are encouraged to attend Mass (regardless of your faith).  Students are able to sit with their parents if you would like.

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Nut Free

Our school is nut free.  This includes all nuts especially peanuts.  ALL snacks and treats (birthday, party, etc..) need to be store bought and nut free.  Thanks!

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Peek at the Week

On the last school day of each week, your child will receive a Peek at the Week.  It is a calendar of events and information for the following week.  On the peek, you will find things like field trips, due dates for projects and homework, Mass days, etc..  You will also find information about our theme unit, math concepts, sight word, and so on that we are studying.  Please review the peek each week.  I encourage students to put it in a special spot for everyone to see (the refrigerator works great).  It can also be found on our classroom website and will be emailed out to parents.

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Report Cards

Report cards are issued every twelve weeks.  They reflect the progress your child has made toward various kindergarten objectives and uses a grading system that reflects the developmental nature of kindergarten learning.  Included with the report card is a comment sheet.  It contains specific information about what happened throughout quarter and how your child is doing.

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School Hours

Our school day starts at 8:00am and ends at 2:45pm.  Our building opens at 7:45am on normal school days.  Students need to be dropped off at the school’s front door and will be sent directly to their classroom.  At the end of the day, all students will be dismissed out the front door.  If you are picking your child up, please park in the parking lot and pick up their child in front of the school. 

It is understandable that things happen including weather issue, appointment, etc..  If your child will arrive late, please contact the school office 320-693-6283 before 8:00am.  If we do not hear from you, we will be contacting you.  If your child needs to leave early, the parent (or guardian) needs to stop in the office.  The office staff will then contact the classroom. 

Inclement Weather!  Because of the bussing schedule, we follow MN District #465 in Litchfield for late start/early release due to the weather.  

The District communicates their announcements through: 

• ISD #465 Website

• Radio: KLFD-AM, WCCO-830AM

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School Supplies

The supply list can be found on the school website. Please do not label individual supplies with your child's name.  Many supplies will be stored in the classroom and distributed throughout the school year.

 

Extra Clothes:  Please keep an extra set of clothing (pants, shirt, underwear, socks) inside a zip-lock bag in your child's backpack in case of an accident. This way we do not have to bother you at work or home. 

In the event of an accident, your child's soiled or wet clothes will be placed in a plastic bag and sent home in his/her backpack.  

Remember that accidents can include spilled milk or mud puddles on the playground.  When accidents happen, we’ll be ready.    FYI: Parents will be called if spare clothes are not available.

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Sick Child

The question of when to keep your child home from school is often a difficult one, especially when decisions must be made first thing in the morning.  It is important, however, to keep your child home if he/she is ill.  Please keep your child home if they have a fever over 100o, are throwing up, or have constant diarrhea.  We ask that a child stay home for 24 hours after they have thrown-up.  This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill.  Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy.  If your child is ill, please call the office (320-693-6283) and inform us of your child’s absence.  If we do not hear from you, we will be contacting you.  

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Snacks

Your children generally get hungry by mid-morning, so I’m requesting that each family contribute to our snack program.  We will have a small snack and glass of milk each morning.  I ask that every child bring in two boxes of snacks to share with the entire class to create our “reserve”.  This should be a healthy snack that is quickly eaten, such as a box of  crackers, dried cereal, fruit roll-ups, animal crackers, etc.  When our reserve snacks begin to run low, I will send a note home requesting more.  Remember all snacks need to be store bought.

 

Perishable snacks such as fruits, vegetables, yogurts, meats, and cheeses are always welcome.  Please have them prepared and ready to eat (washed, cleaned, cut up etc...).   Please note our school is nut free. 

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