Dear Student Caretakers, This year, my goal is to create a positive and nurturing environment for your student to learn

and grow in together. I hold high expectations for behavior in our classroom and we will work together to discuss our class standards. There are a few expectations that I hold separate from the student-made class rules. First, I expect respect for each student, teacher, and staff member as well as for our classroom, materials, and school. Second, I would like for students to be prepared. Without the proper materials, students are not ready to learn. Materials, to me, are not only pencils, paper, glue, and books, but also an open mind and desire to learn. Parents, please encourage your students to keep their mind open to learning. Also, we will frequently be learning about other cultures and discussing diversity in our classroom. In order to prevent misbehavior in our classroom, we will frequently practice modeling what good behavior looks like so that students can form good habits. I like to model the behavior I expect, as well as behaviors I expect not to see, from the students throughout the first few weeks of school so that my expectations are clear. Please ask your students about some of our rules and how we demonstrate good behavior. Since kids are kids and misbehavior is bound to happen, we will use a clip chart so that students can see how their behavior is throughout the day. Every day, we will all start with our clips on a space labeled Ready to Learn. Throughout the day, students will be asked to move their clips up or down our chart based on their behavior. At the end of the day, you will find a note in your students folder that shows where their day ended and will notify you of any recurring behavior problem. I look forward to working with you and your student. Congratulations, you are officially raising a kindergartener!

Ms. Caitlyn Mauck