Kindergarten Back to School Night2016 - 2017

Kindergarten Teachers and Kindergarten Assistants:Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Mac Murtrie

Mrs. Heffelfinger and Ms. HermosillaMs. Overesch and Mrs. Bolton

Mrs. Reles and Mrs. CruzMrs. Stanich-Noem and Mrs. Levesque

Specialist and Resource Teachers:Ms. Suitor (Art), Ms. Koch (Music), Ms. Kloes (PE), Ms. Brawley (Librarian)

Ms. McCauley (Guidance), Mrs. Haley (SEARCH)Ms. Jones, ELL Teacher

Ms. Campbell, Resource Teacher

Beginning School

• A Milestone

• Many Changes

• Make Adjustments

Kindergarten Program

• Developmental

• “Whole Child”

• Social

• Emotional

• Physical

• Intellectual

Learning Experiences

• Independent Small Group Learning Activities

• Project-based learning

• Star Student: Classroom jobs

• Individual Instruction

• Group Instruction

• Paper/Pencil Tasks

• Transitional Experiences

Unit/Theme Integrated Approach

• Literacy Development – Guided Reading, Shared reading, and Independent Reading

• Writing – Writer’s Workshop/Nature journaling• Math• Science • Social Science• Health and Physical fitness• One to the World: Harvest to Home• Technology• Motor/Muscle Coordination • Organization/Work Habits • Social/Personal Development

Kindergarten Daily Schedule• Announcements• Meeting/Calendar/Number Talk• Shared Reading• Guided Reading Groups and Independent Small Group

Work/Word Study• Lunch (For Full Day Kindergarten)• Recess• Reader’s Workshop• Independent Reading• Writer’s Workshop• Math/Science/Social science• Specials for Full Day: Art, PE, Music • Specials for all Kindergarten: Computer Lab and Library • Guidance and SEARCH• One to the World Projects/Garden Lab/Nature Hikes

Home Learning: Reading with your Child

• Reading Should be Fun!

• Read Aloud with your Child Every Day

• Read with Expression

• “Read” the Pictures

• Color in the day on the Monthly Events Calendar to indicate nights that you read

• Optional monthly homework calendar

• Go to the Kindergarten website for resources

Communication

• Daily Take Home Folders – Please remove papers, fill out papers to return to school, add notes from home if necessary and return folder daily.

• White Thursday Envelope – School wide information in this envelope. Please return on Fridays.

• Weekly Newsletter• Monthly Classroom Event Calendars• Parent Conferences – End of October and November• Administrative Newsletters• Connect Ed call on Sunday evenings• PTA Newsletters• School Webpage• 9 Weeks Plans on the Webpage• Parent Student Handbook – FDE website (Our School)

Assessments• Formative Assessments: are assessments that are administered

throughout the learning process. Formative assessments are “spot checks” throughout the instructional day. We use the results of these assessments to make instructional decisions.

• Summative Assessments: are assessments that check what a student has learned. These types of assessments are given toward the end of a unit or at a point when children should have learned certain skills.

• DRA and PALS (Formative in the Fall, Summative at the end of the year)

• Report Cards: Students are working towards a learning target or standard the whole year. Kindergarten students have until the end of the school year to meet each standard. This is different than 1st-5th grades. Grading scale= Academic knowledge (B, P, M, E) Work and behavior skills (N, S)

• ParentVue portal - You can login at portal.lcps.org and use your activation key to create an account. Please see information sheet in your child’s white envelope about ParentVue. Kindergarten teachers in LCPS do not input grades into the portal for the first quarter. At the end of the second-fourth quarter, grades will be placed on ParentVue at the END of each grading period.

Clinic

• Full-time School Nurse RN

• Allergies/Medical Conditions – We do have severe allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and seafood in Kindergarten.

• LCPS Medication Policy: See the LCPS Medication Policy in your Parent/Student Handbook

Full Day Kindergarten Breakfast and Lunch

• Lunch time is at 10:36-11:06.

• Lunch prices: $3 for lunch, 60 cents for milk, and ice cream is sold on Mondays for 75 cents; Breakfast: $2.10

• Students can pack or buy lunch.

• In the White Thursday Envelope, there is the form for Meal Benefits should you need financial assistance.

• Please let us know if you have any dietary concerns.

• You can view menus and pay on-line by going to the FDE website (Our School-Food in School-Food Services and Payment Information). You may also pay by check or send money in with your child.

Student Safety

• Absences: Please contact office by phone or email. It is helpful to notify the teacher by a note or email.

• Call-in Absentee Line: 571-252-1921

• Available 24 Hours

• Written Note Upon Return to school

• Transportation change requires a note and/or call to office

Behavior ManagementPositive Behavioral Interventions and Support

(PBIS) Respect yourself, Respect others, Respect our school

Class Incentives: Star Bucks, Mega bucks, Star in the Jar

Classroom Management:• Identify the inappropriate behavior

• State expected behavior

• Child restates expected behavior

• Reflect on established classroom rules

• If repeated reminders are necessary, a choice contract will be sent home.

Dismissal Plans

• Changes in Writing. Note or email to office and teacher. May call in case of emergency or last minute changes.

• Adult MUST MEET the Kindergarten Bus

• Bus number tags need to be kept on your child’s backpack all school year

• Daycare Arrangements need to be given to school.

• Emergency Information Updated

Personal Information

• Please return your first day packet forms!

• PTA will create a school wide roster for those who choose to participate

• Go to the FDE home page to the PTA tab to get more information on the PTA.

PTA

In Closing …

• All I ever really needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten …