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| This is our classroom! |
Dear Room K-3 Families,
Welcome to kindergarten and welcome to A2STEAM! I am excited to be starting my fourth year here at STEAM and I look forward to getting to know you and your children.
As the school year begins the students and I will focus on learning about our school and classroom routines. Our first big STEAM project is scheduled to start in a couple of weeks and involves photographing and interviewing all the different people at A2STEAM so we can learn their names and roles. The project will also teach students how we create a safe and respectful school community.
Below I have outlined important information that will be helpful the first week of school. Other questions will be addressed as they arise and many more details about school will be presented on Curriculum Night, which is scheduled for Thursday, September 13th at 6:00 PM. Additionally, the primary way I communicate school information is here on our classroom website.
Bell Times and Pick Up Plan
The first bell now rings at 8:14 AM, school ends at 3:22 PM. The school office has sent you a link to an online A2STEAM Pick-Up Plan form. It is crucial that this online form is filled out by the first day of school so I know where to send your child at the end of the school day. If your child goes home after school I will be waiting to hand them off to you under the covered entranceway in front of the building. A teacher, or teacher’s assistant will make sure children who ride the bus, and children who go to afterschool daycare, get to where they need to go. A2STEAM has specific pick up and drop off procedures, you can view a parking map and full explanation here. Because kindergarteners are so young it is important to have any temporary or permanent changes to the Pick Up Plan in writing from an adult. If you ever need to make a last minute adjustment please call the school and the office staff will inform me of the change.
Homework Folder and Backpack
Every student will be provided with a red plastic A2STEAM homework folder. These folders need to come to school every day with your child. My hope is for each student to have this folder for the rest of the year so homework and other information can make it home safely. There is no homework at this time, but I will have information to send home. Your student also needs a backpack big enough to carry this folder without bending it.
Kindergarten Lunch and Snack
Kindergartners eat lunch every day at 10:55 AM and have time allocated each morning and each afternoon for a snack. The morning snack I will serve, it will be a few quick nut-free crackers or carrot sticks. Our lunch time is rather early (10:55 AM) so the morning snack is just enough to hold the students over until then. In the afternoon I will allot time for students to eat a snack that is brought from home. Please pack a small snack for your student to eat each afternoon. Focus on healthy foods and avoid things that are sweet like cookies or fruit chews. At lunchtime, it helps students if they know whether they are purchasing a hot lunch from the cafeteria or eating a lunch brought from home.
Contacting Me
Always feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you have. You can email me, or leave me a voice mail at 734-994-1958. You can also approach me in person at school or send in a note. It is best to try to not ask me important questions right when school starts because my mind is usually focused on the school day. Look for regular classroom updates via email and on this website.
Beginning of the Year Survey
I know you've already filled out a lot of forms to get your students inputted into the school system and enrolled here at our school. I have one more, short one, for you. It is an online survey with a few questions about your child and family. As the year starts having this information is helpful to me. You can find the survey here, fill it out at your earliest convenience, no rush.
About Me
I have been a teacher for fourteen years, mostly in kindergarten but also 2nd grade. Before coming to Michigan I lived and worked in San Diego, CA. My wife is a professor at U of M-Dearborn in Political Science. Together we have a five-year-old son who is beginning kindergarten at STEAM this year too!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to working with you this year!
Sincerely,
James Luxon
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| If your child goes home after school I will be waiting to hand them off to you under this covered entranceway in front of the school. |
