Welcome! We are dedicated to making this a productive and terrific year for all of our students. We will be communicating with you often about classroom plans, your child’s progress, school events, and other activities as they arise. We can all look forward to many exciting and rewarding experiences as the year progresses. Following is an overview of information concerning your child’s year in kindergarten.
Our Kindergarten program meets Monday-Friday 8:00-3:00. Children are asked to arrive at school NO earlier than 7:45. There will not be any adult supervision prior to 7:45. Parent drop-off/pick-up will be at the North entrance. Please do not use the front entrance, it is designated for bus traffic only.
LUNCH~ 10:50-11:20
DISMISSAL~ 2:50for children being picked-up or walking
3:00 for children riding the bus
~Please make every effort to consistently be on time for arrival and pick-up. It is very stressful on children to arrive and be picked-up late.
~If you need to pick your child up early please send a note with them so we can have them ready to meet you in the office. All children must be picked up and signed out in the office.
Our school runs on a 6-day cycle to make sure each class has an equal amount of time at their special classes. Below is a list of the specials we will attend each cycle. You will not need to keep track of these specials.
Art Computer lab Gym IMC (Library) Music
~MORNING MEETING/CALENDAR~
Morning Meeting is a whole group gathering time where we build our community, set a positive tone, increase excitement about learning, and improve academic and social skills. Each day we greet each other, share news, engage in a group activity, read our morning message and reinforce calendar skills. This is a very lively and engaging meeting to get us ready for the day.
Kindergarten students will practice writing everyday! In the beginning the writing may not be readable to you, but it will have meaning for your child. All children progress developmentally through different stages of writing. This is a process of development that every child must move through at their own pace. Please note that we do not expect students to write with traditional spellings. We encourage students to write the letter sounds that they hear in each word. Our goal is for students to be able to sound words out and write those sounds independently. By the end of Kindergarten, students will be able to write a complete sentence using sight words and phonics-based spelling.
We will be incorporating Guided Reading into our kindergarten reading curriculum this year. It has many of the same components as our whole group reading program. However, it is conducted with a smaller number of students and focuses more on the individual reading needs of each child. During whole group and guided reading we will focus on reading strategies, print concepts, sight words, increasing background knowledge and vocabulary, developing reading fluency, letter/sound association, phonemic awareness and comprehension. The end goal, as with any literacy component used in kindergarten, is for students to become confident, proficient readers who LOVE to read!
During the year your child will participate in a wide variety of mathematic activities. Your child will learn through hands-on experiences, discussions, and explorations. There are two parts to our math program. The first part is the Calendar Time, in which the students answer questions about the calendar; identifying the month, year, date, and day of the week. They will identify patterns, count and create a number line to record the number of days we’ve been in school. The second part is the whole group lesson, where new concepts and skills are introduced and practiced.
This is an unstructured time for self-directed discovery with toys, sand table, science table and art materials. It is also a perfect time to practice one of our most important skills...social skills: communication, sharing, taking turns, manners, inside voice control, team work and so much more!
A transitional time for students to relax, calm their busy bodies and enjoy a mid-day rest. We do not expect children to sleep during this period of time, however, some do, especially at the beginning of the year.
Students will be given a daily snack break. It is a long time between lunch and dinner so snack time is very important. Your child will either receive a snack calendar with a specific day to bring a snack or a note when the snack cupboard is low. Please always send enough for the whole class to share. Some suggestions for snack are:
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dry cereal
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cheese and crackers
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cookies
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crackers
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popcorn (pre-popped)
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sandwiches
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pudding/Jell-O cups
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bars
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Chex Mix
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granola bars
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yogurt
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fruit snacks
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pretzels
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fruit
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ice cream treats
Sharing in front of a group is an important part of oral-language development. Children need many opportunities to foster communication with peers and adults. Each week there will be time for each student to share some interesting news followed by questions or comments from the class. This helps students listen carefully, formulate good questions, and learn about each other. When your child shares, she/he will have a chance to feel that his/her ideas are valued and that the other children care.
~HOME/SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS~
Yes, there is homework in kindergarten! Kindergarten is the perfect time to begin the “homework habit.” Students are generally so excited about going to school, that having homework seems like a rite of passage. Together we will teach them from the start the importance of being responsible, returning assignments, and taking pride in work well done. Not only will homework reinforce the concepts covered at school, but it will help build the bridge between home and school.
Children can check out books from the school library on a weekly basis. They may check out a new book when the previous book is returned.
Kindergarteners will use our classroom computer and attend one computer lab session during our 6 day cycle. They will use programs that reinforce literacy, math and problem solving skills. You will need to sign a permission form for your child to be able to take part in any online programs. These are strictly monitored and no “surfing” the Internet is allowed.
· Backpack and Folder (MUST be brought to and from school each day)
The folder will be used as a communication tool between school and
home. Please check and remove contents daily. If you have notes or
payments please use the folder to send them in. We will also check
them daily.
· Kindergarten Newsletter
· Webpage:
~Teacher email and phone number
~Lunch menus
~Monthly calendars (classroom and district)
~Kindergarten Newsletter
~Math & Reading resources
~Kindergarten Common Core Standards
~Please make sure any jacket, coat, sweater, sweatshirt, etc. is clearly labeled with your child’s first and last name. Many items are identical and end up unclaimed in lost and found.
~Send your child dressed appropriately for the weather each day. Plan on us going outside for recess every day for whatever the weather.
~Encourage your child to tie, zip or fasten by him/herself. Keep this in mind when you purchase new coats, etc., make sure your child can dress independently.
~In case of inclement weather, school cancellations will be announced on local TV stations and through our school email alerts. Click here to sign up.
~If school is dismissed early, we will refer to the emergency weather forms that you will complete to determine transportation for your child.
Our goal for kindergarten students is to be able to tie their shoes independently by January. If your child cannot tie their own shoes, please help practice this skill with your child daily.
Five and six year olds many times write numbers and letters backwards. It is a developmental function of the brain. It usually disappears by second grade and is not a concern at the kindergarten level.
Somerset Elementary School runs on trimesters. Your child will be receiving report cards three times during the school year.
There will be parent/teacher conferences scheduled in October and in January. Scheduling letters will be sent out prior to the conference dates.
Book orders will be sent out sporadically throughout the year. This is a great way to purchase inexpensive quality books for your home library. Please note student participation is always optional.
Box tops and soup labels will be collected in an effort to provide Somerset Elementary with additional funds for playground equipment, books and other supplies that benefit all students attending our school.
Your child’s birthday is a very special occasion and we will be celebrating it in our classroom. If your child’s birthday falls on a holiday or the weekend we will celebrate their birthday the preceding Friday. For children that have summer birthdays we will have a special day towards the end of the year for their birthday celebration. If you choose to send a treat for them to share during snack please make it simple and provide any necessary paper products for serving the treat (plates, napkins etc.) Thank you!
The district uses a pre-payment plan for student lunches/milk. Please have payments deposited before the first day of school. You may mail your payment, pay online or send with your child in an envelope. Please include: student names, grades and family account number. You will be notified when account balance drops below $9.00 via a telephone call from a computerized phone system or an email if preferred. Click here to sign up to receive email notifications concerning your family lunch/milk account.
~CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION~
Parents needing to change their child’s transportation schedule (ex: riding the bus instead of getting picked-up) need to have a written note specifying the changes to be made and the date in which this change will occur. In an emergency situation you can call the office, before 2:00, at 247-3311. The secretaries will make sure we get the message. Do not leave a transportation change message on our voice mail or email since many times we do not have a chance to check our voice mail or email until after the children are dismissed.
~We begin our day at 8:00. If your child is late they will be missing out on many important academic and community building activities. Please help them to be on time!
~Regular school attendance is important because academic skills are presented in sequence. Excessive absence and tardiness creates gaps which can be difficult to overcome.
~Students should remain home when genuinely ill. Please call the school office by 8:15 if your child is going to be absent 247-3311.
~Your child should be fever-free/symptom-free (no vomiting, diarrhea) for a FULL 24 hours before he/she returns to school after an illness.It is difficult to concentrate on learning when you don’t feel well, and is not fair to the others exposed to the illness unnecessarily.
~A note explaining the absence must accompany your child when he/she returns to school.
Volunteers are always welcome in our classroom. However, we request that you do not volunteer the 1st month of school as we build our classroom community or the last two weeks of school, it is a very busy time and it is important to keep our last few weeks as normal as possible. When you do volunteer please let us know in advance, we like to have projects ready in our pod for you to work on and/or plan activities that might require an extra pair of hands on that day. We know that it is often difficult to obtain daycare but we do request that siblings stay home while you volunteer. In the past we have found it to be disruptive to the class.
ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST:
· complete a volunteer application form. Approval may take up to 1 week, please plan in advance.
· sign in at the office before going to the classroom
· wear volunteer tag
· make sure to turn off your cellphone or have on vibrate.
· respect the privacy of all of our children and their families
· always use a soft, friendly voice when working in our school
· be enthusiastic and positive
· know that your help is APPRECIATED
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