Policies and Procedures
Absence
Teachers appreciate a call when your child is absent because of illness, vacation, or other reasons. Please leave a message at the office phone. We often wait for full attendance to start a craft or project. It is nice to know if someone is absent. Thanks in advance.
Backpacks
We ask that you provide your child a BIG backpack for his/her projects and notices. Be sure to check the backpack daily! Please provide a complete change of your child's clothes (socks, underwear or diapers, pants and shirt) in a large Ziploc bag marked with your child's name. We keep the bag in the backpack in case of emergencies. Please label all clothes, backpacks and lunchboxes with your child's name.
Birthdays
Birthdays will be celebrated at school! If you would like to bring a treat for your child's class, please keep it simple. A birthday napkin and small nutritious treats are sufficient. You might consider buying a birthday book, tape or table toy for the school in your child's name.
Clothing
Children should wear comfortable and washable clothes to school. We use smocks to protect their clothing when necessary, but clothing inevitably gets dirty. Please have your child wear sneakers of shoes with closed toes.
Conferences
Twice per year, your teacher will have a parent/teacher conference. Students will not have class on conference days. If you want to discuss anything with the teacher or director, please contact the preschool office (846-6860) to schedule.
Drop Off/Pick-Up Procedure
Drop off: "The Preschool Door" is the northwest door of the building. The director and the aides will come out that door at 8:50 to take your children out of the car and escort them to their classrooms. Please drive along the sidewalk and remain in your car until it is your car's turn to be opened and get your child out. We have found for those children who are experiencing separation anxiety that a quick exit from the car with the staff diminishes the child's unease. It will soon become routine. For the afternoon classes, we will begin getting children out of cars at 11:55-ish.
Pick-up: Please pull around the back parking lot and line up in columns facing Keystone. At the beginning of the school year, there will be orange cones to indicate the beginning and end of the line. Please turn your car off and come to the sidewalk of "the preschool door." When your child is dismissed (at 11:20a.m. for the morning classes and 2:20p.m. for the afternoon), take your child's hand and hold it all the way back to your car, strap him/her in, and start your car. When all children are in their cars, each column of cars will be dismissed one at a time. **If you find yourself a little late, please pull over to the school side-grass area; a staff member will stop you right before the sidewalk. Please wait there until the carpool lines have been dismissed, then pull up to the sidewalk. DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR, please! Drive up to the sidewalk when indicated, and we will put your child in the car. A late fee will be assessed to families who pick up after the dismissal procedures have been completed.
IF anyone other than yourself will be picking up your child, we will need a note from the parents and we will ask for identification. Please indicate your intention of carpool drivers, if applicable, when filling out the "family release" form. Thank you!
Dismissal will take a little longer during the first weeks of school. Your patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated. Remember, your child's safety is our first concern.
Illness
Please keep your child home from school if he/she shows signs of fever, sore throat, nausea, rash, swollen glands, watering eyes, stomach pains or coughing. Also, please keep your child home for 24 hours after a fever is gone. Please override your child's insistence to attend school if you feel it is wise for them to remain at home.
Please notify the office immediately if your child has contracted a contagious disease!
Opportunities to Volunteer
Room Parent: Each class will have a "class parent." Some duties include planning holiday parties, helping with field trips, contacting parents in case of an emergency or informing parents of upcoming events.
Outside Play
We will go outside to play if it's at all possible! When cooler weather arrives, please label all jackets, hats, coats, gloves, etc with your child's name. During the winter months, we will not go outside if the wind chill is below 28 degrees. There may be other decisions that will influence our decision to have outside play. Please dress your child accordingly.
Show and Tell
Children love to bring things to show and tell the other children and teachers. The experience of telling about one's treasures helps to develop vocabulary and also confidence and poise in front of a group.
Please encourage your child to bring things on your child's Show and Tell day that will be interesting to the rest of the class. We are constantly trying to develop an atmosphere of love, understanding and peace. We therefore, will not allow guns, weapons or other symbols of violence.
Snacks
A snack schedule will be sent home with the children in the 3's classes and pre-k classes. If there is a conflict with one of your scheduled days, please call another family to switch dates. You might find it beneficial to keep this schedule in your preschool binder. We encourage you to send in snacks that are store bought and are in sealed packages. The preschool provides drink and paper goods.
If your child is allergic to any foods, please be sure that the teachers and director are aware of the allergy.
The preschool will provide snack and drink to the MTO classes.
Weather
In the case of bad weather, we will close if Carmel Public Schools are closed. Please listen to a radio station or to any of the local TV news stations for the Carmel-Clay Schools announcement. If Carmel Public Schools have a delayed opening, St. Peter's Preschool will not be open for the morning sessions but will have class for the afternoon sessions (unless the afternoon teachers phone you with a different plan). We will follow the Carmel-Clay Flex Snow Days, that is, we won't have school those days.
A Letter to Parents / Philosophy of Our school
Programs, Goals, Schedules and Pricing / Calendar /
Policies and Procedures
3106 East Carmel Drive
Carmel, IN 46033
Telephone: (317) 846-6882
Preschool: (317) 846-6860
Fax: (317) 844-0984
Email: stpeters@stpeterscarmel.org