WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN! CURRICULUM NIGHT

SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2019

OUR CLASSROOM COMMUNITY

Respect Independence A Growth Mindset

We need your help to instill these

behaviors!

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM

Emphasizes the social, emotional, and academic growth of elementary school students in a strong and safe learning environment.

• Incorporates the students’ social and emotional growth into their academic learning, stemming from the notion that children learn best through social interaction and when they are explicitly taught social and emotional skills along with their academic lessons.

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM AND MORNING MEETING

• Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting is an

engaging way to start each day, build a strong

sense of community, and set children up for

success socially and academically. Each morning,

students and teachers gather together in a circle

for:

1. Greeting

2. Morning Meeting Board– schedule, calendar, etc.

3. Morning Message

4. Opportunity to share what’s on their mind

HEARTFULNESS PROGRAM

• Mindful meditations

• Taking a step back from

the jam packed school

day to breathe deeply

and focus on ourselves

HOMEWORK/ HOMEWORK FOLDERS

•Sent home weekly! Please complete daily! •Please return folders daily with parent initials •Let us know if there are any difficulties your child is experiencing or if it wasn’t able to be completed •Goal: establish routines and expectations, review learned material, keep families up to date with what is being learned in class, enable confidence, provide additional learning experiences at home

COMMUNICATION • You should always expect to hear from me within 24 hours

during the school week. If you need to speak to me on the

phone, or in person, you can email to set-up a time to do so.

• If you have a time-sensitive matter during the day (For

example: a change in dismissal plans for the bus or after-

school), please call the school office.

• Please do not pull me aside in the morning for a one on one

meeting or quick question! . Send me an email or a Class

Dojo message.

• Please check your email – I often send emails with updates

and reminders

• Class Dojo app and website

CLASS DOJO

• Communication tool used to

keep parents in the loop

about their child’s progress

• Quick reminders/updates

• Pictures posted at least

twice a week

LITERACY

• In our literacy block we will have: • Reader’s Workshop • Writer’s Workshop • Word Study – sight words,

letters, sounds (Fundations)

• We work as a whole class, in small groups and with each student individually.

• Each day, we have a scheduled literacy block, but literacy is embedded throughout our day.

TRIP

•Morning literacy groups

• Every day from 8:36 – 9:24

•All of the elementary school has small group

work at this time dedicated to reading

• Groups based on reading

levels across the grades

• Guided reading lessons

READER’S WORKSHOP

•Shared Reading and Interactive Reading

•Whole group lessons

• Independent Reading

• Partner reading

•Small group reading

FOUNTAS & PINNELL READING LEVEL A November/December

FOUNTAS & PINNELL READING LEVEL C February

FOUNTAS & PINNELL LEVEL D/E June

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

• Working together in Shared and Interactive writing

• Whole class mini-lessons

• Small groups based on student needs

• One-on-one conferencing

• Working on a piece of writing at various stages (thinking, planning, writing, revising, editing)

• Sharing work with others

• Publishing parties

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF WRITING

2014 Heidi Butkus www.heidisongs.com

First half of the school year

2014 Heidi Butkus www.heidisongs.com

Second half of the school year

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF WRITING

FUNDATIONS - PHONICS

•Word study – sight words/high frequency words

•Letter recognition and sounds (phonemic awareness)

•Fluency

•Print and Word awareness

•Sentence Structure

•Handwriting (while at times

incorporating Handwriting Without

Tears)

MATH •Our math program is Eureka Math/Engage NY

which teaches math as a story to help achieve

deeper understanding – does not consist of

memorizing mathematical facts or formulas

•Homework Helpers

FOSS SCIENCE

• Hands on science activities

• Units • Materials in Our Worlds

• Trees and Weather

• Animals Two By Two

SOCIAL STUDIES

UNITS 1.Who Am I?

2.What Is a Family?

3.How Do I Get Along with Others?

4.How Do I Make Friends?

5.How Do I Solve Problems with Others?

6.How Can I Be a Good Helper at School?

7.What Is in My Neighborhood?

8.Where Am I in the World?

9. How do people live around the world?

10. How can I help take care of the world?

Social Studies Alive! Me and My World explores the relationships in students' lives with their families, friends, teachers, and neighbors. Students learn that people live differently in different places and that they can help care for the world.

FREE CHOICE

• Play is very important to your child’s social and cognitive development.

•S/he will learn to cooperate, share, problem solve and HAVE FUN!

LUNCH/SNACKS

• We eat lunch and snack in our classroom daily –

lunch and snacks are FREE, but you can also send

in your own if you’d prefer

• If you choose to send in lunches and snacks with

your child, please make sure they can eat the

food independently.

• We are a nut-free and soy-free classroom.

PARENT HELPERS

• We need your help! We could not complete the school year without your support and involvement in and out of the classroom.

• It is one of our goals to build a growing relationship between you, the parent or guardian, and the school to better meet your child's needs. Your participation is essential to the happiness and well-being of your child, which creates a very special link between the school and home.

• Help prepare for celebrations, publishing parties or needed supplies, give presentations, perform read-alouds.

• I will always reach out when help

is needed .

ATTENDANCE/SICKNESS POLICY

• If your child is going to miss a school day, please call the office and inform them by 8:20am or email me.

• Children who are ill should not be sent to school.

•Medications are to be administered at home or provided to the nurse.

DROP-OFF/PICK-UP/TRANSPORTATION

Drop-Off and Pick-Up

•Please send me a list of individuals that will pick up your child

•This will ensure complete safety

•Notify me right away if pick-up for a specific day has

changed

•Monday dismissal is at 1:40pm!

Buses/After-School

•If you have not already done so, please let me know if your

child plans to take the bus or will be in after-school at any

point

BIRTHDAYS

• Please contact me when/if you would like to

celebrate your child’s birthday

•We have 28 students in our classroom - 17

girls and 11 boys

•We are a nut-free and soy-free classroom.

FIELD TRIPS/CHAPERONES

Our field trips take place outside of the classroom where we travel by bus! Before a field trip we will ask for chaperone volunteers. Please join us :).

KINDNESS KEYS • Monthly rewards with all of

elementary school

• Students must earn Kindness

Keys for over the top

kindness behaviors – (Ex:

helping a friend clean up

without having to be asked

• Only students with the most

keys receive reward

• Goal: to instill kindness when

no one is looking

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN?

• Talk about the events of the day.

• Ensure that your child has a wide range of experiences to talk and write about.

• Read to your child every day.

• Be consistent at home with what they are learning for class

• Play games with your child.

• Make sure your child gets enough sleep (approximately 10 hours for a 5 year old)

• Eat breakfast every morning

HELPING AT HOME WITH READING:

• Reading aloud to your child is the

single most important thing you can

do to help him or her become a

successful reader.

• Practice reading appropriate

reading level – I will notify you of

your child’s reading level!

• Practice sight words!

HELPING AT HOME WITH WRITING:

• Provide writing “tools” (pencil, eraser, crayons,

markers) and a table or desk to work at.

• Encourage young writers by asking them to tell you

about their writing/drawing.

• Let them hang up their work, or send it to someone

special.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

• Encourage first attempts at reading and writing,

with positive comments.

• Ask your child to tell you about their work, and

listen with interest.

• Embrace“mistakes” because they make our learning

even stronger! Everyone makes them .

• Embrace the positive by starting with a compliment

and trusting the process

• Growth mindset

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR A STRONG

PARTNERSHIP

Please always feel free to come to us or email us with any concerns you may have. We’re always here to listen, help and work with you.

QUESTIONS?

NYC KIDS RISE

• https://nyckidsrise.org/

• Scholarship and savings program to make college

more accessible and achievable for every student.