**Please see the Student Parent Handbook on notredamebuffalo.org for a complete list of policies and procedures**
Arrival - Pre-K begins at 8:00 AM every day. Students can enter the building between 7:35 and 7:55 am. Please drop students off at the doors on Abbott Rd. and Hansen St. During drop-off and dismissal, the parking lot is closed to all traffic. Please park on the street or in the church parking lot and walk across the street at the crosswalk. If students are attending the Breakfast program, please drop them off at the cafeteria between 7:30 and 7:55 am. Dismissal: Pre-K dismisses at 2:20 pm. Students will wait inside while we call their names to dismiss them. Please do not call to your child. We ask that you stand in the area of the door and wait until we call your child’s name. Safety is our first priority! Timely pick-up is just as important as timely arrivals - the Pre-K staff has other duties after dismissal. Students who are attending the EDP program go directly from their classroom. All Pre-K students who take the bus are taken directly to the bus by Pre-K staff.
Dismissal Changes - If there is a planned change in your child's dismissal procedure, please send a note to school in their daily folder. If we are unsure of a change, we will hold your child and call you for clarification. This may be an inconvenience for the person picking them up, but it is for your child's safety.
Daily Folder - The purple folder that your child brings in at the beginning of the year will go back and forth every day. Please be sure to put it back into their backpacks after you check it each afternoon so we can fill it with more fun projects the next day!
Behavior Management - Green, yellow, and red cards are a simple behavior management strategy that uses positive reinforcement and is easy for little learners to understand! Every student starts on green each morning. If they make poor choices (hitting, kicking, unkind words, etc.) they will move to yellow. If the behavior is corrected, they will go back to green. However, if it persists, they will move to red. Students can always turn their day around and move back towards green!
Every afternoon, you can see how your child's day went by checking the back of their purple folder. There will be a colored paper that corresponds with their card in the classroom. If it is yellow or red, a note will be sent home explaining what happened. I encourage you to discuss positive choices with your child!
On Fridays, students who have been on green all week will get to pick a prize out of the elephant trunk!
Extra Clothes - Every child will bring in a complete change of clothes at the beginning of the year (shirt, pants, underwear, socks, sneakers) that will be kept in a labeled Ziploc bag, should they have an accident. Accidents happen! If your child has one, we will send home their wet clothes in the Ziploc bag and ask that you replace the set of extra clothes.
Snack - Please send in a healthy snack for your child every day. We will have extra snack in the classroom in case someone forgets, but sending in your own snack ensures that your child likes what they are given to eat.
Allergies - If your child has any allergies please let us know as soon as possible! We want to do everything we can to keep them safe at school.
Sickness - Germs travel quickly!! If your child vomited or had an upset stomach overnight/in the morning but seems to feel better, please do not send them to school. Students with a fever must stay home until they have been fever-free for 24 hours. Please use your best judgement if your child has a cough/cold.
Rest Time - We will have rest time for 45 minutes each day. Students will rest on the mat they bring in at the beginning of the year and mats will be stored in school. They are allowed to bring one small stuffed animal to rest with - it must be able to fit inside their backpacks.
Extended Day Program - The extended day program provides care for your child after school hours from 2:20 - 5:30 everyday. The first part is quiet for snack, homework or coloring/drawing for the younger children that do not have homework. Activities such as game time, crafts and electronics complete our day in EDP. Every Friday or the last day of the week for the program is movie day. Sign up for EDP by completing the forms on notredamebuffalo.org and returning them to school.
Parent Volunteers - All parents who wish to volunteer need to find a training session. These are held often and are usually easy to register for. The session typically lasts about 3 hours and is entitled "Protecting God's Children." Please visit, e-mail or call for more information. • www.virtus.org • [email protected] • (716) 847-5532