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Pre-Kindergarten Student Handbook

 

Washington Primary Pre-Kindergarten 

Parent Handbook 

 

Monday through Thursday 

8:30-11:30 A.M. (Morning Session) 
12:30-3:30 P.M. (Afternoon Session) 

Location 

Washington Primary Building 
803 East National Hwy. 
Washington, Indiana 47501 
www.washingtoncommunityschools.org 
(812)254-8360 

 

Washington Community Schools 

Mr. Kevin Frank, Superintendent 
Mr. Steve Peterson, Assistant Superintendent
Mr. Tom Lee, Principal, Washington Primary
Mrs. Mary Padgett, Preschool Teacher 
Mrs. Holly Reinking, Secretary

 

Preschool Handbook 

Table of Contents 

★ Welcome 

★ Eligibility/Philosophy/Goals 

★ General Information 

○ Arrival/Dismissal 

○ Attendance/Absence 

○ Illness 

○ Injury 

○ Health Records/Immunizations 

○ Management of Communicable Diseases 

○ Returning to School 

○ Daily Activities 

○ Nutritious Snacks 

○ Parent Involvement 

○ Conferences/Open House/Lost and Found 

★ Admission 

★ Safety Procedures 

○ Visitors 

○ Emergency Closing of School 

○ Emergency Early Dismissal 

○ Safety Drills 

★ Transportation 

★ Student Discipline 


 

Welcome Washington Primary Pre-K Families! 

Dear Families, 

We are so happy that you have chosen Washington Primary PreK for your child! Welcome to a new school year. We look forward to working with you and your child and anticipate a wonderful year of learning and growing. 

You are important to us! We welcome any questions you may have. Please feel free to drop us a note, give us a call or make an appointment to come in to discuss your child’s academic and social growth. 

This preschool handbook is created to communicate our policies, procedures and goals for the upcoming school year. We hope you find it a helpful reference for many of the basic questions you may have. Please take some time to review the information and keep it for future reference. 

Family relationships are very important to us. Please feel free to speak with your child’s Preschool Teacher with questions regarding the information contained in this handbook. 

 

Program Overview 

Our program is available to students living within the Washington Community School District and children/grandchildren of staff currently serving Washington Community Schools who will be attending kindergarten at Washington Primary School. Students must be 4 years of age by August 1. 

Philosophy and Goals 

Washington Primary PreK believes in allowing children to learn and grow through developmentally appropriate activities. This includes unstructured, hands-on play as well as more structured group activities that promote academic content. Indiana’s Early Learning Foundations provide the framework from which activities are built. Social-emotional learning is guided by observation of children’s interactions with one another and behavioral issues are solved by teaching self-regulatory behavior. Our goal is to work together with parents to prepare all of our students for a successful kindergarten experience. 

 

Preschool Hours 

There are 2 half-day sessions 

offered Monday through Thursday: 

Morning Session: 8:30 AM-11:30 AM 

Afternoon Session 12:30 PM-3:30 PM  

 

Arrival/Dismissal 

Class begins promptly at 8:30 A.M. for the morning session and 12:30 P.M. for the afternoon session. It is important that your child arrives on time. Doors will open for students at 8:20 A.M. and 12:20 P.M. Please do not come earlier than assigned times. There will be no early entry. You (or an authorized emergency contact person) will need to sign your child in and out. For the morning session, please walk your child to the double-entry gym doors and school personnel will be 

supervising students in the gym corridor. For the afternoon session, please walk your child to the main entrance front doors and school personnel will be supervising students near the school office area. 

Dismissal will be 11:30 A.M. for the morning session and 3:30 P.M. for the afternoon session. Doors will open at 11:20 A.M. and 3:20 A.M. For the morning session, dismissal will be through the main entrance. Parents/guardians should enter through the main entrance where school personnel will be available to assist you in signing out your child. For the afternoon session, dismissal will be through the double-entry gym doors. Parents/guardians should enter through the gym doors where school personnel will be available to assist you in signing out your child. Please do not arrive early enough to interfere with bus or car traffic from the Kindergarten and First Grade students. 

 

Attendance 

Good attendance is essential, as it is closely related to a positive attitude toward school and academic achievement. Please encourage the development of this important habit by seeing that your child gets enough rest the night before school and comes to school having had a good breakfast/lunch, wearing comfortable clothes to suit the weather and activities, and be ready to learn. Shoes should be close toed and of the type suitable for running. 

If your child is absent, parents must call the school or send a note explaining the reason for the absence upon return. 

Removal from the program 

Children absent from the program for 10 days or more may be removed from the roster at the principal’s discretion and replaced with a child on the waiting list. 

Children tardy for class for 3 days or more may be removed from the roster at the principal’s discretion and replaced with a child on the waiting list.

Parents that are late to pick up their child three or more times risk having their child being removed from the roster and replaced with a child on the waiting list. Illness 

If a child is ill, please keep him/her at home. Should a condition persist, consult your physician. Children with flu-like symptoms, vomiting, and/or a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will not be kept at school. If a child becomes ill or injured at school, parents will be contacted according to the Emergency Authorization Form on file and asked to pick up their child. 

 

Health Records and Immunizations 

We are required to have on file an up to date health record/medical statement signed by your physician and a list of immunization dates for each child within the first 30 days of enrollment and updated annually. The State of Indiana’s 2022-23 school year school entry immunization requirements for preschool aged children are: 3 Hepatitis B, 1 Varicella (Chickenpox), 4 DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis), 1 MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella), 3 Polio, 2 Hepatitis A Recommended: Annual influenza 

Management of Communicable Diseases 

Maintaining a healthy school environment is very important. To insure the health of all children, the following policy has been adopted: 

Children who have a communicable disease, as classified by Indiana Division of Family Resources, Bureau of Child Care, or who have the following signs or symptoms of illness, need to be excluded from school and are advised to contact their physician: 

  • vomiting 

  • diarrhea (2 or more times in the same day) 

  • severe coughing 

  • difficult or rapid breathing 

  • yellowish skin or eyes 

  • conjunctivitis

  • temperature of 100 or above (auxiliary method) 

  • untreated infected skin patches 

  • unusually dark urine and/or gray or white stool 

  • stiff neck 

  • evidence of lice, scabies or other parasitic infestation 

  • unusual spots or rashes 

  • sore throat or difficulty swallowing 

  • continuous runny yellow/green mucus from nose accompanied with a cough 

 

Returning to School 

A child is ready to return to preschool under the following conditions: 

  • child’s temperature has been normal for 24 hours without a fever reducing medication 

  • child is free from any contagious skin rash 

  • child has not vomited or had a bout of diarrhea for a 24 hour period 

Please notify the school if your child is absent with a communicable disease. Parents will be notified if their child has been exposed to chickenpox. In case of severe emergency, the following steps will be taken: 

  • Provide immediate necessary first aid 

  • Contact 911 

  • Contact parents 

  • Follow procedure indicated on child’s emergency form 

 

Daily Activities 

Daily activities are designed around seasonal and thematic units which are developed from Indiana’s Early Learning Development Framework and Big Day for Prek curriculum from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Art, music, cooking, snacks, stories, social and guided play activities revolve around current thematic units. We schedule our activities to achieve a balance of quiet and active play. Small group and or individual free-choice activities are scheduled daily.  

Children have opportunities to participate using appropriate materials and manipulatives that are used in the classroom across content areas. 

Sample Schedule: 

1. Arrival 

2. Individual choice activities 

3. Large group instruction 

4. Small group instruction/small motor instruction 

5. Snacks 

6. Gross motor instruction 

7. Dismissal 

 

Nutritious Snacks 

A nutritious snack and drink is served mid-morning/mid-afternoon. Birthday snacks such as brownies, ice cream or cookies (store bought only-no homemade treats) may be sent in on your child’s special day. Please notify your child’s teacher in advance if you’re bringing special treats in. Children may also bring a water bottle (please put name on) to use if they prefer water during snack and to bring outside as weather dictates. 

 

Parental Involvement 

In order to maximize growth and development, it is desirable to maintain consistency, cooperation and communication between home and school. Your family may be involved in the educational process in the following ways: 

● opportunities for daily communication with the teacher through written notes, emails, voicemails, phone calls before or after school 

● check your child’s backpack for their folder, empty it and return folder to school in their backpack; backpack should be returned to school daily 

● helping to maintain desirable and attainable goals for your child 

● parenting flyers and information about parenting groups and community resources 

● progress reports (monthly) 

● parent conferences

Parents are asked to comply with our school board policy and register at the school office when they enter the building with a purpose of anything other than checking in/out their student. 

Parent-teacher conferences can be scheduled through your classroom teacher and will be held either before or after school. 

Parents wishing to observe their child in the preschool setting must first have security clearance on file in Washington Primary School’s office. These forms are made available in our office or from your child’s preschool teacher. In order to keep the preschool day from becoming disrupted, as well as to maintain confidentiality of other students, parents must stay in the designated area and not interact with their own or any other child. If this observation becomes a distraction, you will be asked to leave the classroom. 

 

Conferences 

Parent-teacher conferences serve as a means to discuss a student’s academic and social-emotional progress. This is a two-way avenue for both parents and teachers and should be initiated by either party, if the need arises. Parent/teacher conferences will be scheduled in the fall and spring. Parents will receive correspondence as to scheduled times. 

 

Open House 

An annual Open House is scheduled for parents to visit their child’s classroom. Parents are encouraged to visit their child’s school. and to participate in this event. 

 

Lost and Found 

Students should check the classroom lost and found area for any missing items. Items not claimed are given to charitable organizations at the end of the school year. Money, jewelry and other personal items are turned in at the office. 

 

Admission 

Should it be necessary for your child to withdraw from our preschool because of a move or any other reason, parents are encouraged to give the school as much advance notice as possible. This will allow us to help prepare the child for a smooth transition to the new program as well as allow us to offer the opening to a child on our wait list. 

 

Visitors 

We at Washington Primary PreK welcome parent involvement and encourage your support. For the safety of all children, visitors must enter the main doors by the office and report to the office to sign in and receive a name tag. Any visitor in the building who does not have a name tag will be asked to report to the office. PLEASE DO NOT GO DIRECTLY TO THE CLASSROOM OR PLAYGROUND! All visitors to the classrooms will require a background check that must be approved prior to visitation. If a person wishes to speak with a member of the staff, she/he should call for an appointment before coming to the school in order to prevent classroom interruptions. 

Adults wishing to volunteer in our school must first have security clearance on file in our office and undergo volunteer training through Washington Primary School. This information is available in the school office. 

Visitors are not permitted to carry a weapon on school property. 

 

Emergency Closing of School 

Late opening, early closing, or cancellation of school for any reason (other than regularly scheduled events) will be announced using the automated calling service as well as the local radio stations as soon as the decision has been made.  

PLEASE, DO NOT TELEPHONE THE SCHOOL FOR THIS INFORMATION. OUR PHONE LINE NEEDS TO BE KEPT OPEN TO RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS FROM SCHOOL OFFICIALS. Two hour delays will result in cancellation of morning preschool sessions. In the event of emergency care being required, there is a childcare resource and referral agency that may assist you. That number is 1-800-299-1627. 

 

Safety Drills 

In accordance with state law, Washington Primary will conduct various safety drills throughout the school year. Specific instructions on how to proceed during a drill will be provided to students by their teachers. 

 

Transportation 

Parents are responsible for transporting their child to and from school. 

Arrival time for the morning session is between 8:20 and 8:30 with pick up between 11:20 and 11:30. Please utilize the 11th Street entrance and park in the gym parking lot for morning arrival. Bring your child to the main double-entry glass gym doors where you will find school personnel waiting to receive your child. Dismissal will be at the Main Entrance using the East National Hwy entrance. Please come to the front door where you will find school personnel waiting to assist you with the dismissal procedure. 

Arrival time for the afternoon session is between 12:20 and 12:30 with pick up between 3:20 and 3:30. Please utilize the East National Hwy entrance and bring your student to the Main Entrance where you will find school personnel waiting to assist you with the arrival procedure. Dismissal will utilize the 11th Street entrance. Please park in the gym parking lot and come to the double-entry gym doors where you will find school personnel waiting to assist you in the dismissal procedure. 

If you must pick up your child early from school during either of these sessions, you must park in the front entrance parking lot and request entry through the main office. Please make sure to notify your classroom teacher and the office beforehand, if at all possible, so that personal belongings can be collected and sent home with your child. 

Student safety is a priority at all times. Please make sure to keep your child beside you at all times. Be an extremely “defensive driver” by always being mindful of pedestrians and other vehicles while on school property. 

 

Discipline 

One of the goals in working with young children is to help them feel comfortable with themselves and others. In order to do this, a child must learn self-control and responsibility. We strive to guide children to more mature and socially acceptable behaviors. There are many ways that we help the child recognize alternative behaviors and consequences which affect themselves and others. As adults interested in developing self confidence in children, we do not use techniques that humiliate, shame or frighten children. Some of the ways we DO guide children to more appropriate behavior include: 

1. We practice preventative discipline by recognizing the age level characteristics and the needs of individual children as we plan the learning environment to meet these needs including: 

  • providing many choices of play equipment and activities 
  • viewing the health and safety of the children as a primary concern at all times 
  • attempting to clearly define limits and consistently and fairly maintain them
  • allowing children time and opportunities to solve problems for themselves 
  • stating suggestions or directions in a positive manner 
  • providing outlets for expressing feelings or tension 
  •  reward positive behaviors we want to see continue 
  •  warning children before transitions occur 

2. In dealing with ongoing classroom conflicts we guide children by: 

  • reinforcing other children while ignoring the child’s inappropriate behavior 

  • pointing out natural or logical consequences 

  • redirecting children to another activity or play area 

3. The following method is used if preventative and less intrusive discipline measures are not working. 

  • Remind the child of the specific rule he or she is not following:  

“REMEMBER, WE SHARE” 

“REMEMBER WE TAKE CARE OF OUR THINGS” 

“REMEMBER WE PLAY SAFELY” 

“REMEMBER WE USE INSIDE VOICES” 

“REMEMBER WE KEEP OUR HANDS AND FEET TO OURSELVES”

  • The child may be removed from the current activity but kept in an adult’s presence. 
  • The child’s feelings will be acknowledged & the rule involved will be restated with rational. 

In some cases, it may be necessary for the child to sit in the room away from the group activities to provide time to restore appropriate behavior and reflect. The child will be assisted in returning to the group when behaviors will allow him/her to be more successful. 
In the event of extreme behaviors that cause severe disruptions to the school day (after numerous attempts to redirect a child’s behavior), a child may be placed on a reduced schedule or removed from the program. 

Washington Community Schools, the Board of School Trustees does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including transgender status, sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, age, religion, military status, ancestry, or genetic information which are classes protected by Federal and/or State law (collectively, "Protected Classes") occurring in the Corporation's educational opportunities, programs, and/or activities, or, if initially occurring off Corporation grounds or outside the Corporation's educational opportunities, programs, and activities, affecting the Corporation environment. 

The Board also does not discriminate on the basis of Protected Classes in its employment policies and practices as they relate to students, and does not tolerate harassment of any kind. 

Equal educational opportunities shall be available to all students, without regard to the Protected Classes, age (unless age is a factor necessary to the normal operation or the achievement of any legitimate objective of the program/activity), place of residence within the boundaries of the Corporation, or social or economic background, to learn through the curriculum offered in this Corporation. Educational programs shall be designed to meet the varying needs of all students