The teacher, Erica Sinicropi, welcomes families to the new school year in kindergarten. She provides important information about classroom procedures, expectations, and upcoming activities. Parents are encouraged to be involved by volunteering in the classroom and communicating regularly with the teacher. A supply list is included for items needed for classroom activities.

1. Welcome to
Kindergarten!!
Dear Families,
Welcome to Crossroads Charter Academy! I hope everyone had a great summer! My name is Erica
Sinicropi and I am very excited to be working with you and your child. I hope to get to know each of you
as the year goes on, but first, I thought I would tell you a little bit about myself. I am fairly new to the
Crossroads Charter Academy team. This is my third year teaching here. My hometown is St. Louis, a
little town that is the geographic center of Michigan. It is just a little over an hour from here. I feel very
fortunate to still be close to my family and friends because I really enjoy spending time with them. A few
of the others things I enjoy doing are reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors, especially at Higgins
Lake. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2007 from Central Michigan
University. My major is in child development and my minors are mathematics and reading.
I will be working extremely hard to establish our classroom as a happy, challenging, comfortable, safe
learning environment where we all do our personal best. However, you and your child will be working
equally hard to make this year a successful and rewarding experience too. I encourage you to take the
time to sit down with your child and discuss what they are learning and reinforce that learning at home.
I believe that each child brings their own unique talents, experiences, and personality to share in our
classroom. I look forward to learning with your child and sharing curriculum with them that is enriching
and sparks their interests. They will be provided with instruction in the core-subject areas of
English/language arts, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The three specials that they will
have the benefit of participating in are physical education, music, and art. A few other enriching additions
to our curriculum are character education, habits of the mind, and handwriting without tears. Also, we
hope to have volunteers to keep our Movement Matters program going that helps students improve their
fine motors skills. If you are interested, please contact Carol Noreen, our Title I parapro or myself!
I encourage all parents/guardians to come join us and be involved in many of the exciting things we will
do this year. Research states that the more directly parents are involved in their child’s education the more
successful the child will be in school. Please fill out the classroom helpers questionnaire and return it to
me as soon as possible, as there will be various opportunities throughout the year. No experience is
necessary to volunteer! Volunteering in and out of the classroom is a win-win opportunity. You are able
to see how your child interacts with others and you get to participate in our daily learning experiences. I
really enjoy having the opportunity to see parents on a regular basis.
Since we are all working toward the same goal, it is important for us to communicate often. I will send a
weekly newsletter home every Monday informing you of our activities for the week. Please feel free to e-
mail me (sinicropie@ccabr.org) or contact me by phone at school (231-796-6589 Ext. 314) if you have
any questions or concerns. Writing notes is also a good way to share information.
Together we can make this a great experience for your child! Thank you in advance for your support!

2. * Important Information *
Here and There Folder
I have labeled a “Here and There Folder” for your child. This will go home and come back to school
EACH day. I will have a basket on the blue table for them to be placed in each morning as your child
comes in and gets started with their day. This is what I will send papers, book orders, notes, etc. home in.
Please check this folder daily for important information and remove the papers in it. Send back
correspondence as necessary and make sure your child brings it to school every day. This is also the
folder for you to send me money, etc. in. I know students will be bringing me change for Friday treats or
money for a field trip. It is hard for me to keep track of it all when they are handing me money that’s not
labeled. Please send any change (or money) in a labeled baggie or envelope with your child’s name and
the purpose for the money. That would be greatly appreciated! I will do my best to recycle and get the
envelopes/baggies back to you to reuse if you choose.
Drop Off and Pick Up
This is an area that I must be very picky about for your child’s safety. Kindergarten students can not
come into the classrooms no earlier than 7:45 am. I know we are on the first floor and it’s easy to walk
in and get your child started early for the day, but teachers do not have to be at school until 7:30am. We
appreciate the time to get ready for the day, which sometimes entails running to the copier or other
business we may have to take care of around the school. That can be hard to do when we have students in
our room that have to be supervised. The absolute earliest time your child can be dropped off is 7:30am
and they are to walk straight through the building to the playground until dismissal to their classroom. On
rainy days or days where it is too cold to be outside, they will go to the auditorium. Please try to have
your child at school by 8am so they do not miss our very busy morning and get enough time to eat
breakfast. Breakfast time is over at 8:15am. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE CIRCLE DRIVE AT
ANY TIME AND LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE. Also, please do not double park on the street - you may
receive a wonderful souvenir from the police that you will have to pay for! This is a HUGE safety
issue. Pick up is at 3:05pm and we file out through Ms. Carroll’s classroom, which is to the right of the
main entrance. I have included a transportation sheet so that you can tell me who may be picking up your
child. If this changes, please let me know AND call the elementary office. I want you to know, up front,
that I will not release any child to anyone who is not on your list or who you have not contacted us about.
Also, I will not let your child leave until I physically see who is picking them up so PLEASE make
contact with me, literally , in some way to let me know you are there to pick them up. Thank you in
advance for your cooperation!
*The first week of school, I will meet all students out front. I will be waiting under the overhang with a
sign that says Ms. Sinicropi – K. We will discuss how we enter the school as a way to start learning the
expectations here at school.
Uniforms
CCA’s policy is that all students wear a uniform shirt each day to school. This can be a polo shirt or
sweatshirt. Please label sweatshirts because in the winter kids get warm and remove them, especially in
gym, and it would help if we knew who they belonged to!!! It is also asked that the shirts be tucked in.
However, throughout the day, re-tucking shirts could be all I do! So, do not be surprised if your child
comes home untucked!!!  Please refer to the handbook for appropriate attire for pants/shorts/skirts, etc.
Also, please, no open-toed shoes. Our playground is full of little stones and sticks that can get jammed
into toenails or cut the toes, not to mention lots of other little feet that tend to step on others by accident!
Gym Shoes
CCA requires that all students have a pair of (inexpensive ) shoes used for gym only. They must have a
white or light colored sole. Please put your child’s name on these as well. I have a basket we keep our
gym shoes in, so they are never forgotten! If your child does not know how to tie their shoes yet, I would
encourage you to send them with shoes that they can easily put on themselves, i.e. velcro. I do not mind

3. tying shoes but children get a little anxious when all their friends are lined up and they are still waiting for
me to get to them to tie their shoes. In the winter, I allow the kids to use these for indoor shoes as well so
they do not have to bring other shoes if they don’t want to.
Extra Clothing
In the event that your child has an accident, we ask that you please bring in a change of clothes to keep in
their locker. This includes a change of socks, underwear, shirt and pants appropriate for the current
season. This way we do not have to call you away from your busy schedule and your child won’t miss
any great kindergarten fun! Please put these items in a big Ziploc bag with your child’s name on it. If at
any time I have to send soiled clothes home, please send replacements back as soon as possible. Keep in
mind that your child grows and might not fit into what was sent at the beginning of the year at the end of
the year. 
Snack
We will have a snack every afternoon to help our minds and bodies survive! Each child is to bring their
own snack each day. I also would like to clarify snack…a food low in sugar and relatively “healthy.”
Some suggestions would be applesauce, pretzels, banana, any type of crackers, etc. If you would like to
send a box of something with your child, I will put their name on it and it will stay in our snack cupboard.
When it runs low, I will send home a snack alert note. I will have some snacks on hand in case one is
forgotten at home. Also, you may send a labeled water bottle with your child. I will do my best with
trying to remind them to take them home everyday to be washed.
Birthdays
This is the time for those “unhealthy” snacks like cookies, cake and brownies!!! We will celebrate
summer birthdays towards the end of the school year. I will send a note home when that time gets closer.
Our birthday celebrations will happen at snack time, which is at 2pm.
Show and Tell
Each child will be assigned a certain day of the week to share their item. They may choose a small item to
share. Try and encourage them to bring something that fits in their backpack but does not take up all of
the space in it. However, I will allow larger items to be brought in and shared if they are super special! 
I will find a spot for it to hide until its reveal. Also, I know some children get really attached to certain
items but try to discourage them from bringing it in repeatedly.
V.I.P. of the Week Bag
We will have a V.I.P (Very Important Person) every week. If your child is our V.I.P. of the week, they
will bring home the V.I.P. bag the Friday before the week they are it. In the bag will be an All About Me
poster that you will need to help them fill out. It is ok to write the words for them.  Also, there will be
our V.I.P. binder in there. Please help your child complete the next blank page to add to it. Once everyone
has had a chance to be a V.I.P., the binder is going to go in our classroom library for everyone to read and
look at. Please return the bag and its completed contents back to school on Monday.
Lost a Tooth Bag
We are also going to have a Lost a Tooth Bag. When your child looses a tooth, we record it on our lost
tooth graph and send the bag home with them. In the bag will be a binder. Please help your child fill out
the next blank page to add to it and return it to school the next day.
Box Tops & Soup Labels
Please save Box Tops and Campbell’s soup labels for our school. There will be a due date and you can
send them in your child’s “Here and There Folder.” These things help us get money for our school to get
things like playground equipment, etc. In the past, we have also saved ink cartridges and old cell phones,
so you can send those in if you are just going to throw them away. Thank you! 

4. Coming Late, Leaving Early, and Sickness
If your child is late, or you know they are going to be late, please notify the elementary office and make
sure that your child’s lunch choice is taken care of. We have to have our lunch count and attendance in by
8:20am, so after that, it is a homemade PBJ if no other arrangements have been made. When coming late,
you need to stop in the office and sign your child in. Same thing when they are leaving early - you need to
stop in the office to sign them out. Please do not just walk to our room or the playground and take your
child. This is for safety reasons. Another big safety issue is to make sure you sign in when you are in the
building to visit. This way we know who is in the building and for what purpose. We love visitors, but ask
that you sign in at the office. If your child is sick, please keep them at home!!! You would be surprised at
how many kids come to school saying they threw up at home and continued that process here. You know
your child and whether or not they are truly sick. There have been known cases of “I need to go home, I
am SO sick” only to find out there is a new video game or plasma t.v. at home! However, it is no fun
when they come to school in the morning sick and have to spend their morning and/or afternoon in the
office sick and uncomfortable. When you have to keep your child out of school, please notify the office
so that the absence can be recorded and excused. I will put all missed work in their mailbox. If you know
your child will be gone for a few days, I can also get work together with a few days notice.
Supplies needed for our room:
___ 2 packs of washable, broad tip markers (8-color)
___ 2 2-pocket plastic folders w/o clasps
___ 1 2-pocket folder w/o clasps (plain)
___ 2 washable glue sticks (big .77 or .74 oz.)
___ 1 spiral notebook, 70 pg., 1 subject, wide rule
___ 1 box of Kleenex, 200 count
___ Anti-bacterial wipes, 40 count
___ Plastic cups (8 oz. or bigger)
___ 1 pkg. of baby wipes
___ 1 roll of paper towel
___ 1 pkg. of pencil cap erasers
___ 1 can of Play-Doh
___ Any one of the following: napkins, Ziploc bags (gallon, sandwich, or snack size), or paper plates (any
size). I may ask for extra items throughout the year if we run out! 
___ CCA uniform shirts/sweatshirts, labeled
___ Change of clothes (shirt, pants, socks and underwear) in a labeled Ziploc bag
___ 1 pair of inexpensive, white or light soled gym shoes (to be kept at school, velcro please if child
cannot tie on own)
*Please DO NOT label the school supplies… we share everything in table caddies. So, as new is needed,
we get more out!
*Due to lack of storage space, we are asking that the following items are not brought in - backpacks with
wheels (they do not fit in our lockers), pencil boxes, and blankets/pillows.
* If your child does not know how to tie their shoes, you may want to have their everyday shoes be velcro
as well.