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    A 
    Attendance/Tardies/Leaving Early
    The school day begins at 8:25 a.m. and ends at 2:50 p.m.  If your child needs to be picked up early or is tardy (after 8:30), you must go to the office and sign the child in or out.  For children leaving early, the office will notify me, and then I will send your child to the office to meet you.  For children arriving late, the staff will send the child to the classroom with a hall pass.  This procedure must be followed; there are no exceptions.  This is for the protection of your child.  

    Please be advised of the following attendance procedures:
    Parents are asked to send a note to the office and/or an e-mail to Mrs. Darden including the reason for the absence.  Absences or tardies due to a doctor appointment require a note from the doctor for an excuse.  LCS policy and the school administrator determine whether or not the reason is considered excused or not excused.  Excessive absences or tardies will be reported to the guidance counselor. Please see the LCS attendance policy.


    Allergy Alert
    I would like to alert parents to a situation that could endanger the lives of some of our students. Buck Lake has several students with severe peanut allergies. In some cases, the residue of peanut products left on a table could cause a life-threatening reaction. For this reason, the school will not provide peanut products during lunch. I would like to ask all parents and students to be sensitive to this issue and to help by limiting the number of peanut products coming into the building. Please remind children not to share their food with others at school. I sincerely appreciate your efforts to help us make sure all of our students remain safe and healthy.

     
    B
    Birthdays
    It is acceptable to send individually wrapped treats for your child's birthday. Please contact me to set up the date and time.  I will distribute birthday invitations in notebooks only if every student in our class is invited or all students of the same gender.  Please do not send them in for just a select few, as kindergarteners can easily have their feelings hurt.  
     
     
    C
    Calendar

    Conferences
    Please contact me any time you wish to discuss your child’s progress. We can communicate by e-mail, telephone, a note in their KID Folder, a virtual Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting or an in-person conference. I look forward to meeting with families at the end of the first nine weeks to look at and discuss your child's portfolio of accomplishments and to answer any questions you may have.   

    D
    Dress
    Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended because children work and play hard.  We will be going out to recess on fair weather days.  Please dress your child accordingly.
    I am unable to regulate the temperature in our classroom.  Your child may keep a lightweight jacket in his/her cubby to use if necessary.  Please label all clothing with your child's name.
     

    E
    EDEP 
    The Extended Day Enrichment Program is an after-school program that provides participating Buck Lake children with quality, well-supervised activities that stimulate new interests, encourage creativity and build self-confidence.
    Florida BEST Standards

    G
    Guest Speakers

    I love having guest speakers!  If you or someone you know would like to come and speak to our class about an occupation, hobby, travel or other special interest - that would be wonderful.  Let me know so we can schedule a time for the visit. 

     

     
    H
    Homework


    I
    Illness
    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. This helps to make them more comfortable and prevents others from becoming ill. Children function more effectively in the classroom when they are healthy.
    Join the Listserv!
    Please join our listserv so you can get important dates and the school bulletins. All you do is visit the following link and follow the instructions.
    Click here to join the listserv!
     
    K
    KID Folders/Behavior Plan & Rules/Student Code of Conduct

    L
    Lunch
     

    M
    Morning Arrival
    Upon arrival at school, students will place their backpacks along the wall outside of our classroom and then proceed to play on the kindergarten playground until I pick them up at 8:25. In the case of rain or extreme cold, the children are to report directly to the lunchroom. 
     
    Medication
    Students are not to bring medication of any kind to school.  Parents of students requiring medication are to report to the clinic to complete and sign an Administration of Prescription Medication School Permission Form, which is required if medicine must be given at school.  Students are not to have medicine in their possession/backpack at school.  All medicine is to be kept locked in the school's clinic. 
     
    N
    Newsletters

    A weekly newsletter can be found on my website every Monday.    

    O
    Open Door Policy
    Please feel free to call me or to set up an appointment if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding your child's education.

    P
    Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

    Q
    Quiet Time
    We will have a quiet time for @30 minutes each day.  During the second nine weeks, we will begin to wean off of a daily rest unless necessary.  Every child does not have to go to sleep, but they do have to rest/read quietly during this time.

    R
    Report Cards 
    Report Cards will be sent home with your kindergartener every nine weeks. Please keep the report card, sign the front of the envelope and return it to school the next day.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.  

    S 

    Snack
    We will have an optional daily snack .  It must be healthy (no candy, carbonated beverages).  Items such as cheese and crackers, yogurt, granola bars, pretzels, applesauce or fruit make good snacks.  Please send your child’s snack daily. Sometimes there is some confusion for the children as to what their lunch is and what their snack is.  Pick a spot in your child's backpack that is just for their snack.  At the start of school, you may want to place it in a brown lunch bag labeled "snack".  We will not have a group snack due to allergies.  Our school is a peanut-free school.  We encourage parents to send in lunch and snack items that are safe for students with allergies.

    T
    Transportation/Dismissal Procedures
    At the end-of-the-day dismissal, parents may walk to meet their child at the gathering place that is located near the covered basketball court.  For parents who want to meet their child, school policy requires that you go to the gathering place rather than wait near the classrooms. Parents may choose instead to go through the car drive-thru line located at the back of the school.  In the drive-thru lane, an adult will assist your child when entering the car as you pull up.  Please hang the Buck Lake family name placard on your rear-view mirror for easy identification.  They will be distributed to families at the front office during your orientation visit.  If there is a change in the way your child goes home, you must submit a note to me in their KID folder.  Last minute changes can be made by calling the front office at 488-6133.  Due to the end of the day transitions, they will be unable to check out students in the front office for early dismissal between 2:30 and 2:50 p.m. If your child has an afternoon appointment, please ensure that you pick up your child prior to 2:30.

    U
    Update Information
    If your home address, e-mail address or phone numbers change throughout the year, please inform me promptly.

    V
    Volunteers
    We love volunteers!  Moms, dads, grandparents... you can volunteer in class or work on things for class at home.  Please let me know if you are interested and we will find a classroom job for you! All volunteers must complete an online volunteer application form. The volunteer form link can be found below.  This form and background check must be completed if you plan to volunteer this school year.  This includes chaperoning field trips. Thanks!
    Volunteer Application


    Visiting Campus
    All persons, parents or volunteers, must sign-in at the main office and obtain a name tag to wear before going anywhere on campus.  Please remember that you must present identification such as a driver's license with a photograph, when signing your child out early or to speak to your child for any reason.  

    W
    Website
    I will update my website regularly.  Please check the "Announcements" section every Monday.  If I feel there is a need, I will send an e-mail newsflash through this site.  It is imperative that I have your e-mail address for this to be successful.  If you do not have an e-mail address, please let me know so that I can provide hard copies in your child's folder.

    XYZ
    I am eXcited to work with You and Your child this year!  Make sure he/she gets plenty of Zzzz's each night as we have exciting days planned for this year!