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Welcome to Kindergarten
By Kelly Mead
This summer, ease the way for new students and anxious parents alike with a warm, informative letter that previews the First Day
Seeing their names in several spots throughout the classroom helps new students view the room as their own.
Imagine that you're five years old and about to enter kindergarten. Or, imagine you're the parent of that five-year-old. Or, perhaps even more realistically, imagine you're going to be the kindergarten teacher of that five-year-old. Think of the excitement, anticipation and anxiety you're experiencing.
An invitation to your classroom. What can you as the teacher do to lessen the anxiety for all involved and make the transition into school a positive one? How can you create an inviting classroom for the reticent as well as the eager children and parents?
This process can actually begin before the children and their parents even enter the room. I send all incoming students a letter during the latter part of August. Experience has taught me to provide students information about what to expect, and to invite them to look for specific things around the classroom when they arrive. This helps ease them into their new surroundings. My goal is to encourage the children to view the room as theirs, a welcoming environment in which to spend six hours a day.
What follows is a sample letter I send prior to the first day of school...
August 19, 2005 A pre-first-day letter describes fresh flowers on each table (above), a surprise for the class to open at the end of the first day of school.
Dear Sarah,
Welcome to kindergarten! It's so exciting to think that school starts in just 13 days!
I have been busy preparing the classroom for September 1st, our first day together. I know you will discover a lot of interesting and exciting things.
You will see some potted geraniums in our windows. They are from my garden at home. Do you have flowers at your house? We will be learning a lot about plants this year. I hope you will be willing to "adopt a plant" in our classroom and be responsible for taking care of it.
We also will have vases of carnations on each of our tables. These flowers are pretty and make our work areas attractive. Can you guess what color flowers you will have first? You will see your name along with the names of all 17 of your new classmates in many places around the room. Right now your name is in 12 spots. Do you think you'll be able to find all of them? I am enclosing a name tag for you to wear on your first day. Your name is written on the name tag the same way it is written at school, so you will know what to look for on the first day.
Your cubby is all ready for you. You are invited to bring a small stuffed animal to rest with you at quiet time. This "friend" from home will stay in your cubby until after lunch each day. Please be prepared to tell us some special thing about it.
On the first day of school, we will make a graph about how everyone will be getting home from school. (Do you know what a graph is? We will make a lot of them this year.) Be sure to ask your parents if you will walk, ride in a car or take a bus home. If you are taking a bus, please ask them which one it is. It is important to know how you will be getting home.
You will need to know if you are having hot lunch (school lunch) or cold lunch (lunch from home). I am enclosing the lunch form you will be getting every Friday. You and your parents need to discuss which days you will eat hot lunch and which days you will eat cold lunch. Please be sure to bring the lunch form in each Monday.
We will have a snack time each morning. Please bring a healthy snack that you can manage all by yourself. What types of snacks do you think are healthy?
The bulletin boards are all ready for your artwork! One of them is for self-portraits. I will take
a picture of you to put on the left side of a large piece of construction paper. For the right side,
you will draw a picture of yourself on a smaller piece of drawing paper. Each month, you will draw a new self-portrait. By the end of the school year, you will have 10 drawings of yourself.
You will get to take this portfolio home to share with your family.
We have our own bathroom, which you may use whenever you need. We have a sink in the bathroom as well as a sink in the classroom. We also have a drinking fountain. You will learn a lot in kindergarten about good hygiene and ways to stay healthy.
The day before school starts, I will call your parents. I like to check in to answer any last-minute questions.
On the first day, you will see lots of excited children just like you looking for Room 3. These will be your new school friends. Please be sure to wear your name tag so we can all get to know each other. I am looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 1st!
Sincerely, Mrs. Mead
Kelly Mead has been an elementary school teacher for 25 years. She currently teaches kindergarten in Bangor, ME.
May 2005, Vol.35, No.8
