Attendance
Kindergarten is a continual learning experience, with each day’s learning built on the day before. Therefore, it is imperative that your child be here as often as possible. If your child must be absent, be sure to call the office at 704-0700 the day of the absence or send a note the next day stating the reason for the absence. You can also refer to the RRISD Handbook for the district’s policy on attendance.
Birthday Celebrations
Your child’s birthday is a special day in our school! We will celebrate in the classroom with the birthday child receiving a crown and song. If sharing a treat is important to you, please contact me. If you want to distribute private party invitations to classmates during the school day, it is RRISD policy that every child in our class gets an invitation. Otherwise, you have to mail them or hand-deliver them after school hours to avoid hurt feelings. Summer birthdays will be celebrated in May.
Breakfast in the Classroom
Our campus participates in the Breakfast in the Classroom program. Students who arrive before the first bell at 7:40 may choose a breakfast tray at no cost to you and will be allowed to eat it in class.
Book Orders
Our class will participate in the Scholastic Book Club for Kindergarten. This program allows us to earn points that we use to purchase more books or materials for use in our classrooms. More information will be send home with the first order form in September.
Change of Address
It is very important that the information we have on file is current. If your address, phone number, or place of employment changes during the year, please send a note to notify me as well as the office.
Change of Clothes
It would be very helpful for your child to have a complete change of clothes (pants or shorts, shirt, socks and underwear) labeled with their name to be kept at school. Accidents and spills do happen, and your child will be much more comfortable in his or her own clothes than in some borrowed from the nurse.
Communication
Open communication is vital to your child's success so please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. You can do this by sending a note in your child's Daily Folder or by caling me at 704-0752. In order to minimize interruptions to learning, phone calls will be directed to my voicemail during class time and I will return your call either during planning time from 8:30 to 9:20 or after school. If you have an emergency, please call the office at 704-0700 and they will get in touch with me immediately. You may also reach me by email at [email protected].
Conferences
There will be two parent/teacher conferences during the year to discuss your child's progress. The Fall conference is required for all families to inform you of your child’s goals, what they will be learning in the year, and how you can help them be successful. Our Spring Conference is to show you the growth your child has made during the year and is not required unless specified by you or the teacher. Other conferences may be needed to discuss academic concerns or social concerns. If you would like to meet outside of these conference, please contact me and we will arrange a time.
Daily Communication Folder
This is your child’s biggest responsibility. Students need to bring the folders back and forth to school each day. I need you to help by checking for notes and other information.
Discipline
We will be participating in a campus wide, behavior system which emphasizes safety, responsibility, and respect. Teachers throughout the campus will be using the same vocabulary and positive reinforcements. Students are rewarded for their efforts in demonstrating these traits with "Cougar Paws". These "Paws" will be traded in for various rewards throughout the year. Children who consistently show these traits may even earn a “Cougar Pride” which is the highest honor in our school. An administrator will call you to celebrate this honor and you will be invited to the Cougar Pride Assembly at the end of the 9 weeks.
Dress
Kindergarten is a very busy place that sometimes gets messy. Please dress your child so that he or she is ready for action. Our kindergarteners play on the playground every day, so tennis shoes or other closed-toe shoes that your child can put on and fasten or tie by themselves are best. Flip-flops or other open-backed sandals can be difficult to keep on during active play and are not recommended. Please save shoes with higher heels for out-of-school wear as these can easily cause injury during our active days. During cold weather, we will go outside to play unless it is extremely cold so please dress your child appropriately.
Field Trips
We will have at least one field trip this year. Details will be provided when the time approaches. Permission slips must be signed and returned to your child’s teacher before the field trip in order for your child to participate.
Homework
Homework is done to compliment classroom instruction and to foster responsibility in your child. Of course, at this age homework responsibility is greatly dependent on parent support. I will count on your help in making sure this important school work habit is established early.
Independence
Your child is now in "Big School"! This is a time for him or her to learn responsibility. Please allow your child many opportunities to do things independently at school and at home. Being able to fix an inside out sleeve on a jacket, zip, snap and button clothing and tie shoes are important skills that your child will feel proud of mastering themselves.
Kindness
Students in our classrooms are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class, as well as others, with kindness and respect. Hitting, fighting, name-calling, and making fun of others will not be tolerated.
Library
Information about the procedure to check out books from our school library will be sent home in September.
Lunch
Our lunch time is from 11:00 - 11:30. Each student has a lunch account into which you can deposit money. When your child’s account starts to get low, your child will receive a note to take home letting you know. To add money to their lunch account you can send cash or a check for the amount you would like to deposit or go online at
Round Rock Online payment
Please be aware that ice cream and snacks are offered for purchase in addition to their meal. Typically, kindergarteners are encouraged to only buy ice cream on Fridays. However, a child is allowed to purchase these options on a daily basis unless you request that their purchases are limited.
Student Lunch $2.60
Reduced Lunch $0.40
Adult and Child Guest Lunch - $3.50
If you feel that your child may qualify for free or reduced lunch, you will need to fill out the application that is in your back to school packet. Please be aware that the application may take up to 10 days to be processed and you are responsible for any full price charges made prior to the application approval.
Money
All money that is sent to school should be in an envelope, labeled with your child’s name and purpose for the money.
Nurse
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful nurse at Callison Elementary. I will take care of minor injuries in the classroom, such as small scratches and scrapes. Most of the time students will only be sent to the nurse if they are ill or if they are involved in some sort of accident. If your child needs to take medicine during the school day, you must take the medicine to the nurse’s office. To ensure the safety of all students, children may not keep medications in their backpacks or lunch boxes for any reason. This includes over-the-counter products such as chap stick and cough drops. The nurse is the only person allowed to administer medicine to children. In addition, please do not send your child to school with a fever, and a child needs to be "fever-free" for 24 hours before returning to school.
Parental Involvement
You are your child's first teacher and I look forward to working with you to ensure your child's success. There are many ways to become involved: joining the PTA, offering to volunteer for school activities, helping with homework, and attending family events.
Parties
We celebrate the Winter Holidays, Valentine's Day, and the End-of-the-Year with parties. Information on these events will be sent home as they approach.
Photographs
On occasion, your child’s photograph may be posted on our class webpage. Please sign the appropriate handbook page if you do not want your child’s picture posted.
PTA
Callison has a wonderful PTA that does so much for our school! We hope everyone will join this year and support our school. Please try to attend our PTA meetings or visit their website at www.callisonpta.org/
Reading
Your child will learn to read in kindergarten! Of course, this will not happen overnight, and your help will be needed. Studies have shown that those children whose parents are actively involved in the reading process will become the best readers. Reading to your child and listening to them read to you at home is of the highest importance. Reading happens in stages. Your child may come to school already reading at some level. It is my job to move your child to a higher level and to make sure all of the phonological and comprehension skills are in place. This is achieved by matching your child to the appropriate text and by providing some challenges, but not too many. We want your child to LOVE reading. Reading is a complex process for a child and all attempts and successes must be celebrated! You will receive information throughout the year about how to help your child with reading.
Report Cards
Students will receive report cards at the end of each nine weeks. These will reflect the results of assessments and classroom observations completed during that nine weeks. We ask that you sign the envelope and return it to school while keeping the report card for your records.
Schedule
Please see the Class Schedule link for a detailed listing of our day.
Separation Anxiety
Kindergarten is an exciting place for parents, teachers, and children. However, there may be some anxiety at the start of the new year as well. If your child is anxious about going to school, or is experiencing a tearful separation from you on school days, try to remember that the feelings these behaviors may represent are natural and will most likely pass as familiarity with the school routine and trust in the teachers develop.
Snacks
We will have a snack each afternoon and will have a rotation system where each child will bring in asnack for the class. I'm hopeful that this system makes things easy for you as you will only need to remember snack about once a month. Some snack options include fresh fruit (bananas, apples, grapes), carrot sticks, raisins, wheat thins, goldfish crackers, pretzels, graham crackers, granola bars, Cheerios, cheese sticks, or popcorn. I respectfully request that you do not send in candy.
Tardies
Please make sure that your child is on time to school each day. Good habits begin early. When your child is late, he or she misses out on important announcements and instructional time. It is also disruptive to the rest of the class to have students arrive during a lesson. School begins at 7:40. Students may arrive at school at 7:15 to go to the classroom for breakfast.
Toys
Toys, books, and treasures sometimes come to visit. Unless your child has been asked to bring in an item for our "Star of the Week' activity, all toys are better kept at home as they may become lost or damaged.
Transportation
If there is a change in the way your child is getting home from school, please send a note or call the office before 1:30 p.m. to notify us of the changes. Your child will not be allowed to change his/her transportation without parent notification. This protects your child as well as the school. Please try very hard to keep changes to a minimum to reduce confusion during a very busy time of day. Thank you for your cooperation!
Water Bottles
Please send a water bottle labeled with your child's name to school each day for use after P.E. and recess.
Writing
Research shows that children go through different stages in writing. All types of writing are encouraged and accepted. This “KID WRITING” is very important and demonstrates the concepts your child knows and the type of instruction we must do next. Through various lessons, your child will be taught new strategies that will improve his writing. This will, of course, take time! You can help by encouraging all types of writing that your child does. By the end of kindergarten, most students’ writings will be “readable” and many students will be writing stories. It is amazing to see the progress they make!
Kindergarten is a continual learning experience, with each day’s learning built on the day before. Therefore, it is imperative that your child be here as often as possible. If your child must be absent, be sure to call the office at 704-0700 the day of the absence or send a note the next day stating the reason for the absence. You can also refer to the RRISD Handbook for the district’s policy on attendance.
Birthday Celebrations
Your child’s birthday is a special day in our school! We will celebrate in the classroom with the birthday child receiving a crown and song. If sharing a treat is important to you, please contact me. If you want to distribute private party invitations to classmates during the school day, it is RRISD policy that every child in our class gets an invitation. Otherwise, you have to mail them or hand-deliver them after school hours to avoid hurt feelings. Summer birthdays will be celebrated in May.
Breakfast in the Classroom
Our campus participates in the Breakfast in the Classroom program. Students who arrive before the first bell at 7:40 may choose a breakfast tray at no cost to you and will be allowed to eat it in class.
Book Orders
Our class will participate in the Scholastic Book Club for Kindergarten. This program allows us to earn points that we use to purchase more books or materials for use in our classrooms. More information will be send home with the first order form in September.
Change of Address
It is very important that the information we have on file is current. If your address, phone number, or place of employment changes during the year, please send a note to notify me as well as the office.
Change of Clothes
It would be very helpful for your child to have a complete change of clothes (pants or shorts, shirt, socks and underwear) labeled with their name to be kept at school. Accidents and spills do happen, and your child will be much more comfortable in his or her own clothes than in some borrowed from the nurse.
Communication
Open communication is vital to your child's success so please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. You can do this by sending a note in your child's Daily Folder or by caling me at 704-0752. In order to minimize interruptions to learning, phone calls will be directed to my voicemail during class time and I will return your call either during planning time from 8:30 to 9:20 or after school. If you have an emergency, please call the office at 704-0700 and they will get in touch with me immediately. You may also reach me by email at [email protected].
Conferences
There will be two parent/teacher conferences during the year to discuss your child's progress. The Fall conference is required for all families to inform you of your child’s goals, what they will be learning in the year, and how you can help them be successful. Our Spring Conference is to show you the growth your child has made during the year and is not required unless specified by you or the teacher. Other conferences may be needed to discuss academic concerns or social concerns. If you would like to meet outside of these conference, please contact me and we will arrange a time.
Daily Communication Folder
This is your child’s biggest responsibility. Students need to bring the folders back and forth to school each day. I need you to help by checking for notes and other information.
Discipline
We will be participating in a campus wide, behavior system which emphasizes safety, responsibility, and respect. Teachers throughout the campus will be using the same vocabulary and positive reinforcements. Students are rewarded for their efforts in demonstrating these traits with "Cougar Paws". These "Paws" will be traded in for various rewards throughout the year. Children who consistently show these traits may even earn a “Cougar Pride” which is the highest honor in our school. An administrator will call you to celebrate this honor and you will be invited to the Cougar Pride Assembly at the end of the 9 weeks.
Dress
Kindergarten is a very busy place that sometimes gets messy. Please dress your child so that he or she is ready for action. Our kindergarteners play on the playground every day, so tennis shoes or other closed-toe shoes that your child can put on and fasten or tie by themselves are best. Flip-flops or other open-backed sandals can be difficult to keep on during active play and are not recommended. Please save shoes with higher heels for out-of-school wear as these can easily cause injury during our active days. During cold weather, we will go outside to play unless it is extremely cold so please dress your child appropriately.
Field Trips
We will have at least one field trip this year. Details will be provided when the time approaches. Permission slips must be signed and returned to your child’s teacher before the field trip in order for your child to participate.
Homework
Homework is done to compliment classroom instruction and to foster responsibility in your child. Of course, at this age homework responsibility is greatly dependent on parent support. I will count on your help in making sure this important school work habit is established early.
Independence
Your child is now in "Big School"! This is a time for him or her to learn responsibility. Please allow your child many opportunities to do things independently at school and at home. Being able to fix an inside out sleeve on a jacket, zip, snap and button clothing and tie shoes are important skills that your child will feel proud of mastering themselves.
Kindness
Students in our classrooms are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class, as well as others, with kindness and respect. Hitting, fighting, name-calling, and making fun of others will not be tolerated.
Library
Information about the procedure to check out books from our school library will be sent home in September.
Lunch
Our lunch time is from 11:00 - 11:30. Each student has a lunch account into which you can deposit money. When your child’s account starts to get low, your child will receive a note to take home letting you know. To add money to their lunch account you can send cash or a check for the amount you would like to deposit or go online at
Round Rock Online payment
Please be aware that ice cream and snacks are offered for purchase in addition to their meal. Typically, kindergarteners are encouraged to only buy ice cream on Fridays. However, a child is allowed to purchase these options on a daily basis unless you request that their purchases are limited.
Student Lunch $2.60
Reduced Lunch $0.40
Adult and Child Guest Lunch - $3.50
If you feel that your child may qualify for free or reduced lunch, you will need to fill out the application that is in your back to school packet. Please be aware that the application may take up to 10 days to be processed and you are responsible for any full price charges made prior to the application approval.
Money
All money that is sent to school should be in an envelope, labeled with your child’s name and purpose for the money.
Nurse
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful nurse at Callison Elementary. I will take care of minor injuries in the classroom, such as small scratches and scrapes. Most of the time students will only be sent to the nurse if they are ill or if they are involved in some sort of accident. If your child needs to take medicine during the school day, you must take the medicine to the nurse’s office. To ensure the safety of all students, children may not keep medications in their backpacks or lunch boxes for any reason. This includes over-the-counter products such as chap stick and cough drops. The nurse is the only person allowed to administer medicine to children. In addition, please do not send your child to school with a fever, and a child needs to be "fever-free" for 24 hours before returning to school.
Parental Involvement
You are your child's first teacher and I look forward to working with you to ensure your child's success. There are many ways to become involved: joining the PTA, offering to volunteer for school activities, helping with homework, and attending family events.
Parties
We celebrate the Winter Holidays, Valentine's Day, and the End-of-the-Year with parties. Information on these events will be sent home as they approach.
Photographs
On occasion, your child’s photograph may be posted on our class webpage. Please sign the appropriate handbook page if you do not want your child’s picture posted.
PTA
Callison has a wonderful PTA that does so much for our school! We hope everyone will join this year and support our school. Please try to attend our PTA meetings or visit their website at www.callisonpta.org/
Reading
Your child will learn to read in kindergarten! Of course, this will not happen overnight, and your help will be needed. Studies have shown that those children whose parents are actively involved in the reading process will become the best readers. Reading to your child and listening to them read to you at home is of the highest importance. Reading happens in stages. Your child may come to school already reading at some level. It is my job to move your child to a higher level and to make sure all of the phonological and comprehension skills are in place. This is achieved by matching your child to the appropriate text and by providing some challenges, but not too many. We want your child to LOVE reading. Reading is a complex process for a child and all attempts and successes must be celebrated! You will receive information throughout the year about how to help your child with reading.
Report Cards
Students will receive report cards at the end of each nine weeks. These will reflect the results of assessments and classroom observations completed during that nine weeks. We ask that you sign the envelope and return it to school while keeping the report card for your records.
Schedule
Please see the Class Schedule link for a detailed listing of our day.
Separation Anxiety
Kindergarten is an exciting place for parents, teachers, and children. However, there may be some anxiety at the start of the new year as well. If your child is anxious about going to school, or is experiencing a tearful separation from you on school days, try to remember that the feelings these behaviors may represent are natural and will most likely pass as familiarity with the school routine and trust in the teachers develop.
Snacks
We will have a snack each afternoon and will have a rotation system where each child will bring in asnack for the class. I'm hopeful that this system makes things easy for you as you will only need to remember snack about once a month. Some snack options include fresh fruit (bananas, apples, grapes), carrot sticks, raisins, wheat thins, goldfish crackers, pretzels, graham crackers, granola bars, Cheerios, cheese sticks, or popcorn. I respectfully request that you do not send in candy.
Tardies
Please make sure that your child is on time to school each day. Good habits begin early. When your child is late, he or she misses out on important announcements and instructional time. It is also disruptive to the rest of the class to have students arrive during a lesson. School begins at 7:40. Students may arrive at school at 7:15 to go to the classroom for breakfast.
Toys
Toys, books, and treasures sometimes come to visit. Unless your child has been asked to bring in an item for our "Star of the Week' activity, all toys are better kept at home as they may become lost or damaged.
Transportation
If there is a change in the way your child is getting home from school, please send a note or call the office before 1:30 p.m. to notify us of the changes. Your child will not be allowed to change his/her transportation without parent notification. This protects your child as well as the school. Please try very hard to keep changes to a minimum to reduce confusion during a very busy time of day. Thank you for your cooperation!
Water Bottles
Please send a water bottle labeled with your child's name to school each day for use after P.E. and recess.
Writing
Research shows that children go through different stages in writing. All types of writing are encouraged and accepted. This “KID WRITING” is very important and demonstrates the concepts your child knows and the type of instruction we must do next. Through various lessons, your child will be taught new strategies that will improve his writing. This will, of course, take time! You can help by encouraging all types of writing that your child does. By the end of kindergarten, most students’ writings will be “readable” and many students will be writing stories. It is amazing to see the progress they make!
