Welcome to Kindergarten!
A Note to Families
Welcome to Minnesota Math and Science Academy! We have incredibly high academic and behavioral expectations for your child and we hope you do too! We truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child. Therefore we hope that you will view your child’s teacher as a partner in their education and know that they ALWAYS have your child’s best interest at heart. At MMSA, we do not hesitate to call parents for positive/negative news or just to say “hello.” We want to work with you, so please keep us informed if there is ever a special tip or information you would like to share about your child. After all, nobody knows them better than you do! Thank you for your support and we look forward to an amazing year!
-The Kindergarten Team (Ms. Wenborg, Ms. Kizer, and Ms. Mueller)
Student Backpack and Homework Folder
Please make sure that your child comes to school each day with his/her backpack and homework folder. At Minnesota Math and Science Academy we strongly believe that students must learn responsibility by managing their homework folders. We recommend you and your child review school work and other pieces of communication on a daily basis.
Your child’s homework folder should be labeled so the left side is “Left at Home.” Here you will find information for parents, reminders, progress reports, and my weekly newsletter. The right side should be labeled “Right Back to School.” Here you will find their daily homework, permission slips, etc. Please make sure to empty the left side each night before your child returns to school the following day. It is also helpful to have a backpack large enough to easily accommodate papers, books, etc.
Daily Schedule
Our day is broken into 50 minute blocks of time. During these blocks we work on Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. The first block, which is the most important, is our Morning Meeting. Please make sure your child arrives at school by 7:45 when lessons start. Breakfast starts at 7:30. Once or twice a day, your child will also go to “specials,” which will either be Physical Education, Technology, Art, or Library.
Grading Policy
Students in K-2 are graded based on skills on a scale of:
E – Deomonstrates EXCELLENCE in understanding concepts, consistently applying knowledge beyond grade level standards and expectations
M – Domonstrates proficiency in MEETING requried skills and concepts of grade level standards and expectations
D – DEVELOPING some understanding of requried skills and concepts of grade level standards and expectations
N - NOT YET begun to demonstrate an understanding of required skills and concepts of grade level standards and expectations
NA - Concept to be learned later in the year
This scale applies to everything from homework, to specific skills, to behavior.
Homework Policy
Homework is sent home every day and is due the following day. It is our policy to give each student reading homework. Your child should be able to do his/her homework independently, as it is a review of what we do in class. Please make sure to have pencils, crayons, scissors, and glue available for your child’s homework. In addition to that homework, students should read or be read to for a minimum of 20 minutes at home each night. Statistics show that children who are read to by a family member daily end up reading better, writing better, and have more financial success in life than those who are not. Once your child is in the habit of doing this daily, this will become second nature to him/her and what a great habit to be in at such a young age!
Homework Make-Up Policy
If it is necessary to miss school we do encourage students to keep journals, read or be read to, and practice mathematical observations, concepts, and skills while on vacation. When possible, we will send home worksheets or paper activities that a child has missed due to travel or illness. All available make-up homework is due within 2 school days of returning from the absence. Please communicate with your child’s teacher about absences in advance and make-up work.
Attendance
Kindergarten is the most important year! We cannot stress this enough. Please make sure that your child is at school daily and is taking their education seriously; we teachers sure do. If they aren’t now, why should they in 10 years? So we ask you, as the adult, to please emphasize the importance of being at school daily and having plenty of sleep (Kindergarteners require 10 hours of sleep per night). Thank you for your help in this vital area.
Arrival/Departure
It is imperative that your child arrives to school on time and does not leave early. Please make sure that your child is not tardy as the first hour of the day is the most important. A child being dropped off late or picked up early disrupts class. Thank you for helping your child stay on schedule. Kindergarten class times are 7:45-2:25, with breakfast at 7:30-7:45am. Please do not bring your child to the school before 7:30, as staff is not available for supervision. At 2:25 Kindergarten students will be walked out by their teacher. Pick-ups and walkers are dropped off at the cafeteria. Please do not pick up your child near the buses as it leaves room for injury and accidents. Please note that school staff cannot send your child home on a different bus or pick up unless the office has written permission from you.
Uniform
At MMSA we wear our MMSA shirt with logo with solid black, blue, or tan bottoms. Hair covers must be solid black, blue, or tan.
Lunch
If your child brings food for lunch at school, they are expected to only eat their food in the cafeteria during breakfast or lunch time. Please make sure the food they bring is not candy or large bags of chips. Studies show that students that start the day with healthy food perform better in school.
Birthdays
If it is your child’s birthday and you would like to bring a treat for the class to share, please be sure it is store bought, does not contain peanuts, and is not messy. Thank you in advance.
Toys
Please help your child remember that toys are to stay at home. Toys in the classroom tend to be a distraction to learning, and can be lost or broken.
School-Wide Expectations
Be safe: Students are expected to walk, use their words to resolve conflicts, keep the classroom tidy, and think before acting.
Be respectful: Students are expected to treat others kindly, keep an appropriate voice level, and listen to teacher directions.
Be responsible: Students are expected to come to class ready to learn, stay on task during work time, and take care of classroom supplies.
Be honest: Students are expected to own up to their mistakes, apologize when they make a poor choice, and tell the teacher if something is wrong.
Field Trips
Two field trips occur throughout the year. Unfortunately not every parent can attend every field trip. There is always a chaperone option with the permission slip. Feel free to fill it out and the teacher will contact you if you are needed. Please do not show up to a field trip unless you have been explicitly contacted by your teacher. Thank you.
Home Visits
We believe, at MMSA, that parent/teacher communication and support is an important part of your child’s education. Therefore, throughout the year, we do some home visits. This is just a quick 20 minutes (that we schedule in advance with you) to come to your home and show your child that we care enough about them to come and see where they live. If you would like, we can instead meet at the school or other location. We have only had positive results from these visits and please do not hesitate to ask further questions regarding these.
Conference s
Con ferences occur three times throughout the year, as noted on our school calendar. If the classroom is closed, your child’s teacher is in a conference. Please wait until the teacher is available for the next conference. If you cannot make it to conferences, please let your teacher know in advance so that she may send your child’s assessments home for you to look over. Thank you in advance.
Classroom Management Policy
Our classes use Classroom Dojo, an online, points-based system for tracking behavior. You can monitor your child's behavior by logging in at classdojo.com
Contact Info
School phone: 651-246-0845
KA Ms. Wenborg - ext. 210 - [email protected]
KB Ms. Kizer - ext. 211 - [email protected]
KC Ms. Mueller - ext. 214 - [email protected]
A Note to Families
Welcome to Minnesota Math and Science Academy! We have incredibly high academic and behavioral expectations for your child and we hope you do too! We truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child. Therefore we hope that you will view your child’s teacher as a partner in their education and know that they ALWAYS have your child’s best interest at heart. At MMSA, we do not hesitate to call parents for positive/negative news or just to say “hello.” We want to work with you, so please keep us informed if there is ever a special tip or information you would like to share about your child. After all, nobody knows them better than you do! Thank you for your support and we look forward to an amazing year!
-The Kindergarten Team (Ms. Wenborg, Ms. Kizer, and Ms. Mueller)
Student Backpack and Homework Folder
Please make sure that your child comes to school each day with his/her backpack and homework folder. At Minnesota Math and Science Academy we strongly believe that students must learn responsibility by managing their homework folders. We recommend you and your child review school work and other pieces of communication on a daily basis.
Your child’s homework folder should be labeled so the left side is “Left at Home.” Here you will find information for parents, reminders, progress reports, and my weekly newsletter. The right side should be labeled “Right Back to School.” Here you will find their daily homework, permission slips, etc. Please make sure to empty the left side each night before your child returns to school the following day. It is also helpful to have a backpack large enough to easily accommodate papers, books, etc.
Daily Schedule
Our day is broken into 50 minute blocks of time. During these blocks we work on Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. The first block, which is the most important, is our Morning Meeting. Please make sure your child arrives at school by 7:45 when lessons start. Breakfast starts at 7:30. Once or twice a day, your child will also go to “specials,” which will either be Physical Education, Technology, Art, or Library.
Grading Policy
Students in K-2 are graded based on skills on a scale of:
E – Deomonstrates EXCELLENCE in understanding concepts, consistently applying knowledge beyond grade level standards and expectations
M – Domonstrates proficiency in MEETING requried skills and concepts of grade level standards and expectations
D – DEVELOPING some understanding of requried skills and concepts of grade level standards and expectations
N - NOT YET begun to demonstrate an understanding of required skills and concepts of grade level standards and expectations
NA - Concept to be learned later in the year
This scale applies to everything from homework, to specific skills, to behavior.
Homework Policy
Homework is sent home every day and is due the following day. It is our policy to give each student reading homework. Your child should be able to do his/her homework independently, as it is a review of what we do in class. Please make sure to have pencils, crayons, scissors, and glue available for your child’s homework. In addition to that homework, students should read or be read to for a minimum of 20 minutes at home each night. Statistics show that children who are read to by a family member daily end up reading better, writing better, and have more financial success in life than those who are not. Once your child is in the habit of doing this daily, this will become second nature to him/her and what a great habit to be in at such a young age!
Homework Make-Up Policy
If it is necessary to miss school we do encourage students to keep journals, read or be read to, and practice mathematical observations, concepts, and skills while on vacation. When possible, we will send home worksheets or paper activities that a child has missed due to travel or illness. All available make-up homework is due within 2 school days of returning from the absence. Please communicate with your child’s teacher about absences in advance and make-up work.
Attendance
Kindergarten is the most important year! We cannot stress this enough. Please make sure that your child is at school daily and is taking their education seriously; we teachers sure do. If they aren’t now, why should they in 10 years? So we ask you, as the adult, to please emphasize the importance of being at school daily and having plenty of sleep (Kindergarteners require 10 hours of sleep per night). Thank you for your help in this vital area.
Arrival/Departure
It is imperative that your child arrives to school on time and does not leave early. Please make sure that your child is not tardy as the first hour of the day is the most important. A child being dropped off late or picked up early disrupts class. Thank you for helping your child stay on schedule. Kindergarten class times are 7:45-2:25, with breakfast at 7:30-7:45am. Please do not bring your child to the school before 7:30, as staff is not available for supervision. At 2:25 Kindergarten students will be walked out by their teacher. Pick-ups and walkers are dropped off at the cafeteria. Please do not pick up your child near the buses as it leaves room for injury and accidents. Please note that school staff cannot send your child home on a different bus or pick up unless the office has written permission from you.
Uniform
At MMSA we wear our MMSA shirt with logo with solid black, blue, or tan bottoms. Hair covers must be solid black, blue, or tan.
Lunch
If your child brings food for lunch at school, they are expected to only eat their food in the cafeteria during breakfast or lunch time. Please make sure the food they bring is not candy or large bags of chips. Studies show that students that start the day with healthy food perform better in school.
Birthdays
If it is your child’s birthday and you would like to bring a treat for the class to share, please be sure it is store bought, does not contain peanuts, and is not messy. Thank you in advance.
Toys
Please help your child remember that toys are to stay at home. Toys in the classroom tend to be a distraction to learning, and can be lost or broken.
School-Wide Expectations
Be safe: Students are expected to walk, use their words to resolve conflicts, keep the classroom tidy, and think before acting.
Be respectful: Students are expected to treat others kindly, keep an appropriate voice level, and listen to teacher directions.
Be responsible: Students are expected to come to class ready to learn, stay on task during work time, and take care of classroom supplies.
Be honest: Students are expected to own up to their mistakes, apologize when they make a poor choice, and tell the teacher if something is wrong.
Field Trips
Two field trips occur throughout the year. Unfortunately not every parent can attend every field trip. There is always a chaperone option with the permission slip. Feel free to fill it out and the teacher will contact you if you are needed. Please do not show up to a field trip unless you have been explicitly contacted by your teacher. Thank you.
Home Visits
We believe, at MMSA, that parent/teacher communication and support is an important part of your child’s education. Therefore, throughout the year, we do some home visits. This is just a quick 20 minutes (that we schedule in advance with you) to come to your home and show your child that we care enough about them to come and see where they live. If you would like, we can instead meet at the school or other location. We have only had positive results from these visits and please do not hesitate to ask further questions regarding these.
Conference s
Con ferences occur three times throughout the year, as noted on our school calendar. If the classroom is closed, your child’s teacher is in a conference. Please wait until the teacher is available for the next conference. If you cannot make it to conferences, please let your teacher know in advance so that she may send your child’s assessments home for you to look over. Thank you in advance.
Classroom Management Policy
Our classes use Classroom Dojo, an online, points-based system for tracking behavior. You can monitor your child's behavior by logging in at classdojo.com
Contact Info
School phone: 651-246-0845
KA Ms. Wenborg - ext. 210 - [email protected]
KB Ms. Kizer - ext. 211 - [email protected]
KC Ms. Mueller - ext. 214 - [email protected]