Dear Parents,
Welcome to Kindergarten! I am so excited to be a part of your child’s education this year. I hope that we can work together closely to help your child achieve success.
I moved to Pennsylvania from Kansas ten years ago where I had lived for most of my life. I taught there for five years in the Wichita Public Schools in 1st grade, 2nd grade, and Kindergarten. This is my tenth year teaching in the Pottsgrove School District, and I am thrilled to be teaching Kindergarten again! I have a two and a half year old little boy at home, so I am learning the ropes of being a working mom!
I hope this handbook will be helpful in explaining our goals and expectations in Kindergarten. I am always open to questions, comments, or suggestions. I look forward to getting to know each of you as the year progresses. Thank you for being an important part of your child’s education!
Sincerely,
Maria Benedict
Kindergarten Curriculum
Opening Exercises – attendance, lunch count, pledge to the flag, journal writing
Calendar Activities – learning the days of the weeks, months of the year, graphing weather activities, and counting by 1’s, 5’s, 10’s.
Language Arts – Our Language Arts program consists of two major focuses. We will be using theme based literacy experiences for children and aphonics program called “Fundations”.
The theme based program includes comprehension skills and strategies, concepts of print, guided reading, Interactive Read Alouds. The activities include; exposure to poetry, literature, dramatization, listening, comprehension, auditory discrimination, following oral directions, and sequencing.
Fundations incorporates the following beginning reader skills; phonemic awareness, phonics, rhyming words, opposites, alphabet recognition, listening for alphabet sounds within a word, recognition of sight words, and learning to read word families.
Kid Writing – Our goal is for each child to enjoy writing and to begin little by little to understand how to become a better writer with individualized help.
Math – The Everyday Math program will cover the following concepts: comparisons, sorting, classifying, numbers, shapes, patterns, measuring, problem solving, addition and subtraction, counting, and writing numbers. You will play an important role as you do the homework with your child each week.
Science and Social Studies– Our topics include: Weather and Seasons, Seeds and Plants, Caring for the Earth, Animals, Family and Friends, and Our Country.
Handwriting – We will be using the Fundations writing program. We will do activities to promote small motor control and we will also be working on forming letters properly as we write on lined paper.
Daily 5 – Students will be engaged in independent reading, listening to books on tape, working with words, computer or I-pad activities, and reading with a partner, while the teacher directs guided reading groups.
Structured Play – Students will gain social experiences, practice responsibility, and form peer relations. Often these play times are teacher directed.
Daily Schedule
8:40-9:05 Arrival, lunch count, attendance, journals
(9:00 is the official start to the school day)
9:05-9:15 Calendar
9:15-10:00 Kid Writing (snack around 9:50 while writing)
10:00-10:05 Brain Break
10:05-10:50 Daily 5 (explanation on curriculum page)
10:50-11:15 Fundations (phonics based program)
11:15-11:45 Language Arts (Storytime, vocabulary, sight words)
11:50-12:20 Lunch
12:20-12:50 Recess
12:55-1:15 D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read)
1:15-2:00 Math
2:00-2:25 Social Studies/Science/Centers
2:40-3:25 Specials (Computer Lab, Gym, Library, Art, Health, Music)
3:25 Dismissal
CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE PLAN
In our room, we always work to be a STAR. In order to be a STAR, these are the expectations. . .
Say kind words.
Talk only when called on.
Always keep hands and feet to yourself.
Respect each other.
If these expectations are not met, the following guidelines are followed. . .
- A warning is given the first time.
- The second and third time, the student has a time-out, talks with me about the problem and resolution, and a consequence is decided upon if necessary. You will receive a short note jotted in your child’s folder on the parent communication sheet.
- If there is another incident, the student takes a break from our classroom, and has a time-out in another kindergarten room. A note will also be sent home.
- Should the behavior continue without improvement, the student will be taken to the office to meet with Mrs. Jones, our principal. You will also receive a call at home.
I use positive reinforcement to highlight the students who are following directions. Every day that a student is a STAR, he/she earns a ticket. I also catch students being good throughout the day and pass out extra tickets. When a student has 20 tickets, a reward is earned.
Arrival and Dismissal: As students arrive between 8:40 and 9:00, they will head to breakfast or their classrooms (any students arriving between 8:30 and 8:40 will wait in the cafeteria). When the bell rings at 8:55, students eating breakfast will walk to their classrooms. All students must be in classrooms by 9:00am. Children who arrive after 9:00 will be marked tardy and must be checked in by a parent in the office.
Dismissal begins at 3:25. Kindergarten students are walked to their busses as they arrive, or walked to an area to wait for parent pick-up. If you are picking up your child early, you must sign your child out in the office. If you need someone else to pick up your child, you must list the person on your child’s emergency card or send a note.
Lunch: The children will eat their lunches in the cafeteria. Children will be allowed to choose their own lunches each morning from the offered selections. To help children in making this decision, you may want to review the selections with your child in the morning.
Lunch prices are:
Student lunch (includes milk) -- $2.60
Milk only -- $.50
Pottsgrove has a computerized cafeteria management system.
Each child will have an account for lunch purchases. To deposit money into your student’s account, put a check or cash in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and “lunch money” written on the front, or you can deposit the money electronically through the district website.
Specials:Kindergarten students participate in all of the special area classes.
Day 1 – Computer
Day 2 – Gym – sneakers required
Day 3 – Library – please always return books in the provided library bag
Day 4 – Art
Day 5 – Health
Day 6 – Music
FISH binders: Family Involvement Starts Here - Children will bring FISH binders home each day with completed work and parent information. There will be a star on the parent communication page if your child had a good day, or a note will be written explaining any problems we had. Please check these folders daily and initial the proper space. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to write notes in this folder. I will check these folders every morning when the children arrive in the classroom to gather any notes or papers that have been returned. I do not check backpacks, so please put everything important in the FISH binder or write a note stating that something else is in the backpack.
Homework: Each month a packet of papers will be sent home with your child. There will be a calendar assigning work for each night Mon-Thurs. These activities will be due back at the end of the month. Each student who returns the homework ontime will receive extra classroom tickets.
Notes:Notes are required for the following reasons:
*Absences/illness – You can use school absence notes or simply write your note on a piece of paper. The important thing is that you send a note. If a note is not received within 3 school days, the absence will be unexcused.
*Early dismissal for doctor appointments
*Different person picking student up from school
Conferences: Conferences are scheduled two times during the year (November and April). These conferences are for parents. If you are unable to find childcare, you are welcome to bring your child with activities to keep him/her occupied while we talk. The dates for the conferences will be announced in upcoming newsletters. These conferences are planned to discuss your child’s progress and offer you ideas on how to help your child succeed. You are always welcome to schedule additional conferences by sending a note with your child or calling me.
Newsletters: A kindergarten newsletter will be sent home at the end of each week. It will contain information about school and classroom events and important reminders.
Dressing for School: Please dress your child in comfortable clothing for school. It is best to dress children in “play” clothes instead of “dress” clothes since many activities require children to sit on the floor, use art materials, or play outside. In cold weather, please dress your child accordingly since we may go outside to play or for a short walk on the school grounds. Please write your child’s name or initials inside sweatshirts or sweaters that your child might take off during the day. We always end up with items that no one will claim! Because we do many physical activities during the day, it is recommended that children do not wear clogs, flip-flops, or sandals without a strap to school. Sneakers are required for gym class and to play on the climbing equipment at recess.
Medications: The school nurse will administer all medications. If you send cough drops with your child, a signed note must accompany them, giving your child permission to use them. Please contact the nurse if your child is to be given any medicine during school hours or if there are any significant changes to your child’s health.
Birthdays: Children may celebrate their birthdays in school, however due to new state guidelines, they are no longer allowed to bring in edible treats. You are welcome to send in a non-edible treat for each student (pencil, stickers, etc.), but this is not necessary. To make the day special for each child, he/she will have a special placemat at his/her seat for the day and special jobs to help with in the classroom.
Snack
Please be sure to send your child to school with a snack EVERYDAY. Listed below are a few things to consider when packing your child’s snack.
*Healthy snacks are preferable such as crackers or fruit.
*Please keep your child’s snack separate from his/her lunch box.
*A drink is not needed as we have a water fountain in our classroom.
*Since your child will be working while eating, a non-messy snack is always preferable!
*Please be sure your child can open the snack “all by myself.” We also ask that the snack does not require utensils.
*Please send only one snack that is a reasonable amount of food for your child. Snack lasts approximately ten minutes in each class before students have to put away the remaining snack. Please take this into consideration when you are deciding how much snack to pack for your child.
Thank you for taking the time to make these accommodations when packing your child’s snack. This helps us to keep snack time and classroom disruptions to a minimum in order to maximize instructional time.
** If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at school through my e-mail