Prek handbook 2014 for website

HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS MACLAY PRE-KINDERGARTEN 2014-2015

3737 N. Meridian Road Tallahassee, FL 32312-1199 www.maclay.org

James Milford, Head of School Stacey Houston, Pre-Kindergarten Director .................................... shouston@maclay.org Pre-Kindergarten Office.............................................................................................................. 668-5018 Main Office .................................................................................................................................. 893-2138 Main Office Fax ............................................................................................................................ 893-7434 Upper School Office (9-12) .......................................................................................................... 893-6545 Middle School Office (6-8) ........................................................................................................... 893-4981 Lower School ............................................................................................................................... 668-5103 Admissions Office ........................................................................................................................ 893-7857 Kids Club (K-5).............................................................................................................................. 894-0908 Middle School Center (6-8)........................................................................................................... 668-5017 Aquatic Program .......................................................................................................................... 907-1403 Athletic Department ................................................................................................................... 668-2373 Clinic ...................................................................................................................................... 893-5030 College Counseling ....................................................................................................................... 894-0841 Development Office .................................................................................................................... 893-8465 Guidance Office (9-12) ................................................................................................................ 668-5104 Guidance Office (K-8) .................................................................................................................. 893-3795 Library ...................................................................................................................................... 894-0816 Technology .................................................................................................................................. 894-0911

Dear Parents and Students: Welcome to Maclay Pre-Kindergarten for the 2014-2015 school year. We are eager to get to know all our children and their families.

What an exciting time for all of us!

As we continually strive to meet the needs of each individual child, we will provide your child with fun, challenging, and enriching activities that will meet his or her developmental and academic needs. Our highly qualified faculty is committed to making every experience for your child one that is most beneficial to him or her as an individual.

This is an exciting time for your children, but we realize that it can also be an uncertain time for them as well as for you as they begin embarking on new adventures. Our goal is to make this transition time as easy for your child as we possibly can and to make your child’s school experiences happy ones. Please call your child’s teacher or me with any concerns you may have.

We are honored that you have chosen our school for your child. As the Pre-Kindergarten Director, I am looking forward to getting to know you and developing a relationship with your child and your family. Please feel free to call me at any time. Any question or concern that you have about your child is important to us.

Fondly,

Stacey Houston Pre-Kindergarten Director

PHILOSOPHY Maclay School supports its students in fulfilling their potential academically, emotionally, physically, and artistically. Its purpose is:       

to establish and maintain a curriculum designed to teach creatively the liberal arts. to create a civilized community of learning guided by a dedicated faculty of superior qualifications. to provide patient and understanding ways to challenge each student. to engender, by teaching and example, self-discipline, hard work, integrity, and persistence at school and at home. to stimulate each student to inquire, learn, develop self-respect, and understand others. to build a meaningful spirit among students, parents, faculty, and community by faithful fulfillment of the Maclay School Mission and Philosophy. to prepare well-balanced students able to meet the future challenges of higher education, service to others, and life, with wisdom and fortitude.

MISSION STATEMENT Maclay School is an independent, non-sectarian college preparatory school dedicated to providing a liberal arts education, enabling each student to develop inherent ability to the fullest extent with a balance of discipline and freedom.

THE MACLAY SCHOOL HONOR CODE Maclay School expects students to uphold standards of honorable conduct. This code was written at the initiative of Maclay students. It sets standards and serves as one resource for classroom instruction about ethical behavior. To uphold the Honor Code, students are encouraged to report known violations. If a student observes another student committing an Honor Code violation or acting illegally, the student should notify a teacher, one of the School Deans, or one of the Heads of School. Students may request confidentiality. Teachers who have knowledge of an Honor Code violation shall notify the appropriate Head of School.

Under the Maclay Honor Code all persons are expected to: 1.

2.

Demonstrate respect for all people in our school and community as well as for the school as an institution. This includes, but is not limited to, respecting the religious, ethnic, social and economic background of all members of the school and community. Prejudiced conduct because of religion, race, gender, or ethnicity is prohibited.

Demonstrate honesty in all matters. Lying, cheating, plagiarism, and stealing are serious offenses. If a student is uncertain about whether certain conduct constitutes cheating, the student should ask the teacher for clarification.

All students will be expected to sign an Honor Pledge on every test and quiz as well as on other assignments as required by the teacher: "On my Honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid of any kind on this assignment."

False signing of this Pledge constitutes both lying and cheating.

3.

Protect the property of Maclay School and its community. Students are responsible for preserving the campus.

Littering, vandalism, and malicious mischief are prohibited.

CONTENTS MACLAY PRE-KINDERGARTEN DIRECTORY ................................................................................................. 1 LETTER OF WELCOME ............................................................................................................................... 1 PHILOSOPHY ............................................................................................................................................. 2 MISSION STATEMENT................................................................................................................................ 2 THE MACLAY SCHOOL HONOR CODE ......................................................................................................... 2 PRE-KINDERGARTEN HANDBOOK .............................................................................................................. 4 PHILOSOPHY ............................................................................................................................................. 4 A TYPICAL DAY .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Pre-K 3 ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Stay and Play............................................................................................................................................. 4 Pre-K 4 ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Stay and Play............................................................................................................................................. 4 START-UP INFORMATION .......................................................................................................................... 4 COMMUNICATION AND PHONE ................................................................................................................ 5 ARRIVAL/ DEPARTURE ............................................................................................................................... 5 AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS....................................................................................................................... 5 LATE FEE ................................................................................................................................................... 5 DRESS CODE.............................................................................................................................................. 5 Sources ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Girls .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Bottoms: ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Tops:......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Boys.......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Bottoms: ................................................................................................................................................... 6 Tops:......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Travel Wear .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Trade-In Program ...................................................................................................................................... 6 BUYING LUNCH ......................................................................................................................................... 6 FIELD TRIPS ............................................................................................................................................... 6 SHOW AND TELL ....................................................................................................................................... 6 PARTIES .................................................................................................................................................... 7 PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 7 DISCIPLINE ................................................................................................................................................ 7 HEALTH INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................. 7 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES........................................................................................................................ 7 NONPAYMENT OF FEES ............................................................................................................................. 7 FACULTY ................................................................................................................................................... 7 TEACHING ASSISTANTS.............................................................................................................................. 8

Maclay School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Maclay does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN HANDBOOK PHILOSOPHY The Pre-Kindergarten program provides for all areas of a child’s development: social, emotional, cognitive, and physical. Active exploration is encouraged through learning areas and interaction with adults and peers. The difficulty, complexity, and challenge of activities increase as the children develop understanding of concepts and skills. The program offers a balance of indoor and outdoor activities, restful and active movement activities, and a varied curriculum encompassing language, art, music, drama, library, computer, physical education, math, science, and social awareness.

Each child is an individual. Teachers observe and record each child’s special interests and developmental progress in order to meet the needs of children who demonstrate unusual interest and capabilities outside the normal developmental range. Our Pre-K program is designed to develop character, integrity, self-esteem, and positive feelings toward learning.

A TYPICAL DAY PRE-K 3 Arrival-8:30 8:30-9:00 9:00-9:30 9:30-9:45 9:45-10:00 10:00-10:30 10:30-10:45 10:45-11:20 11:20-11:50

Centers (free choice) Circle time Outside play Snack Story time Thematic teaching/ music and movement Readiness skills/ Spanish Thematic teaching Outside play

STAY AND PLAY 12:15-12:45 12:45-1:00 1:00-2:00 2:00-2:45 2:45-2:50

Lunch Story time Rest Outside play, centers, enrichment activities Prepare to go home

Arrival - 8:30 8:30-8:45 8:45 – 9:05 9:05 – 9:35 9:35-9:50 9:50-10:35 10:35 – 10:50 10:50-11:30 11:30-11:45 11:45

Centers (free choice) Circle time Group activity (language) Movement and music Snack Outside play Spanish Group activity (math and science) Review and closing Prepare to go home (half-day students)

PRE-K 4

STAY AND PLAY 11:50-12:10 12:10 – 12:50 12:50-1:50 1:50-2:45 2:45-2:50

Story time with Mrs. Hunt Lunch Outside play, centers, or enrichment activities Rest Prepare to go home

START-UP INFORMATION Pre-K Bag—Each child will be given a Pre-K bag to transport items to and from school. This will replace the need for a backpack. Your job will be to help your child develop responsibility to return the bag to school each day. Every Monday your child will bring home a folder in the Pre-K bag. Inside the folder will be a weekly letter and other important information. Please check the folder carefully each week and remind your child to return the folder and Pre-K bag the next day.

Snack Bag – Each child will be asked to purchase a snack bag from Maclay for a minimal cost to transport a snack to school each day.

Rest Mats—Every child that stays for Stay & Play will be asked to purchase a rest mat from Maclay. They are very comfortable mats with a pillow and blanket, and for this reason we ask that your child not bring a pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal for rest time. Our space is limited! The mats will be kept at school. We will send them home periodically to be washed and returned. Children will use these mats again for Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten.

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Extra clothes--Your child will need an extra set of uniform clothes (shirt, shorts, underwear, socks) labeled with the child’s name.

Please place these clothes in a bag marked with your child’s name (gallon size Zip-Loc bags are perfect for this). These will be kept in your child’s cubby to be used for “emergencies.”

COMMUNICATION AND PHONE A weekly newsletter goes home every Monday. If you need to reach us during the school day, please call 668-5018. The main office number is 893-2138.

ARRIVAL/ DEPARTURE Our school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 12 noon. You may drop your child off at the Pre-K entrance as early as 7:50 (no one will be on duty before that time). Teachers will be there to greet you and your child from 7:50 to 8:30. If you need to come in, please park beside the Cartee Gym. Please plan to have your child at school no later than 8:30 each morning. Circle begins and leaders are chosen at 8:30. We feel that center and circle time are very important parts of the child's day. Children develop many of their social skills during this “free play” time.

We will be at the Pre-K entrance again at 11:45 and 2:50 to help your child into the car. We dismiss a few minutes earlier than Lower School in order to help you avoid the Upper School traffic. Please let us know, in writing if possible, if anyone other than a parent is to pick up your child. Your child will not be released to anyone who is not authorized.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS We offer Stay and Play from 12:00 – 2:50 and Kids Club from 2:50 – 6:00. Stay and Play consists of lunch (brought from home or bought from our dining hall), rest, enrichment activities, and free play (almost always outside). The fees for Stay and Play are:     

1 day a week--$225 per semester 2 days a week--$100 per month 3 days a week--$150 per month 5 days a week--$200 per month Drop-in--$15 a day

During Kids Club the children will be involved in a variety of enrichment activities such as dance, games, computer, and free play.

They will be served a snack at 3:30. Kids Club is available on all teacher planning days from 8:00 to 6:00. For more information about Kids Club, refer to Maclay’s Kids Club brochure.

Pre-Kindergarten Kids Club is held in the Pre-K building. The fees for Kids Club are:  Daily until 4:30 --$120 per month  Daily until 6:00 -- $175 per month  Drop-in --$15 a day

LATE FEE If you are unable to pick up your child by 3:05, we will take your child to Kids Club., and a $15.00 Kids Club drop-in fee will be assessed.

DRESS CODE Students may choose from khaki or navy uniform line* bottoms paired with white, navy or light blue top with the Maclay School crest. Shoes must be appropriate for play. (Tennis shoes are preferred). Backless shoes, Crocs, boots, sandals, or flip flops are not appropriate for Pre-K activities.

Please label all clothes or other personal items with the child’s name.

SOURCES    

Buckhead Uniforms, www.buckheaduniforms.com, 1-800-779-3676 Lands End School, www.landsend.com/school, 1-800-469-2222. School #9001-0022-3 The Gap, Uniform line* bottoms only. www.gap.com, Local retail stores – uniform line limited availability July – September.

G. Willie’s Uniforms, 1407 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee

*An item labeled uniform line maintains traditional colors, cuts and lengths considered appropriate for many school dress codes.

GIRLS BOTTOMS: Girls can choose from the following uniform line bottoms in khaki or navy. Buckhead plaid #57 is available in the skirt, skort or jumper (Maclay School crest is optional on the jumpers).

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Skirt Skort Shorts

Capri Pants Pants Jumper

TOPS: Girls can choose from the following tops with the Maclay School crest embroidered or heat transfer (Buckhead Uniform only) in navy, white or light blue. Not all colors are available in all styles. All tops must have Maclay School crest.          

Girls Polo, short or long sleeve (Buckhead or Lands End School) Unisex Polo, short or long sleeve (Buckhead or Lands End School) Girls Over Blouse, short or long sleeve, navy or white (Buckhead only) Crew Neck Tee, navy or white (Buckhead, Lands End School, Maclay Store) Scoop Neck Tee, navy or white (Maclay Store Only) Short Sleeve Crew Sweater, navy (Lands End School) Cardigan, navy (Lands End School) Peter Pan Blouse, short or long sleeve, white or light blue (Buckhead or Lands End School) ¾ Button down Over Blouse, white (Buckhead only) Girls Oxford Button Down, short, 3/4 or long sleeve, white and light blue (Buckhead, Lands End School)

BOYS BOTTOMS: Boys can choose from the following uniform line bottoms in khaki or navy: Shorts

Pants

TOPS: Boys can choose from the following tops with the Maclay School crest embroidered or heat transfer (Buckhead Uniforms only) in navy, white or light blue. Not all colors are available in all styles. All tops must have Maclay School crest.  Unisex Polo, short or long sleeve (Buckhead or Lands End School)  Crew Neck Tee, navy or white (Buckhead, Lands End School, and Maclay School).  Oxford, short or long sleeve, light blue or white (Buckhead or Lands End School)

TRAVEL WEAR Dress for off-campus trips will be navy shirt with Maclay School crest, paired with khaki bottom of choice.

TRADE-IN PROGRAM Gently-used, laundered uniform items can be brought in and exchanged for other gently-used items. The uniform shop is located at the old Pre-K building. Due to safety considerations, do not donate items with the Maclay School crest or name to charitable organizations.

BUYING LUNCH Dining Hall menus are available on the Maclay website. Pre-K students can purchase hot lunches Monday—Thursday and pizza on Fridays. Hot lunches are priced at $3.75 and include a choice of lemonade, water, white or chocolate milk. If your child would like to order lunch, on the outside of an envelope, write your child’s name, teacher’s name, drink choice and the amount enclosed. Cash (exact change only) and check (made payable to Marauder Meals) are accepted. For your convenience, a Marauder Meals account can be set up by visiting Maclay.org.

FIELD TRIPS Pre-K children love to go on field trips! We will be going on as many as possible related to our themes. Any of your ideas and input about possible field trips will be greatly appreciated. We enjoy field trips that incorporate activities relating to the children’s families and environment. If you have a business or hobby that you think might interest us, please let us know in writing. We like to keep a file on possible themes, field trips, and special visitors.

SHOW AND TELL Show and Tell is an important time during which children learn both speaking and listening skills. It also helps develop responsibility for both choosing an appropriate item and bringing it on the appropriate day. At this age, however, the children need your assistance in making choices, labeling them with their names, and remembering to bring their share item to school. Please help them in developing these responsibilities.

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Please do not allow your child to bring toys, stuffed animals, or games to school except on sharing days. This helps to keep Show and Tell special, and also helps to keep your child from losing toys.

PARTIES Parties are held for Halloween, winter and spring holidays, Valentine’s, and end-of-the-year. Parents are encouraged to participate and help organize the parties. At our Meet the Teacher you will have an opportunity to sign up to be your child’s homeroom parent and/or classroom volunteer. A homeroom parent/ parent coordinators’ meeting is held in September to acquaint you with general procedures concerning parties and celebrations.

BIRTHDAYS Your child will celebrate his/her birthday at school. If your child has a summer birthday, he/she will have a pretend birthday during the school year. You will need to provide a birthday snack and drink for each member of the class. If your child is having a party outside of school, the invitations may be included in the Monday folder, but only if everyone in the class is invited. Otherwise, the invitations should be mailed.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES A parent-teacher conference can be scheduled at any time during the year by contacting your child’s teacher or Mrs. Houston.

DISCIPLINE Discipline, when necessary, is handled firmly and with love and care. Redirecting children’s behavior is our primary method of guidance. We prefer to modify the children’s behavior with positive actions, such as giving stars, special privileges, stickers, and items from the “treasure box” for appropriate behavior.

We like to give the children autonomy to self-correct, using as little coercive power as possible. When a child loses emotional control (i.e., his or her behavior becomes detrimental to those around him, or he/she is obviously defiant), we give him or her some “personal space” so that the child has time to regain control of emotions.

HEALTH INFORMATION All students entering Maclay for the first time must have proof of a current physical examination including up-to-date immunizations. The immunization record must be on a specific Florida form available at most physicians’ offices.

Please list on the student health and emergency information form any allergies, physical problems, or other health-related information that may be important for your child’s welfare. Also label any specific medications, insulin, diabetes kits, etc. with specific instructions for the Pre-K staff. If your child becomes ill while at school, one of our staff will contact you or the appropriate emergency numbers on file from the health form. If your child contracts a communicable disease such as chicken pox, measles, mumps, or pink eye, please notify the Pre-Kindergarten.

If your child has a fever, is vomiting, or has diarrhea, please do not return him or her to school until he or she has been symptomfree for 24 hours. This insures that your child is no longer contagious to the other children.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES Fire drills are held monthly. Emergency procedures for severe weather or any other school-wide emergency are explained by the Pre-K Staff.

If there should be a school closing, parents are advised to listen to local radio stations or to watch local television channels for current information.

NONPAYMENT OF FEES A student’s enrollment in, and attendance at, Maclay School is subject to termination if payment of tuition is more than 60 days in arrears, unless a payment plan is approved by Maclay School.

FACULTY       

GENNY BAILEY, B.S., Florida State University. Pre-K 4 Teacher.

ANNIE BELL, B.S., M.S., Florida State University. Pre-K 3 Teacher.

MELANIE COKER, B.S., M.S., Florida State University. Pre-K 4 Teacher.

SARAH GRANT, B.S., University of Georgia. Pre-K 3 Teacher.

STACY HOUSTON, B.S., University of Georgia; M.S., Troy State University. Pre-K Director.

ELIZABETH MARSCHALL, B.A., Huntingdon College. Pre-K 3 Teacher.

AMY WILLETT, B.S., Florida State University; Pre-K 3 Teacher.

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TEACHING ASSISTANTS     

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NANCY HUNT, A.A., Tallahassee Community College. Pre-K 4 Assistant.

LACY MATHESON, B.A., University of Miami. Pre-K 3 Assistant.

LIZ MORALES, B.S., Florida State University, Pre-K 3 Assistant.

CHARLA MULLINAX, AA, Florida State University. Pre-K 3 Assistant.

SANDY TAYLOR, Nursing Assistant Certificate. Pre-K 4 Assistant.

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