Kindergarten is Just Around the Corner!

This past Monday, several of the students from our class stopped by to drop off their school supplies, see our classroom and meet me for the first time!  It was so nice to put faces to the names I have been seeing all summer!  I can already tell that this year is going to be a fantastic one!

If you have any questions before school starts, please do not hesitate to ask.  A few reminders for the first week of school:

-The first day of school is Tuesday, September 4.
-The first 3 days of school (Sept. 4-6) will be half days.
-Kindergarten assessments will take place in the afternoon of those 3 days.
-Child care is available for the afternoons during the assessment period.  Interested families should contact the office.

Please enjoy the last few days of summer!  I will see you all next week!

New School Year, New School

As our school year quickly approaches, I wanted to take the time to welcome all of the incoming Harlan kindergarten families!  As this is my first year in the district, I will be sharing a lot of firsts with your children when they begin kindergarten in a few weeks! 

For those families who did not get a chance to visit Harlan during our registration fair, I wanted to personally invite all of the kindergarten families to school next Monday, Aug. 27, to meet me and tour our classroom!  This is also an opportunity to drop off any school supplies.  I will be available from 4 - 6pm.  I can also be reached at sk14bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us

I am really looking forward to meeting all of you and your children.  This is going to be a wonderful year of learning and exploring!

Please enjoy the last few days of summer vacation and I will see everyone soon!

Update About 1st Grade

Dear 1^st Grade families,

 I hope you are enjoying your summer!  I know that I have been taking advantage of the time off…my house has never been so clean!  I am also spending my time taking a graduate class in reading, as well as plugging away at piano lessons which I gave to myself as a birthday present this year.  This has always been something I wanted to do, and now I have the time to try!

I wanted to let all of the families from our class know of some recent changes that will be occurring in 1^st grade.  As you may know, our school practices a looping strategy of staying with the same class and teacher for 2 years.  After careful consideration, I have made the decision to pursue an opportunity in a different school district for the upcoming year.  This was a bitter sweet choice for me as I have been a part of the UPA family for 3 years and was looking forward to being your children’s first grade teacher.  Please know that while I may not be your child’s teacher next year, they will always be in my thoughts.  I plan to check in on them as much as I can, and I am really looking forward to seeing them perform in their first grade concert!

Please know that every aspect of this change will be done as carefully as possible to make it a smooth transition for the children when the incoming teacher continues where our class left off in September.  I know that this may be difficult for some children in the beginning, but I am very confident that they will adapt and form a close relationship with their new teacher.  If at any time, you have any questions or need anything, I am always available through email at skefgen81@hotmail.com.

I am grateful for the time that I spent with your children.  It has been an honor to be a part of their lives as they begin their journey into who they will grow up to be.  Thank you for sharing your child with me for the last year!

Sincerely,

Scott Kefgen                                                                                                                        skefgen81@hotmail.com