1. education
2. school

The United Way of Lackawanna County’s Success By 6 Program would like to
extend a special thank you to Mr. R. Scott Jeffrey, Superintendent of Lakeland
School District, Mr. Kevin Sullivan, School Principal and Ms. Daneen Vagnetti,
Guidance Counselor for allowing the United Way to come into your school and
make this project a reality. The input of the administration, teachers and staff
made this project a wonderful collaboration.
Thank you!
Funding for this project was generously sponsored by Lakeland School District and:
“What do you wonder about Kindergarten?”
Honors years of listening to questions, concerns and wonderings of children at Rainbow Hill,
Shickshinny, PA by Ms. Leanne Grace. Thank you Ms. Grace for sharing this beautiful creation with
The United Way of Lackawanna County’s Success By 6 Program.
2015
Mr. R. Scott Jeffery
Superintendent of Schools
On behalf of the Lakeland Board of Education, administrators, faculty, and staff, I
would like to welcome you to the Lakeland School District.
The District has a long-standing culture of school loyalty and pride. The goal of all of
our staff is to continuously improve on all aspects of what we do. This includes
instruction, student services, extra-curricular activities, safety, facilities, and
finances.
We hope your child enjoys their experience here at Lakeland.
Sincerely,
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What do you wonder
about going to Kindergarten?
All children have questions about going to
Kindergarten such as…
Do I have to go?
Who will my teacher be?
What if I am a little afraid?
Where will I sit?
Where is the bathroom?
When is snack? When is lunch?
How will I know where to go?
Do I have to tie my own shoes?
What should I wear?
What are your questions? Let’s find the answers.
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What if. . .you’re a little
afraid, scared, happy, anxious, sad?
It’s OK to have all those feelings, because Kindergarten is new.
Did you know other children will feel just like you!
Draw your face here.
Talk about your feelings with someone in your family.
I bet they have some of these feelings too.
So let’s find out more about Kindergarten.
The more you know, the better you will feel.
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How. . .will you get to school?
No matter how you go safety is always #1. Is your school near or
far? You might walk, go by car or bus. You might wonder who will
wait for me when I get home.
Your school bus will look like this and it will take you safely to
school. Someone will help you off the bus and take you to your
teacher. You will be safe. When you get home someone from your
family will be there to meet you.
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What. . .does your school look like?
Go to your school with someone in your family.
What do you think the letters on the building say?
What is the building made of?
Is it the same or different from your home?
What do you think you will see when
you go inside these doors?
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Who. . .will greet you at school?
Hello. My name is Kevin Sullivan and I would like to introduce myself as Principal
of Lakeland Elementary School-Mayfield Campus. The 2014-2015 school year will
mark my 10th year at Mayfield Campus and 14th overall serving the students &
communities which compromise Lakeland School District.
I am honored by the opportunity to work with your children. It is my passion to
see they are provided with a quality education which will afford them many
opportunities for a bright future. While our students acquire many skills during
their years at Mayfield it is you the parents who play a key role in their success.
We appreciate all of the time that you dedicate to assisting your children in
their studies from reading & studying with them to checking their work. Your
positive reinforcement is an important element of their success.
One of my goals is to maintain their success while making certain they have all of
the skills necessary to move forward as lifelong learners. If you need to contact
me for any reason, I can be reached at my district e-mail
ksullivan@lakelandsd.org or by phone @ 570-876-2950.
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My name is Miss
Sanko. You will see
me when you come
to the office. I help
Mr. Sullivan keep
things organized.
Hello! My name is Miss
Vagnetti and I will be
your Guidance
Counselor at Mayfield
Campus!!
As your Guidance
Counselor; I will be
someone that you can
feel safe speaking
to when you're feeling
sad, scared or simply
want to share some
good news!! I look
forward to meeting
you!!
Welcome to our school!
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What. . .will the Kindergarten room be like?
How will I fit in? Where will I sit? Are there tables or desks?
Where do I put my stuff? Can I bring toys?
You will sit at these colorful tables with your new friends.
There will be great toys, pictures, and even a TV in your room.
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We are the Kindergarten Teachers,
and we are looking forward to meeting you!
Will. . .my teacher take care of me?
Will my teacher like me?
Will my teacher know me? These are questions every child has
before starting school EVERY year, even college!
Welcome to Kindergarten at Mayfield
Campus! We are the Kindergarten
teachers, Mrs. Furiosi and Mr. Walton.
We are excited to have you in our
classrooms and look forward to a great
year!!!
How. . .will you know what to do?
You can begin by being a good listener and watching your teacher.
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What. . .will you do ALL day?
Your day will probably look like this. . .
Arrival
Anthem and Pledge
Opening exercises
Reading, writing, speaking, listening
Small group work
Lunch
Recess
Math
Social Studies / Science
“Special class”
Art, Music, Library, Gym, Computer
Good-bye
You will be very tired at the end of your busy Kindergarten day!
When you get home have a BIG glass of milk or water and a
healthy snack! Then go outside and PLAY!!!!!!!
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What. . .if you have to go to the bathroom?
Don’t be afraid to tell your teacher!
Ask to use the bathroom by raising your hand high in the air!
Everyone has to go to the bathroom sometime!
Even your teacher.
How is this bathroom at school the same or different from your
bathroom at home? The bathrooms are much like those you might
use at the mall.
After you use the toilet always wash your hands.
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Where. . .will you eat lunch?
Some children bring their lunch to school in a lunchbox or bag.
Practice using your lunchbox before kindergarten begins.
Can you open and close it yourself?
Will you have a thermos or juice box?
Practice opening all the containers you will be using.
If you buy your lunch you will learn about lunch money and will go
through the lunch line. Practice carrying a tray at your house and
open a milk carton by yourself.
You can do it!
Be prepared to keep your area neat and clean.
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We are the Cafeteria staff.
We are here to help you at lunch time. Don’t we have great smiles?
You will eat lunch in a very big room called the cafeteria. You will sit at a
table with your new Kindergarten friends.
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Will. . .you get to play?
Yes! Play time in Kindergarten is called recess.
You may get to play inside or outside depending upon the weather.
There will be lots of room to run around.
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Will. . .you
get to go to other parts of the school?
YES! You will need to walk in lines quietly
and remember the hallway rules.
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This is the room where you will have Gym class.
Gym is great fun!
My name is Mrs. Naniewicz. I will be your Gym teacher.
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You will sing in Music class with Mrs. Swarts!
And draw in Art class with Mrs. Edwards!
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Each week you will go to the school Library and you can take home a
library book!
My name is Mrs. Magagna. I
am the Librarian.
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My name is Ms. Masko. I am the Speech Therapist.
My name is Mr. Phillips and I teach Computer class.
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My name is Mrs. Rosato, and I am the Reading Teacher.
I am Mrs. Musari and I am the School Nurse. I help to keep you
healthy at school and at home.
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Hello. I am Mr. Larkin. You will see me in your
school. I keep your school safe and clean.
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Will. . .you be ready for Kindergarten?
Kindergarten teachers say you will be ready if you can. . .
 Say your first and last name
 Read your first and last name
 Know your address and phone number
 Say the alphabet and write most letters of the alphabet
 Identify upper and lower case letters in isolation
 Identify by name – numerals 1 to 10 in isolation.
 Tell others what you need, say when you need to use the bathroom, or
if you are not feeling well, or thirsty
 Solve your own problems with friends
 Take turns
 Work as part of a group
 Listen to a story
 Put on and zip your own coat
Families, your enthusiasm for your child’s new experience will be reflected in
their confidence and competence to face this first step toward their
lifelong learning.
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Personal Self Help Skills are some of the most important skills that your child should have prior
to entering kindergarten. Some things to think about and practice are:
Does your child know how to zipper their own coat, pants, sweaters?
Can he snap his pants or jacket?
Can she button her skirt?
It’s certainly not expected that your child
know how to tie their shoes when entering
kindergarten, but if the opportunity arises and
they want to give it a try – give it a try.
Everyone enters kindergarten at different
skill levels.
Remember belts are tricky, if your child needs a belt with their pants – make sure you practice
using the belt before school starts.
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School Readiness for Families
Here are a few “critical abilities” and ways to foster them in your child:
Ability to focus attention
 Play games like “I spy”, card games, board games and read together
Respond to other’s concerns
 Role play with your child what would you do if someone was sad, happy,
angry, mean
Communicate needs & desires
 Practice how you would tell someone you need help
Problem solve, “think”
 Think out loud as you are solving daily problems
Form supportive relationships
 Discuss what it means to be a friend
Interest, motivation, persistence
 Allow your child to broaden their horizons
Families, believe it or not, the number one thing you can do to support your
child’s school success is to eat together as a family 3-5 times a week! Ask
your child about the best part of their day.
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Here at Lakeland Elementary - Mayfield
Campus we use a school wide positive
behavior support system {SWEBS}. The
mission of our school wide positive
behavior plan is to create and maintain a
positive climate of mutual respect
between students and staff. The goal is
to set a consistent set of expectations
from kindergarten through sixth grade
for behavior and ultimately reduce the
number of student discipline infractions.
Our students are “Chief Champs”
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