HELLO! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU!
My name is River Eubanks, and I will be your child’s teacher. The first day of school is always exciting; this year is no exception. Since I will be spending a lot of time with your child, I would like to take the opportunity to tell you a few things about myself, personally and professionally. This is my 22nd year teaching in the Walled Lake Schools and my 17th year teaching kindergarten. I was awarded Pleasant Lake’s “Teacher of the Year” three times. I received my Master’s in Reading and Language Arts from Oakland University. I have a specialized endorsement in reading, which qualifies me as a Reading Specialist. In 2016, I graduated with my second master’s in English as a second language.
I first realized I wanted to be an educator while I was in Honduras, Central America. I am married to a University of Michigan Professor, and our son, Asher, turned 17 this summer. We spent the summer in Israel. (We usually spend the summer in Israel to visit family.) Asher went to Pleasant Lake Elementary from Kindergarten to fourth grade; it was an exciting time. I understand a parent’s anxiety and excitement when dropping off their child for the first time.
Teaching is more to me than a job. I take my commitment as a teacher very seriously. I aim to provide an environment that will meet individual needs, develop positive attitudes and behaviors, and provide opportunities to become independent learners.
I promise to work for your child to provide the best education possible. I promise to work for your child to provide the best education I can give. I will be an advocate, an educator, a reader, and a teacher who will help your child. I use positive reinforcement to boost their self-esteem, and I will work with you, the parents, to give a fantastic learning kindergarten year.
If you need to contact me, my email address is rivereubanks@wlcsd.org. However, TEXTING is the best way to reach me and the fastest way to receive a reply. (To allow me to text you, please sign up with remind.com and follow the instructions. See below) I want to be in contact with you at all times. I am a teacher who is dedicated to my students’ needs. If you have a question, please feel free to text me. I will receive an email and respond as soon as possible.
TEXT Mr. Eubanks – sign up below
I highly recommend this and use it often! Remind.com is an easy way to stay informed and up-to-date with what’s happening in our class. By joining our class on Remind, you’re choosing to receive class messages via push notifications, SMS, or email. This way, you can text me, and I can text you reminders. Don’t worry; your phone number and messages will not be shared with anyone else besides me. This will help you keep up with the information you will receive.
I feel that contact with families is critical. Someone once told me, “In kindergarten, if you are not talking to parents as often as you are talking to the children, you are doing something wrong!” There may be some nights when your child is upset, and by speaking to me in the evening, we can solve the problems before the next day. You might want to talk to me because something is upsetting your child, and you would like my input. You might have a question about something that happened during the school day. Any number of things could come up. A teacher spends much of the day with your child, and I need to be available for anything that might come up. If there is a way that I can make your child have an excellent school experience, I will do my best to accomplish this goal!
Mr. River Eubanks
Room 202
248-956-2800 (school phone)
rivereubanks@wlcsd.org (email)
Supplies …thank you!
SUPPLY LIST 2024-2025
Thank you so much for the supplies. I know that these supplies can be expensive. Our kindergarten team will specifically pick supplies so your child can have a successful and safe year with specific lessons in mind. We do many arts and crafts projects that help students with fine and gross motor skills and provide dramatic play and comprehension skills. Applying art to a lesson increases students’ high level of understanding. It is an essential way to learn problem-solving skills.
Please put an extra change of clothes in your child’s backpack. If there is an accident, it is effortless for your child to quickly change in the office without discomfort. This would also mean that you will not be called and asked to bring in a change of clothes for your child. Many parents put the extra clothes in a small bag and let their children know where it is. These clothes would stay in your child’s backpack all year.
There are three parties throughout the year: Halloween, Winter Holiday, and Valentine’s Day. There are many other celebrations: Open House, Sing and Share, Author’s Celebration, and more! The party and cooking money is deposited in the office. Some of the assigned party money went to a special “Leader in Me” folder that every child in the school will use to transfer homework, graded papers, and notes from home.
Kindergarten Meet and Greet on
August 21st from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Incoming Kindergarteners and their parents are invited to our Kindergarten Meet and Greet. Students whose last name begins with the letters A-M are invited to participate from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and N-Z from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Come meet your child’s teacher and participate in a fun Pleasant Lake Elementary Scavenger Hunt to familiarize yourself with our school and their classroom. You can also drop off your child’s classroom supply money during the kindergarten meet and greet.
Important Dates:
- August 21st- Meet and Greet! You can visit your child’s classroom and bring in the school supplies. If your last name begins with A-M, please come from 5:00 to 5:30, and if your last name begins with N-Z, please come from 5:30 to 6:00.
- August 26th – First Day of School- STAGGERED START-Half Day! If your child’s last name begins with A-M, he/she will only have a ½ day in the morning. If your child’s last name begins with N-Z, he/she will have a ½ day in the afternoon. Due to the staggered start, kindergarteners will not have lunch on the first day of school.
- August 27th – The First FULL day of school for Kindergarten- We will have lunch and 2 snacks
- August 30th- September 2: No School Labor Day
Bus pick-up times and locations will be emailed to families a week before school starts. If you have questions regarding the staggered start, please call the main office at 248.956.2800. Our Transportation Department can answer any issues regarding busing between 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at 248.956.3090.
The Walled Lake School’s Calendar
Snacks and Lunch
We have snack time two times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It would be most helpful to have the snacks separate from each other so your child knows the difference between them and lunch. Please send in healthy choices such as fruit, cheese, and crackers! I will not be providing any snacks. You may send a lunch with peanut butter, but we are a NUT-FREE CLASSROOM; PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN ANYTHING WITH NUTS FOR SNACK. We do have lunch every day. Packaging your child’s lunch for the first week of school makes the transition easier.
I cannot microwave or store anything in a refrigerator or freezer. Please remind your child each morning if he or she is “bringing a lunch” or “buying lunch.” There are people in the lunchroom who will help your child open any drink or food product.
School times
Drop off: 8:50 AM
Start: 8:55 AM
Dismissal: 4 PM
Departure: 4:07 PM
School begins at 8:55 and ends at 4:02. The Pleasant Lake Elementary drop-off time is 8:50 am. During the transition into Kindergarten, if you bring your child to school, please allow him or her to walk inside the classroom, hang up the backpack, and find their seat independently. I know this might be a hard task; however, it will be a smoother transition for your child and their classmates in the long run. Parents are not allowed in the classroom until all children can successfully transfer to school without being upset. Once your child can walk away independently, I have an open-door policy. If there is any problem, please contact me (many children cry, do not worry if this happens).
I am looking forward to a wonderful, positive kindergarten year!
Thank you,
Mr. Eubanks
PS. IT WOULD TREMENDOUSLY HELP ME IF YOU TEXTED ME A PICTURE OF YOUR CHILD AND WROTE THEIR NAME IN THE TEXT MESSAGE. I will print these pictures out.
