John Hay Elementary

Incoming Kindergarten Families

Congratulations and welcome to John Hay Elementary! In late August you will receive a packet of information, along with your teacher assignment, a letter from the principal and important school news.

At our Open House and Picnic, you can visit the classrooms, meet your child's teacher and pick up your Classroom Information Packet. The Information Packet contains Kindergarten program information and forms to be filled out. Don't worry if you miss the Open House. We promise to send this important packet home with your child on the first day of school.

The First Morning of School: Wednesday, September 9th, 9:25 AM

On the first day of school (Wednesday, September 9th) you may walk your child directly into the classroom and help him or her settle in. We suggest arriving no earlier than 9:00 am and departing by 9:25 am, when the morning bell rings. We then invite you to join your fellow John Hay parents and guardians in the cafeteria for a coffee social sponsored by the John Hay Partners. It's a great way to kick off the new school year!

Drop-Off Procedure After the First Day of School

The playground is supervised from 8:55 am until the first bell rings at 9:20 am. Please have your child arrive no earlier than 8:55 am. Students may play on the playground until the first bell rings at 9:20 am, at which point they should line up with their classmates at a class line-up spot (signs and volunteers will be on hand the first two weeks to help children find their line-up spots). The teacher will then escort the students into the building. Classes begin at 9:25 am.

Please understand that your child's teacher uses the time before school to prepare for the day. Students may not enter the building before school starts unless they are eating breakfast in the cafeteria. If it is raining, students may enter the building and walk directly to their classroom.

If you would like to park and wait on the playground with your child, please find a parking space along one of the nearby residential streets. Do not park in the bus lane out back on Galer Street, or in the drop-off zone in front on Garfield Street. Please respect our neighbors and do not block driveways or park in no-parking zones.

First Week: Early Dismissal for Kindergarten Classes Only

In order to accommodate assessment meetings and to help ease students' transition, the Kindergarten classes will be dismissed at 1:20 pm during the first week of school. The rest of the student body will be dismissed at the regular 3:30 pm dismissal time, which means that buses, shuttles and KidsCo after-school program will not be available until then.

Please plan on picking up your child at 1:20 pm this first week or arrange to have him/her stay (free of charge) at KidsCo from 1:20 pm until the later dismissal time (when s/he can then be picked up, catch the bus/shuttle, or attend the regular KidsCo program). Please call Nikki Bautista of KidsCo at (206) 283-8328 by Wednesday, September 2nd, to reserve a spot for your child.

Pick-Up Procedure

To eliminate congestion, we strongly encourage you to meet your child outside the school building. A good meeting spot is the flagpole or, if your child's classroom has a door to the playground, just outside that doorway. Please check with your child's teacher to confirm the class dismissal policy. If you are late, your child will be taken to the school office to wait. Please try to be prompt; our office staff will be very busy and cannot provide childcare.

Teacher Assignment Letters

IIn late August, families will receive a letter from Principal Warren that provides opening week information, school news and more. Separately, a packet of information will be mailed to your home address that includes a letter from your child's teacher, a schedule for your child's Kindergarten Assessment Meeting (see below) and an important "After-School Destination Form" to be completed and returned to your child's teacher before the start of school.

Kindergarten Assessment Meetings

In order to get to know each Kindergarten student better and to help him or her feel more comfortable, we set aside time to meet and assess each child individually. Each will have a special 30-minute session in which to bond one-on-one with his or her teacher and show what s/he knows using the Seattle School's Kindergarten Assessment. This assessment is given to all entering Kindergartners in the Seattle Public Schools and helps guide instruction.

Assessment meetings will take place the three afternoons prior to the first week of school and the first three afternoons during the first week of school. You will receive an appointment schedule in the mail from your child's teacher in late August.

School Supplies

Your child's teacher will provide all classroom supplies and materials needed by your child.

All you need to provide is a backpack or book bag to carry your child's "stuff" back and forth. We find this is a good way to handle supplies; our teachers are assured that each child will be prepared for the work to be done, plus they can avoid the inevitable distractions caused by each child having different supplies. Students can still compare backpacks - on the playground!

This year, we are asking our families for a voluntary contribution of $60. The money goes to supplement our District supply budget and purchase items that enhance our classroom learning activities. A few of these items include art supplies, workbooks, a “Weekly Reader” type newspaper, printing supplies and many other items to enrich your child’s learning experiences. If contributing to the supply fund is a problem for your family, please know it is optional and don’t worry about it. A contribution form and envelope will be sent home.

Kinderbuddies

The Kinderbuddy Program has been very successful at John Hay. Your child and his or her Kinderbuddy will eat lunch together and play together during lunch recess during the first week of school. During the rest of the year we read together and plan special activities together. We share many fun activities all year long! It's heartwarming to watch the inter-action between the two age groups. The students develop friendships and life skills that are important to us all -- sharing, helping others and working together.

Snacks

We have found that children do best at school if provided with a small and healthy snack. Your child's teacher will draw up a snack policy outlining how and when classroom snacks will take place. In some classes, for example, each family may be asked to bring in a snack for the class for one week of the school year. Suggestions for snacks include: raisins, grapes, apple wedges, bananas, oranges, bread sticks, graham crackers, carrot sticks, celery sticks, crackers, etc.

Due to the increasing number of food allergies, please check the ingredient labels to make sure all snacks are peanut- and tree nut-free and have not been made in a factory that processes tree nuts or peanuts!

John Hay Red Folders

Your child will bring home a red John Hay folder. This folder should be brought to and from school every day. It is a valuable tool for parent/teacher communications throughout the year. You will be asked to check your child's red folder each night for important notes, school assignments, newsletters and schoolwork. If you need to send something (notes, permission slips, homework, checks) please use the folder; your child's teacher will check them every day.

Homework

Each month your child will bring home a Homework Calendar and Reading Log. These make up the Kindergarten Homework Program. These forms will connect you to what your child does at school. You will be asked to put them in a safe place, initial the homework as it is done and record the reading your child has done. At the end of the month you'll have your child return these forms to school. Your child does NOT have to bring in his or her homework unless it is requested in the calendar assignment.

You can expect to use the calendar as you see appropriate. Your child's teacher will try to give ideas for activities that will coincide with the curriculum. If the daily schedule doesn't work for you at some point, you can feel free to adjust it to your lifestyle. Your child's teacher will also often enclose enrichment activities in case you have the time and interest. It is not expected that the enrichment work will return to school; rather, it is for you to use at any time you like.

Volunteering at John Hay

Everyone benefits when parents, guardians and extended family members get involved in their child's academic life! We look forward to having you volunteer with us. We do ask that you hold off volunteering until after the third or fourth week of school. This gives your child time to gain a level of comfort and personal ownership over his or her new surroundings. You'll be getting volunteer forms and information from your child's teacher and the John Hay volunteer office at the start of school.

The Cafeteria
Meals, Times and Payment

Kindergarten students go to lunch at the same scheduled time every day (usually a time close to noon). From the cafeteria they are excused to the playground for lunch recess. Your child may bring a meal from home or buy lunch or milk only. In addition, breakfast is served from 9:00 am to 9:20 am daily.

Breakfast : $1.25
Lunch: $2.25
Milk/Juice/Soy Milk: $0.50
Adult breakfast: $2.25
Adult lunch: $4.00

Each child will be assigned a PIN (Personal Information Number) during the first week of school that is linked to an individual debit account. Students key in their PIN to pay for a meal. You will need to make a deposit into your child's meal account by submitting cash, check or money order (payable to Child Nutrition Services) to the Cafeteria Manager at John Hay. You may pay in person (by going to the cafeteria) or send payment in your child's red folder. You can choose to manage this process through an online system called PayPAMS. You will receive more information about PayPAMS at the start of school. School menus are posted monthly here.

Free or Reduced Meals

All families should get in the mail, before school starts, a form from the Seattle SchoolDistrict's Child Nutrition Services that outlines how to apply for free or reduced lunch prices. These forms must be mailed back as soon as possible. We want every child to have a healthy breakfast and lunch every day! Forms will be available in the School Office or online here.

Lunchroom Supervision

The lunchroom is supervised by Ms. Hanson (our Head Teacher) and the lunchroom staff. During the first two weeks of school, additional supervision is provided by our parent volunteers from the K-1 Transition Team. Together we take special care to help our newest students learn to navigate and feel at ease in our big and very busy cafeteria. The real stars at this time are the Kinderbuddies! Your child's Kinderbuddy will escort your child through lunch and lunch recess, showing her/him how to navigate the lunch line, punch in a PIN, find a place to sit, clear the table, raise a hand to be excused, and head out to recess.

Lunchroom Visitors

We encourage parents, guardians, siblings and extended family members to join students for lunch or breakfast. We do ask that you hold off visiting your child until after the third week of school. This gives your child time to gain some level ofcomfort and personal ownership over his or her new surroundings. You may bring your own meal or purchase one at school. Don't forget to sign in at the front office.