Kindergarten Five

Everyone has the right:

To listen and learn.

To be safe at school.

To be happy at school.

To a clean classroom.

To be respected and cared for at school.

Everyone has the responsibility:

To be kind to each other in words and deeds.

To listen and learn.

To raise his hand to speak.

To walk when inside.

To keep his hands and feet to himself.

To clean up after himself.

To stay in his seat.

To use his voice soft and sweet.

To follow the rules of safety.

To respect the property of others.

We are beginning a new school year and I am happy to have your child in my class. I feel that a close relationship between parents and teacher is extremely important to your child's progress so I am taking this opportunity to tell you a bit about what we will be doing at school. I hope this guide will answer some of the questions you may have and will be a good future reference for Kindergarten Five.

Kindergarten Five is a year of growing socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Your involvement, interest, and enthusiasm will help make this a wonderful year of growth for you and your child.

A child's first and most important teachers are his or her parents. Communication between parents and teachers is essential. Please feel free to call or send a note if you have any questions or concerns.

A kindergarteners' world is letters, numbers, stories, puzzles, play, paint and play-dough. Imagination and creativity abound everywhere. When you talk with your child about their day at school, acknowledge a job well done. Kindergarten is a "childrens' garden" where learning is accomplished by doing, touching, and experiencing.

We are always available to meet or speak with you. If it is not urgent, please jot a note and we will respond as soon as possible. You may call the school or our home as well. In return, we will contact you by note or telephone if there is something that I'd like to discuss.

We look forward to a wonderful year working with you and your family.

Thank You,

Mrs. Cindy Jones

Mrs. Cheryl Bradham

Mrs. Cathy Wadford

Reading

We use the "Success Program", a flexible instruction program that incorporates the child's vocabulary, printed words from familiar items in the child's environment, and an enhanced literature program. The Modern Curriculum Phonics series will introduce all the letters of the alphabet and their sounds. We learn that letter stand for sounds, and words are made of sounds. The children will have an opportunity to work at their level and participate in small group activities to strengthen their emergent reading skills.

Math

Our math, Box It Or Bag It, is a language-enriched, activity-centered program for the young child. This will provide many activities that involve hands-on experiences with a variety of materials and will help the child to extend and consolidate basic skills. We will order numbers, work on one-to-one correspondence, learn about shapes, put objects into sets, and act out story problems. We will augment this program with the A Beka Mathematics series.

Handwriting

In Kindergarten, your child will learn the basic handwriting strokes and practice making all the upper- and lower-case letters and numbers. Their small motor skills are still developing and we will see much improvement as the year progresses. If your child does

not write with a dominant hand yet, most likely they will establish one during Kindergarten.

Science/Social/Health

Many of our themes will cover topics in science, social studies and health. We will also use the Weekly Reader, and NIE (Newspapers in Education).

Art

Art in Kindergarten is taught by the classroom teacher. We will experiment with different art materials and processes. Some art projects are good lessons for following directions. Remember, it's the process that matters, not just the product!

Physical Education and Music

The children will have Physical Education once a week. Tennis shoes are a must. Music will be taught twice a week by Mrs. Hood.

Computer and Spanish

The Kindergartners will have a chance to use the computer once a week. They will be taught basic computer vocabulary and commands. They will become familiar with the mouse. They will not work on keyboarding, as their hands are simply too small to cover the keys. Spanish will be taught once a week. The children will work with vocabulary and counting.