Welcome to My First School

Please check the bulletin board outside the classroom periodically for announcements such as Parent Co-op Meeting dates, Fundraising events, Sign-up lists for classroom events, etc.

The United Methodist Church has worked very hard with the Executive Board to uphold the high standards set for our school.  We ask for our parents support by participation in Church events during the school year.  You can help by providing non-perishable items or attending any of their events.  Details will be sent home in your child’s schoolbag.

Your participation is greatly appreciated.

• Label all clothing (jackets, hats, gloves, sweaters, boots, etc.)
• Items will be placed in plastic bags labeled with your child’s name and hung on hooks outside each classroom.
• Children should wear comfortable clothing.
• We encourage self-help and ask that you dress your child in clothes he/she can manage.
• Smocks are provided, however, the activities are “hands-on” and often messy and many children end up with some paint on their clothes.
• The gym floor was recently refurbished.  In order to maintain it, we have a rubber soled shoe policy.  We ask that you dress your child in rubber soled shoes.  Helping parents should do the same.

Parents are required to participate by working on a committee (unless you have opted out which is $250).  You have been assigned to a committee based on your response to our interest form.  A compete committee list will be provided and is available upon request.

The teacher has two conferences with each family – one in the fall and one in the spring. Parent participation classes do not have conferences so, therefore, will meet on these scheduled days.

Please be conscious of the limited parking on both Verbena and Violet Avenues.  Use the Violet Avenue entrance (where our sign is located).  We do not have access to the parking lot adjacent to the church building.  The area directly in front of our sign is designated as a drop-off/pick up area only.

The teachers and director of My First School have taken courses in First Aid and CPR with Rescue Breathing.  Complete medical kits and folders with Emergency and Medical information on each child are located by the door in each classroom.  Please take a moment to review the Emergency Action Plan and to familiarize yourself with the location of the medical files.  We have an Emergency Action Plan, outlined below and posted in each classroom, in the event of an emergency in the classroom.

We ask that any additions or deletions to your emergency contact list be submitted to the teacher in writing so that we may update our records.  If you have arranged for someone else to take your child home on any day, for any reason, please notify the teacher in advance and in writing.  This is the child’s safety as well as the safety of the teacher and other students.

Each parent, grandparent or primary caregiver serves as an assistant to the teacher in the classroom.  Each child considers this time to be very special and each teacher creates special jobs for the child whose parent is helping out each day.  Your time commitment as a helping parent depends on how many classes your child attends each week.

If your child attends 2 times per week- there are 4 days per year.  The amount of days doubles.  (You will select days during our summer with the convenience of SignUp Genius!  An email will be sent to let you know when to expect the invite.  Siblings are not permitted to attend helping parent days.  We have a no cell phone policy in the classrooms.  Please respect this and reserve the use of cell phones for emergencies only.  Parents may “swap” helping parent days, but may not give them away.

If you are not able to come on your assigned day, it is your responsibility to make up this day.  A class list will be distributed at the beginning of the year.  Attached is a copy of the helping parent checklist with some of the suggested ways to assist.

If your child starts the day with a sore throat, stomach ache, persistent cough or fever, PLEASE keep him/her at home.  Should your child become sick during school, the Director will call you to pick up your child.  A child must be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school.  If your child’s at the beginning of a cold, please keep him/her home for their sake as well as the other children in the class.  When the contagious period is over, he/she may return to school.