Kindergarten

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Hello and Happy Summer! The following is a list of school items needed for the beginning of the next kindergarten school year:

• Backpack – Large enough to pack homework folder, lunch bag, and        snowpants in winter
• Lunch box – Freezer pack if needed for cold items
• Water bottle – Leak proof please
• Homework folder – Choose a pocket style with choice of cover design
• 1 8 pack box of JUMBO Crayola crayons if you can find them. The red is true red.
•  1 ream of regular copy paper
• 1 black expo marker – To be used for “Fundations”
• 2 pair of shoes that do not tie – 1 for inside the classroom and the other for outside wear **** Please do not send in shoes that tie if your child cannot tie shoes.

The do’s and don’ts of the classroom:

                                       Don’t:

• Please do not bring toys or unnecessary belongings they may get broken or lost.
• Please do not bring own pencils – some pencils have a strong layer of decorated paper. These pencils ruin the classroom sharpener.
• Again, please do not bring tie-shoes if child cannot tie them.

                        Do

• Send in a healthy daily snack. (No candy please)
• Send in notes about your child’s afterschool routine weekly or daily if applicable.
• Drop in to observe with an appointment.
• Communicate with me via phone or e-mail during non-school hours. I am unable to meet with parents during or directly afterschool hours due to my teacher responsibilities.
• Let me know when you have something that would enhance our learning or curiosity about our curriculum units.

Kindergarten
The kindergarten program’s goal is to nurture a love of learning in all children. The curriculum builds on the skills students acquire in pre-kindergarten. The teacher encourages and refines emergent reading skills and basic mathematics skills exceeding the goals set by the National Common Core Standards for Kindergarten. Kindergarten students also work on developing good social skills as they prepare for the challenges of first grade.

Curriculum Overview:

Mathematics: Students will count to 100 and recognize numerals to fifty. The children also study basic addition and subtraction. There are ample opportunities for problem solving.

Language Arts: The expectation is that students will be able to read sentences and age-appropriate materials by the end of the year in kindergarten. Along the way, students learn to recognize their letters and the sounds those letters make. They study vowels, digraphs and blends. They learn to sound out new words. Dictation is an important part of daily practice. The Fundations curriculum combined with our Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading program provide the children with the early reading strategies and decoding abilities to be at or above the level C upon graduating the kindergarten program.  From grades Pre-kindergarten through third grade our guided reading program allows the students of any level to be placed in groups that are instructionally appropriate for their reading level and we continually assess their progress to make sure they are receiving the most appropriate instruction.

Social Studies and Science: Social studies and science topics are addressed through literature in kindergarten. Major units of study include Self-Knowledge (All About Me), Family, Friends and Changes. Topics in the Our World units include the Neighborhood and Cultures from Around the World. Students also investigate Nature: Plants, Animals and the Sky.

Religious Studies: Students will know that God is our Father, Jesus our Brother and Mary our Mother. They will be able to recite a number of prayers. They will realize that they can always talk to God, that He loves them and that they should be stewards of His creation.

Materials: Textbooks include Progress in Mathematics, Images of God (religion), Literature Works in Social Studies. Scholastic Magazine is another classroom resource.