Welcome to Great Beginnings Pre-K Program

Welcome to LSR7's Great Beginnings Pre-K Program! Below you will find information to help make your transition into our program a little easier!

Arrival and Dismissal Procedure:

• We will begin unloading cars around 8:55 am
• Please stay in your car.  Our staff will help your student get out and walk inside. This will help the process go quickly and smoothly. 
• Our goal is to finish unloading cars as close to 9:10 as possible. 
• If arrival is over and staff members are no longer outside, please walk to the front door to check your child in through the office. You may have to wait with your child until a staff member can walk them to class.

Dismissal:

• We will begin dismissal around 3:50 pm
• Please do not get in the car line before 3:40, we want to make sure we are not getting mixed into the Prairie View Elementary traffic. If you arrive too early, you may be asked to pull around and wait before entering the Pre-K line.
• Please have your yellow car tag in your window when you pull into the Prairie View parking lot, so they know you are headed to the Pre-K car line
• When you pull into the front drive to wait for your child to be brought out, please be outside your car, ready to help your child get in the car and buckle your child in, if they need help.  Staff are not allowed to help buckle students into the car. (Children must be transported in car seats according to Missouri law.)
• Our goal is to finish loading cars as close to 4:10 as possible
• If dismissal is over and staff members are no longer outside, please walk to the front door to check your child out through the office. 
• If you or the person picking up your child does not have a yellow pick-up tag, we will ask you to park and come to the office.  We will need to check ID before releasing the student.  
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School Expectations: We have established school-wide expectations to support our students as they learn to regulate their behavior, understand their feelings, and make friends in our Pre-K Program.  Specific behaviors and expectations have been established for our school setting to help our students grow in their ability to work with others, solve problems, and express themselves at school. We have a system of tools and strategies for defining expectations, teaching expectations, acknowledging appropriate behavior, and correcting inappropriate behavior. The goal is to create an environment that prepares all students for success. Our school-wide expectations are built around teaching our students to be safe, kind, and helpful. Mastering these behavior expectations, in turn, develops a strong school family and strong positive life skills. 

The social-emotional strategies implemented at school are strategies for life, and we want children, families, and staff to use these skills in all life settings.  We want all adult and child members of our school community to be able to communicate in a positive, effective manner to get their needs met. As needed, behaviors will be addressed by the program director or other school district staff. Our goal is always to work with students to help them learn appropriate behaviors and create a positive school experience.

Quiet Time: Our Pre-K students have quiet time each day from 2:00-3:00 pm.  Children are not required to nap at this time, but they are required to rest.  A rest time during full-day programming is best practice in early childhood education.  As children grow and develop, rest time gives their bodies and minds time to rest and recharge during those big changes!  Learning to take a rest time at school is hard for some children.  Our staff will work with our students to build skills in their ability to relax, calm, and rest.  During quiet time, teaching teams must maintain the same adult-child ratio that occurs during instructional time, so it is not possible to offer alternate activities to a child who is unable to rest. 

We will provide each student with a rest mat and sheet.  We ask that families provide any blanket your child might want to be comfortable (that will easily fit in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag).  We will send the rest time sheet and blanket home to be laundered each Friday.  Please send these items back to school each Monday.  All rest time items will remain at school during the week, so please send items that will not be missed at home during the week. 

Dress: Your child should be dressed in clothing appropriate for play, and our play can often be messy!   We do have spills and will be working with paint, glue, and markers often.  Also, children at this age have toileting accidents.  Therefore, please dress your child in informal, comfortable clothing easily managed in the bathroom.

• Labels for your child’s personal belongings are highly encouraged (backpack, water bottle, coat, etc.)!
• Each child needs an extra set of clothing in their backpack (pants, underwear, shirt, socks), labeled with their name, in case of accidents.
• Students are involved daily in gross motor activities.  Outdoor time occurs every day, unless the temperature is below freezing, extremely hot, or it is raining or snowing. Please be sure to dress your child appropriately for the weather.  
• We recommend that you send your child to school in tennis shoes, sneakers, or closed-toed shoes that are not likely to come off easily.  Flip-flops are unsafe in our setting, even in warm weather. 

Snacks: Daily snacks will be provided for all students. We're asking each family to contribute a class snack, serving 20 students, once a month. Your teacher will reach out with more details regarding snack donations for your child’s classroom. The school will provide additional snacks, as needed. 

Potty-Training: We request that all students be potty-trained to attend our pre-k program. While we understand occasional bathroom accidents may occur, students must demonstrate independence with toileting skills. We are not equipped with the facilities or staff to change diapers/pull-ups or assist in potty training.

District Calendar: The district calendar can be found on the LSR7 website. Visit www.lsr7.org    for more information regarding non-attendance days, late start days, and early release days. 

Nutrition Services: Please visit the LSR7 Nutrition Services webpage linked here to add money to your child’s lunch account (My School Bucks), find menus, or fill out the 25-26 free/reduced forms. You can access the district meal charge policy here. 

Absences & Tardies: The Lee's Summit R-7 School District, including our Great Beginnings Pre-K Program, emphasizes the importance of regular attendance and punctuality for our early childhood students. We believe consistent presence at school significantly contributes to your child's learning progress and helps them develop essential life skills. Each day’s learning is based on the day before. Your child’s success in school will depend on their being at school. Much of our day revolves around play and hands-on activities, which are difficult to make up! Due to the grant that allowed our program to be free for all students, 90% attendance is required for our program to receive reimbursement from the state. We understand that absences due to illness, appointments, or other reasons are sometimes unavoidable. If your child will be absent, please call the Pre-K front office at 986-4150 as soon as possible.

Emergency Contact Information: To best support your child, please verify that their emergency contact information is current in PowerSchool. Additionally, we request that you create a backup plan for child pick-up. This plan should be for situations where you might be unreachable or unable to come to school yourself. Prompt pick-up is crucial if your child needs to leave school early due to illness, behavioral concerns, or other reasons. Timely pick-up is vital for your child's comfort and our school's operations.