I am very excited about the upcoming year with my new kindergarten friends!  I know that together we can learn and make many memories for your child.  Your child’s kindergarten year is so important to their attitude towards school and I hope to give them a love for learning!! Parents are always welcome to read, eat lunch and help with special projects.  Please let me know if you are available in any way to help.

The following should answer any questions you might have about the upcoming school year…

Morning Routine-If your child would like to eat breakfast at school, serving times are from 7:15 to 7:45 and the cost is $1.00.  Children are not permitted in the classroom before 7:30am. If you arrive before 7:30, please go to the gym until dismissed by staff to the classroom. The children will be involved in various morning activities that include making a lunch choice, pledge to the flag, moment of silence, properly unpacking supplies for the school day. (please leave a change of clothes in their backpack)

Daily Folders-Each child will be given a daily folder that will be brought back and forth to school. I will check folders the first few weeks to look for important information.  Students will gradually be expected to check for important information to promote responsibility.

After the first two weeks of school please allow your child to walk in the classroom and unpack their backpacks independently. We want students to learn responsibility and build CONFIDENCE!! Mornings are a very busy time and I have many jobs to complete before our learning day begins, please understand that sometimes it is difficult for me to stop in the mornings to conference. If you would like to set a time to meet after school I would be glad to schedule a time.

KSMART- (Gym) Each day, kindergartners will go to the gym for 1/2 hr to work on fine and gross motor skills.  Children will be skipping, running, jumping, etc.. It would be a very good idea to wear tennis shoes. The second 1/2 hr will be spent in their special class. Our schedule is as follows:

Monday-Library/Computer

Tuesday-Music/KSMART

Wednesday-P.E./Art

Thursday-Guidance

Friday-KSMART

Language Arts-Kindergarten uses the “Fundations” Phonics Program for teaching letter recognition, letter sounds and letter formation.  Students will learn to blend sounds into words by finger tapping each sound and will learn to spell CVC words as we progress.  We will write in journals each day.  Many will begin with drawings but will soon begin inventive spelling (writing what they hear)

Reading- We will begin reading readiness skills by teaching phonics and sight words. The list of k words are posted on my website under “sight words.” When teaching phonics we are stressing that each letter makes a sound.  When we put these sounds together we can make a word. Sight words are a list of words that need to be memorized. These words are seen “frequently” in print. We practice using both sight words and phonics in our weekly readers (ex: My Aa Book) Please keep all of these to practice each night before bedtime! We will bring home a book for each letter!

Math-This is our first year using “Go Math.”  We are very excited about our new Math adoption!  We will be using math big book stories, manipulatives, and student workbooks to teach counting, patterns, shapes, more or less, addition, subtraction, measurement, time and money.

Theme Units (Science and Social Studies)

First Nine Weeks: Me, family, friends, homes, school routines, colors, shapes, nursery rhymes, five senses, and body parts

Second Nine Weeks: fall, community helpers, fire prevention, pilgrims, Thanksgiving and Christmas

Third Nine Weeks: dental health, weather, presidents, Tennessee

Fourth Nine Weeks: plants, animals, space, spring

DIBELS: We will have this assessment 3 times a year. This is an indicator to help us see if your child is performing at grade level in language arts.  The fall assessment will help us determine which students need afternoon intervention (extra help from 1:50-2:50) The components of the test include: initial sound fluency, letter naming, phoneme segmentation, and nonsense word fluency! This is a timed test.

Report Cards: These skills will be assessed each nine weeks to determine mastery

Writing assessment: Winter and Spring assessment. There will be a rubric of 0-6 to determine your child’s growth. There are 2 grades for this assessment drawing/writing.

Children’s Progress: This will be done fall, winter and spring.  This assessment is done in the computer lab.  It measures reading and math and provides parents with specific information and suggestions for helping your child at home!

Discipline-PROWL Beginning fall 2011, CFE is implementing a school wide positive behavior support system.  The administration, faculty and staff will be on the PROWL for good behavior.  Students who practice good behavior will be recognized and rewarded for their efforts, with PROWL tokens and tickets!

P-Practice responsibility

R-Respect yourself and others

O-On time

W-Walk safely

L-Listen and learn

Lunch-Our lunch time is from 10:40-11:05 each day. Parents are always welcome.  The price is $3.00.  The menu is posted on the LSSD website

Recess- Each day, after lunch we will spend time participating in non structured play, either on the playground or in classroom centers.  The centers include the following: legos, dry erase boards, blocks, arts, play dough, computers, home living

Birthdays- If you would like to send a special treat on your child’s birthday, please send me a note. Please remember that we are unable to celebrate with a party but cupcakes, cookies etc..are acceptable DURING LUNCHTIME.  On your child’s birthday, he/she will be the leader as well as helper for that day (I will hang the birthday banner in the doorway too!!) Other parties will be announced.

Show and Tell will be each Friday! Encourage your child to bring something to share that fits in his/her backpack! Please don’t bring anything that you would be too upset if it got lost!

Dismissal- Dismissal is at 2:50 and children may be picked up at the side of the building. Please remain in your car and your child will be brought to you by a teacher.  IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S TRANSPORTATION, YOU MUST DO SO IN WRITING.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I will send home a weekly newsletter to keep you up to date on all the events in our classroom and at school.  Thank You, Mrs. Beaty