Carol Ghinazzi

Email Address: cghinazzi@fremont.k12.ca.us

Welcome to P2!

I am excited to start the new 2017-2018 School Year! It is going to be a year to learn and grow for all of us.

This will be my 5th year teaching an Intensive Instruction Class here at Glankler. I want to welcome you and your child to our class. 

Here is a little bit about me:

I live in Pleasanton with my husband, John.  Our three daughters are married  and I now am the very proud grandmother to my  3 very precious grandchildren. I have many and varied outside interests and hobbies, including, reading, bike riding, camping, tennis, volleyball, hiking and enjoying any time  outdoors. I also love to dance, old time ballroom dancing.  But my very favorite activity is the time I get to spend with my family.

I have a varied and extensive background working in  a variety of  early childhood development fields.  My background includes: teaching young children in a variety of day care and preschool  programs as well as working  in an administrative capacity. I also have worked as a  Child Life Specialist, an In–Home ABA Therapist , a Social Skills Coach for children with a variety of special needs, and  as a paraprofessional in an SDC preschool classroom.  My BA is from the University of Illinois and I received my Early Childhood Special Education Teaching Credential from San Jose State. 

Working together with me is an amazing team of professionals.  Our team includes:   Menchen, Vaishali, and Heather our amazing P2 paraprofessionals.  Each of them brings a passion for working with young children. They are a supportive, caring, patient, fun, loving and enthusiastic part of our team. Courtney Caviggia ( our speech and language therapist) , Lillian Espanola (our occupational therapist) and Lisa Hillman(our social skills teacher) will be supporting us as well this year.

I hope that  the following information will help you get started with our new school year.

 

Communication

Close contact between school and home is important for success. I believe strongly in maintaining a solid parent/teacher relationship through out the year. I appreciate hearing about triumphs as well as challenges and any concerns you may have at home. In addition to meeting with me in person, you can certainly contact me/ get a message to me in the following ways:

Phone and Email I check my email messages daily, and will do my very best to respond within 24 working hours. I will not be available by phone or e-mail once the school day has begun, so please send any relevant information about the day prior to 8:00 AM. Feel free to email me at CGhinazzi@fremont.k12.ca.us .  The classroom phone number is 510-651-1190 extension 25031. Please contact the school office in case of emergencies.

Notes   For those children riding the  bus or being dropped off by a caregiver  please feel free to send a note with your child regarding any special information you would like to share with me regarding their day.  Put it on the OUTSIDE of their backpack to make sure that I get it as soon as your child arrives at school.

Newsletter I will be sending home a class newsletter with your child each week to keep you up to date with the events and activities that will be happening in the classroom throughout the month. This will have information not only about the P2 learning but also upcoming events and dates to remember.

 Be sure to read through the Glankler Gazette. This  has very relevant information about our School and Community.

** If your child is going to be absent please call the school office

 AND  send me an email so that I can adjust our  class schedule accordingly.**

 

If you have a preferred contact method for me to get in touch with you, please just let me know. J

 

Other Important Items:

Backpacks- Please have your child bring a comfortable ( correct size to wear) backpack with him/her to class each day.  It should be suitable for carrying their   snack, lunch,  juice/drink, folders, important papers, etc…

Change of Clothes- Please send a complete change of clothes, to be kept in the classroom in case what they are wearing gets too wet or dirty. (Don’t forget an extra pair of socks!) Labeling is very important for all clothing that the child brings to class, so that if there are problems it will be sent home to the rightful owner. 

Toileting- If your child uses diapers/pull-ups while at school, please send a  package of diapers/pull-ups marked with your child’s name to be kept in the classroom. We will let you know when the pull-ups/diaper supply gets low. If they are in underwear, please send in  several extra pairs in the event of an accident. Be sure to replenish the supply when dirty ones are sent home.

Food- Please send a healthy snack, lunch and drinks for both (milk, juice etc.) with your child everyday.  This is a long day for your child and it is important that enough food is sent to provide for all the energy they will be expending. We have a microwave in our classroom so feel free to include any special instructions for warming or preparing.  I am happy to work with you to support you with any eating issues your child may have. Just let me know!

Be sure to let us know if you are getting a school lunch for your child. We need to know this so that we can  be sure to pick it up each day.

    

Allergies-  It is essential for your child’s safety and well –being  that you keep me informed if your child has any allergies or if he/she cannot eat certain foods.   Throughout the year we will do whole class cooking projects. I want to be sure all of our cooking recipes can be enjoyed safely. I will only provide gluten free casein free options for the class activities. No other food will be provided other than during these special activities.

Classroom Policies

Personal Items at School

Please do not allow your child to bring any toys or other items from home to school.  Keeping personal toys at home keeps them in one place and safe.  When your child gets home from school the items will be  safely where they belong rather than  lost or  left behind in the classroom.

Clothing

School is your child’s work place.  Appropriate clothing is important.  By wearing casual, practical clothes your child can freely participate in all classroom activities.  We encourage students to wear clothes which are:

• Simple-easy to move in, and easy put on and take off to encourage independence
• Washable- sometimes paint or other items may get on them
• Shoes- sturdy, and comfortable

 

Drop-off and Pick-up

Please bring your child to the front of the school by the  red bench at drop off in the morning.

Early Birds should be here by 8:30 so that they have  some time to adjust before we get cleaned up for our one on one  structured activities.  Late Birds should be dropped off at the front door by 9:30. Staff will be there to greet them and bring them back to the classroom.

 

Late Arrival

 If your child is late, please be sure to bring them to the front office to check in ( Early Birds, after 8:30, Late Birds, after 9:30) They will be escorted back to the classroom by a staff member once they have checked in with the school office. Please be sure to bring your child in a timely manner to school. This sets the tone for their day as well as helps us maintain the schedule for the  staff and the rest of the children in P2.

 

 

P2 Daily Class Schedule

8:30-8:40                     Early Bird Arrival: Hang up back packs, check schedule, toileting, free time

8:40-9:30                     Early Group 1:1 Individualized Instruction 

*9:30-10:30                 Carol’s prep   

9:30- 9:40                    Late Birds Arrival, check schedule and toilet

9:40-10:10                   Outside Playground (gross motor play: bikes, balls, sensory tables, climbing, riding etc.)

10:10-10:30                Clean up, wash hands and snack . Transition to Circle time with an emphasis on books/literacy

10:30-11:00                 Circle: Songs, books, stories, music and academic readiness skills

11:00 - 11:45               Centers: Small Groups for academic readiness, fine and gross motor skills, social skills and arts and crafts.

11:45-12:00                 Clean up, technology circle time with Ipad instructional apps and videos, and hand wash.

12:00-12:30                 Lunch, clean up, potty.

12:30-1:00                   Gross Motor/Sensory Time

1:00-1:30                     Circle : Story, Songs, Music  and Departure song.

1:30                             Back Packs and Departure for Early Birds.  Late birds transition to one on one time.

1:30- 2:30                   Structured  1:1 Individualized Instruction for Late Birds and Departure

 

This is an approximation of our daily schedule. It is subject to change dependent upon the needs of the children, special factors and the scheduling of support staff activities ( Speech, OT, Social Groups).

Our schedule will remain fairly consistent throughout the year with the exception of Fridays. Fridays, all children start their day at 8:30 and leave at 1:30.  We will do special whole group activities including, cooking, special games and group projects.

 

Videotaping and Photography in the Classroom

I enjoy taking photos of the children as they go through their day here in our classroom. I love to capture them engaging in appropriate behaviors in our learning environment. The students enjoy seeing themselves and this often reinforces desired behaviors. The children’s pictures will be posted on their cubbies and used for their visual picture schedules. I also use videos and pictures to document student growth and development. Your child’s pictures will be for classroom use only and are considered confidential.

I also have  an account with a web-site called “Donors Choose” (www.donorschoose.org). Through this organization I am able to request materials and equipment that I would like to have for the classroom. Donors who are interested can then support my cause by contributing financially. I will need to be able to post pictures on the website of my students using the materials that have been purchased. I have attached a consent form if you are interested in having your child participate for this cause. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please feel free to share them with me.

Thank you for supporting my efforts!

 

Donation  Wish List

There are some supplies that our class needs all year long. If you would like to donate anything at any time it would be GREATLY appreciated, but please, do not feel obligated. Thank You! 

 

• Velcro ( strips, dots, any size , style, color or kind is always needed!)
• Laminating Sheets ( we use a lot for making instructional materials)
• Zip Lock Baggies ( sandwich size and gallon size and super size)
• "Green"  wipes
• Glue Sticks
• Age appropriate children’s books for our library
• Craft materials, google eyes, pompoms, chenille sticks, dot dobbers, glitter,  etc.
• Age appropriate games and toys
• Hand sanitize