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Kindergarten InformationIrvington School Kindergarten Round-Up FAQs - 2008-2009 Irvington School: 503-916-6386 Additional information about Irvington School is also available through the Portland Public School (PPS) website: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/profiles/?id=259 \How do I register my child to attend Irvington School? If Irvington School is your neighborhood school and you want to register your child, bring the following to the Irvington School office: · completed registration form, · completed certificate of immunization form (proof of your child’s immunizations), · a copy of your child’s birth certificate (showing age 5 by September 1), · two forms of proof of home address (e.g., utility bills, rental agreement), and · a home language survey form
Forms and more specific information are available at the school office and at: www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/registration.php. How do I know if Irvington is my neighborhood school or if I must transfer in? Call the school office at 503-916-6386 or visit the PPS website: www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/boundaries/index0607.php. Will Irvington School allow transfer students? We anticipate that almost all entering kindergarten students will be from the Irvington neighborhood. Currently, Principal MacLeod has set aside space for one transfer student; if more apply a lottery will be used to determine who that student is and to set up a waiting list. Information about the transfer process is found at www.enrollment.pps.k12.or.us. The transfer application must be received by March 7, 2008. Is kindergarten at Irvington School free? Yes, Irvington School will have free full-day kindergarten next year. (At this point there is no half-day program.) How many kindergarten classes will there be? Staffing is not yet finalized for next year. This year there were 2 classes, one with a full-time teacher and full-time aide, and the other with two half-time teachers who job share and a full-time aide. What will kindergarten class size be? We do not know until students enroll. This year there are 31 students in each classroom. We encourage you to register your child as early as possible so the school can make staffing decisions. Is there before and after care for kindergarten students? Yes. Before and after care is available through Irvington Extended Day, a fee-based organization housed in the school. IED also runs the Pre-K program at Irvington. For more information, contact IED at 503-287-9751, email iedprogram@gmail.com, or consult www.iedprogram.org. What time do kindergarteners go to school? 8:35 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kindergarten students line up with their class under the covered structure on the playground. Their teacher meets them outside and walks them in to the classroom. (Naturally, parents are welcome to come in too.) Parents pick up kindergarten students in the classroom at 3 p.m. (Bell times for each school can be found on the PPS website.) What is a typical day like for a kindergartener? A sample schedule is attached. Of course, the schedule is flexible to meet the needs of the students and teachers, and to accommodate special events in the school like music and P.E. assemblies, African storytelling, the barn dance, etc. Do kindergarteners have gym, art, and music? Staffing is not set for next year yet but hopefully it will remain similar to existing staffing. This year kindergarteners have music twice per week and gym twice per week. The PTA also funds special music and arts programs, contracting with local artists to provide unique opportunities for the kids for more limited times. For example kindergarteners had African dance and they will have an Artist-In-Residence this spring. The kindergarten teachers also constantly incorporate songs and art into the children’s daily classroom life. More about Gym: This year and for many years the school has had an exceptional and very creative full-time gym teacher. She organizes special events for the whole school like Jungle Night (set up in the gym in February), a barn dance for the younger grades, and a P.E. Showcase assembly in the spring. She also heads popular before/after school tumbling and jump rope clubs. More about Music: This year the school has a 3/4 time music teacher. He recently organized the annual Human Relations assembly, a fantastic event where students from every grade sang and performed for their schoolmates and parents. Older students have the option of afterschool band or strings programs, for which scholarships are available through the PTA. Does Irvington School use a standard kindergarten curriculum? Yes, as adapted by the experienced kindergarten teachers to the needs of the students. Portland Public Schools has adopted district-wide literacy and math curricula that are implemented throughout the elementary schools, including Irvington. More information about the PPS core curriculum is available at www.otl.pps.k12.or.us Do kindergarteners have recess? Yes. This year there were usually 2 or 3 per day: twice if there was gym in the morning and three times if there was not. Some recess time is just for the kindergarteners; some is a mixed age-group recess. The kindergarteners always are supervised by their teachers. Some recesses the kindergarteners also have assistance from and fun with “Helpers,” older students who are teamed with the kindergarten classes as part of the older students’ volunteer duties. Through the year, the kindergarteners come to respect and love spending time with their big kid Helpers. Do kindergarteners have snacks? Yes. Kindergarteners eat a mid-morning snack. Each family takes turns providing snacks for the entire class. Of course, any child’s food allergies are taken into account. Do kindergarteners have rest time? Yes. After lunch kindergarteners have quiet time when they lie down on rest mats or blankets. Sometimes they listen to an audio book or quiet, gentle music, and sometimes they read to themselves. How does lunch work for kindergarteners? Students are welcome to bring home lunch or buy hot lunch from school. Parents can deposit money into the student’s account. The students are issued lunch cards that are kept in the classrooms. The cards can be used to buy the full hot lunch or just milk. (Daily menus for the entire year are provided by PPS at the beginning of the year and can be found on the PPS website.) The class and at least one teacher (and sometimes parent volunteers) eats at two tables in the cafeteria at the same time as the other kindergarten class and several other classes. How do kindergarteners go to the bathroom? Certain times during the day (e.g., around lunchtime) the whole class goes together with the teachers. Sometimes parent volunteers are available to assist as well. For emergencies, students are often paired to go to the bathroom. Each student keeps a change of clothes in his or her locker in the unlikely case of accidents, or the more likely case of muddy, wet, or paint-covered clothes. Do kindergarteners interact with the middle-school students at Irvington School? Yes, in a limited and positive way. Irvington School will be a Pre-K through 8th grade school next year. Generally, older students are upstairs and younger students are downstairs at Irvington School. As part of their school volunteer duties, certain middle-school students are teamed with the kindergarten classes as Helpers or Buddies, often providing assistance to the teachers during recess. Both the older students and the kindergarteners seem to love this pairing, with the older students enjoying the responsibility and the younger ones thriving on the attention from the “big kids.” Are there extracurricular activities for kindergarteners? Yes. Offerings change somewhat year to year, depending on interest and program and volunteer availability. This year kindergarteners could choose afterschool art or Spanish classes, Mad Science, a drama club, choir, and jump rope teams. Scholarships are available through the PTA for activities that charge tuition. Do kindergarteners take field trips? Yes. Kindergarteners go on walking fieldtrips in the neighborhood as an extension of the kindergarten curriculum. They visit the Pizza Shop, the Post Office and the neighborhood pig. Does Irvington have a reading program? Yes. Serving the needs of students from kindergarten through third grade, Irvington School is home to the largest SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) program in Portland Public Schools www.getsmartoregon.org. We have a reading intervention program that is coordinated by the learning Specialist that serves K-3rd grade students. The focus is on providing additional support for students in the early years. Does Irvington School have a handbook? Yes. It’s printed on the inside pages of the Irvington Calendar. Do parents volunteer in the kindergarten classes? Yes. Parents are encouraged to volunteer in many different capacities. Some parents come in to the classroom each week to help during literacy time, others assist with special events in the classrooms (e.g., Salsa Party with salsa made from vegetables grown in the school’s garden), and others help by prepping materials at home to be used in the classrooms. There are also numerous volunteer opportunities at Irvington beyond the kindergarten classrooms – e.g., Scholastic book fairs and book distributions through Reading Is Fundamental, the SMART reading program, Arts Night, Write Night, Run for the Arts, the Spaghetti Dinner, the Black History Month celebration, the school Auction, afterschool programs like the Lego Club and chess club, and many more, see the school’s website: http://irvingtonschool.com/pages/show/2. My child has special education or physical needs. Who can help us and what services can Irvington School provide? Portland Public Schools has a an early Childhood Transition Team including special education professionals who provide children who are eligible for special education services a smooth transition to kindergarten. Contact PPS’s Special Education office at 503-916-3152, or find out more information at www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/speced. Irvington provides special education support services. This year we have a school psychologist that does academic testing, a speech pathologist and one and a half Learning Center teachers. Irvington School also has a full time Guidance Counselor that teaches in every classroom using a problem solving and empathy building curriculum. The counselor also works with small groups or individual students who have social needs. If your child has special medical needs such as asthma or diabetes, we have a school nurse that will work with the parent, child and your child’s physician to meet your child’s health needs during the school day. When will I find out about which classroom my child will be in and what happens at the beginning of the school year? Because some students enroll late in the summer, classroom assignments may shift and may not be available until just before the beginning of the school year. However, probably in late-August, you will receive a letter with a supply list for kindergarten, an introduction from all of the kindergarten teachers, and a finalized schedule for the start of school. Kindergarten students are phased in at the start of the school year on a slightly different schedule than the upper grades. Although all dates are subject to change over the summer, we anticipate the following schedule for the start of kindergarten:
Last updated by imurauskas on Mar 20, 2008 at 08:09 PM |
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