Greetings and Welcome!

 This Blog is used to share information about what we are doing in class.  Come back in a week or two to see what we're up to!

Below you'll find a copy of the initial email Mrs. Crouser sent out to let you know your child will be in my class (soon I'll have your information in my computer system and I can email families directly).

Welcome to Teacher Kari’s Kindergarten class, Room 111. I am looking forward to the year ahead with your child; building relationships, playing, exploring, and learning. The following information seems to go on and on, but I hope it will be helpful as you prepare for school. My full name is Kari Lindstrom and I have been teaching for 16 years, almost all of them here at Grout. I live in the neighborhood with my husband and our two cats, Oskar and Freya.

Each student will have one full day of school this week (7:50am-2:30pm). If your child’s last name starts with A-M their first, and only day this week, will be tomorrow, Thursday, August 29th.  If their last name begins with N-Z, they’ll attend on Friday, August 30th. 

Everyone will come to school on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd.  If your child is not able to attend, please call the front office at 503-916-6209 or send me an email at klindstrom@pps.net.  Please feel free to use these for getting in touch with me about other questions or concerns as well.  Using the Remind App. is also an easy option allowing us to text.  I usually write up a Blog post two or three times a month to keep you posted on what we are doing in school and give you some ideas of what you can do to spark conversations from your child about what they are learning.  I will send out an email with the link to the Blog: https://groutschoolteacherkari.blogspot.com/ every time I add a post.

Getting to School:  (first bell is 7:50, after 8am students are Tardy)

If your child needs to ride the bus or you have questions about transportation, please click here to find out more. Kindergarten bus riders are met by Grout staff and escorted to breakfast and/or the classroom. If you are driving your child to school, please be patience with the car/foot traffic and respect our neighbors’ driveways/property. Remind students not to pick flowers from yards on their way to school.

What to bring?:  Students will enjoy their day if they are prepared with comfortable play clothes, tennis shoes on the days we have P.E./Gym (Tues. and Wed.), other clothing comforts (hats, sunglasses, rain boots) and a backpack. 

Please bring a change of clothes in a ziplock bag to keep in their locker- you never know when there will be falls in the mud, spills, or bathroom accidents.

Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle to keep in their locker during the day for quick access (25 students waiting in line for a drink of water isn't fun).

PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING WITH YOUR CHILD’S FIRST AND LAST NAME (CLOTHES, COATS, LUNCHBOX, WATER BOTTLE, ETC.)

What not to bring?: Gum, candy, and soda pop are not allowed at school. No glass containers, valuable items, or toys (there are no locks on the lockers).  Students can have umbrellas, cell phones, bikes, or scooters, but they can not access them during the school day. Jewelry and watches are allowed, but they may be asked to put them in their backpacks if they become distracting.

Breakfast, Snack & Lunch:  Grout provides free breakfast and lunch to all students; no paperwork is required. Students choosing to get breakfast at school may enter through the back doors closest to the play equipment at 7:45.  If they aren’t finished eating by 7:55 or 8 am, they may finish in the classroom - staff will be available to walk students to their classrooms. 

The PPS Snack Program (fruits & vegetables) will begin around the week of September 30th.  Until then I’m looking for families that may be able to provide a healthy snack for the class (25 students). To keep track of snack donations, please click here to sign up. Some ideas include: baby carrots, small apples, pretzels, goldfish, bars, etc. Please do not send in any sweets or fruit that needs to be cut up. All food must be store bought. We'll eat our snack near or during our morning recess (9:10-9:25 am).

Our second recess is before lunch at 10:55. Lunch is from around 11:20 to 11:40.   If your child brings lunch from home, please make sure there are no glass containers.  Although there will be up to 3 staff in the cafeteria, please let your child practice opening and closing any containers that you might be sending to make for a smoother lunch. 

Background checks for all adults in the building: Please consider getting a background check done right away so that you can participate when you'd like with various class activities and/or on field trips. We are planning our first field trip for late in October. The background checks are done through this link and they are good for three years. Thank you for helping keep our kids safe.  

Kindergarten Daily Schedule: Each day will begin with a short time to play/explore and specifically build fine motor skills and review academic skills we’ve learned (using materials like play dough, scissors, plastic tongs to sort items, stringing beads, building, tracing).

Our Enhancement Classes are daily from 12:55 to 1:40

Mondays: Music

Tuesdays: P.E. (please wear appropriate shoes for running)

Wednesdays: P.E. (please wear appropriate shoes for running)

Thursdays: Art

Fridays: Library

Once a month we’ll also meet with our School Counselor, Ms. Staples, and we’ll have a turn learning in the Grout Garden on the Grout Playground with Grow Portland.

Birthdays: In our classroom we'll acknowledge each child on, or near, their birthday by making cards for them (please let me know if you do not wish for us to do this for your child).  Summer birthdays are spread throughout April, May and June.  Students may bring a treat to share with the class on their birthday but please NO CAKE, CUPCAKES, or ICE CREAM.  Good alternatives include cookies, donut holes, fruit gummies, kettle corn/popcorn, or bars (if in doubt, just ask).  

Please do not bring party invitations to school UNLESS you are inviting EVERY student in the class.  Please take care passing out individual invitations outside of school and away from students so that we can avoid hurt feelings.

Thank you for reading all the way down to the bottom and thanks to all those who have already completed the online questionnaire sent out earlier by Mrs. Crouser.  Click here for Kindergarten Questionnaire if you haven’t completed it yet.

Thank you,

Teacher Kari