Welcome to Kindergarten’s
Back To School Night!
Let Us Introduce Our Kindergarten
Curriculum…
• READING CURICULUM:
– 1ST Main Goal is to implement and support book
skills through word and letter identification, an
understanding of spaces, the front and back of the
book, and punctuation
– 2nd Main Goal is to support word analysis and
decoding where students are sounding out words,
putting letters together to form whole words and
meaning behind the words
– 3rd Main Goal is to provide solid vocabulary
experiences where the students are practicing and
understanding opposites, prefixes, suffixes, color
and sight words
READING CURRICULUM CONTINUED…
• To ensure your student the best reading
success, we focus on:
1. Fluency- which is how smooth your child
reads, speed and accuracy when your child is
reading
2. Comprehension- the ability to
understand the meaning behind the written
text
READING CURRICULUM CONTINUED…
• We use a variety of approaches to reach our
reading goals. We do this using:
1. Sight Words- through activities, games,
reading in texts and memory work
2. Phonemic Awareness- hearing sounds in
words (hearing rhyming words, hearing
different parts in words)
3. Phonics- learning to associate written
letters with sounds (we do this through
games, activities, puzzles, and paper work)
READING CURRICULUM Q. and A.…
Q. How do you teach reading?
A. We teach reading in whole groups and small leveled groups.
We do this by using teaching methods called Shared Reading and Guided
Reading.
Shared Reading is a powerful way to engage our students in literary
concepts, such as setting, characters, plot, action, and comprehension.
Shared Reading takes place in a whole group setting where we read a big
book or a theme-based library book. The students have the opportunity
to make connections, I wonder statements, predictions, and opinions.
Guided Reading is a strategy that helps students become good readers.
The teacher provides support for small groups of readers as they learn
to use various reading strategies (context clues, letter and sound
relationships, word structure, and so forth). We differentiate our
teaching to reach each individual students’ reading needs and abilities.
Q. What is your reading curriculum called?
A. We use the Hampton-Brown Reading Series to support our journey
through letters and sounds. We also use supplemental series.
READING CURRICULUM Q. and A.…
Q. How can I help to support my child in their
reading development?
A. While you are driving to the store, point out
words, have kids find letters or sounds or
read words on signs. While you are at home,
let your child find easy words in books,
newspapers, on cereal boxes, or in magazines,
such as: I, a, the is. Read to your child daily
and when we begin to check out library books
or your child brings home their book bag, read
with your child and/or have your child read
their books to you!
LITERACY CENTERS AND
WRITING…
LITERACY CENTERS:
1. Word Work/Phonics, Word Building through
games, puzzles, activities
2. Work on writing letters and sounds
3. Work on sight words
HANDWRITING:
We are implementing The Handwriting Without
Tears Program along with Lucy Calkin’s
Writing Program
MATH CURRICULUM
Math Goals: shapes, patterns, number recognition to
30, number writing to 30, adding, subtracting to
10, measuring, ordinal numbers, telling time, and
money
We teach these skills through hands-on activities and
games where the students develop a concrete
approach to math with the use of manipulatives and
math strategies. We introduce a concept, then we
practice the skill or concept, the students have the
time to have hands-on experiences with the concept,
and then we follow up with a written activity page.
MATH CURRICULUM
CONTINUED…
Everyday Math is the Math program we use.
This program spirals , which means it
introduces then reviews the same concepts
throughout the year.
The program focuses on the following: problem
solving, hands-on activities, sharing ideas,
cooperative learning, practice through games,
on-going review, daily routines, and informal
assessments
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SOCIAL STUDIES AND
SCIENCE CURRICULUM…
We integrate much of our social studies and science themes into our
literacy block, our math time and through arts and craft activities. We
also introduce the basic scientific method through our Science Boot
Camp and Science Fair.
Social Studies Units include:
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Wants vs. Needs
Basic Map and Globe Skills
All About Me
My Family
Traditions
Celebrations around the World and in the United States
Patriotic Symbols
Science Units include:
– Seasons
– Living/Nonliving
– Night Sky
– Weather
– Baby Animals/ Growing, Changing
KED Daily Schedule
Half Day Schedule
SCHOOL INFORMATION
• The Laura Ingalls Wilder School website can be
accessed through the Littleton Public Schools
website littletonpublicschools.net or direct access at
http.wilder.littletonpublicschools.net.
• At these sites you will find pertinent information
about school-wide events and answers to curriculum
questions. You might want to refer to it to keep
track of the days your child attends, when class
parties are held, when vacation and non-student days
are and all other important school information.
PARTIES
• There are special all-school party days!!
• The Halloween parties will be held Friday,
October 31, from 2:30-3:30. Mrs. Swank’s
morning class will have their party from
10:55-11:55.
• Our Valentine’s party will be held on Friday,
February 13 from 2:30-3:30. Again, Mrs.
Swank’s morning class will have their party
from 10:55-11:55.
• Room mothers and their committees usually
plan, organize and run these very special days.
IMPORTANT DATES
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Mark your calendars now!
Our Kindergarten Program will be on
Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Our Cowboy Day will be Thursday, January
29 from 9:20-11:30.
Field Day for all kindergartners will be held
on Thursday, May 7 from 9:30-11:45.
Our Author’s Afternoon and Picnic will be
held immediately following Field Day,
Thursday, May 7.
BIRTHDAYS
• We love to celebrate birthdays or half-birthdays (for
summer birthdays) at school.
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Your child may bring a treat to share with his
classmates. Please have enough for 25 students.
• Also, please send napkins and make sure your treat
arrives either in the morning or by 1:30 p.m. as we like
to enjoy our treats during our recess times. You are
certainly welcome to stay during our short
celebration.
MARVELOUS ME
In kindergarten each child will be honored with a Me Day on one Friday. Your child
is encouraged to bring in a poster board that he/she has decorated with
personal pictures.
Some ideas of what to include are:
• recent pictures
• baby pictures
• family pictures
• sports, dance or any favorite pictures
• pet pictures
• vacation pictures
A favorite book or toy can also be brought in to share. Your child will give a short
presentation of his poster and then the poster will be displayed in our classroom
until the following Friday.
Also, our class bear (along with his journal) will be coming home with your child for
the weekend. Please take some time with your child to write about our bear’s
adventures at your home and return the bear and journal on Monday.
COMMUNICATION
•
Kindergartners will bring home a newsletter every month. It will be printed on
brightly colored paper for those who request a hard copy. Otherwise, we will email our newsletters. The newsletters help to keep you up to date on everything
that is happening in kindergarten!
If you need to communicate with either of us, please call the appropriate voice mail
number:
Melissa Crouch—303-734-5923
Carol Riscoe--303-734-5947
Susan Swank—303-734-5951
Email addresses:
mcrouch@lps.k12.co.us
criscoe@lps.k12.co.us
sswank@lps.k12.co.us
If you need to get a message to us during teaching hours, please call the office at
303-347-4750. We also would like to have an email list from the parents. If you
would like to give us an email address, please do so in the classrooms this
evening.
VOLUNTEERS
• Volunteers are always welcome in our kindergarten whether
you’re here working with children, making instructional materials
at home, gathering up donations, making scenery for a program,
chaperoning on a field trip or any one of a hundred things you do
for us.
• For those wishing to work in the classroom, please sign up for
those days for which you wish to volunteer through December on
the calendars in our classrooms. Please do this tonight or give
us a call to add your name to the list.
• We plan our activities according to the number of adults we
have in the classroom so PLEASE come for the time you have
chosen. If a conflict arises please let us know as soon in
advance as possible.
BOOK ORDERS
• Once a month your child will bring home
Scholastic book orders. Books offered are
age appropriate and reasonably priced. If
you are interested in purchasing any books,
order forms must be turned back in to the
teacher by the due date. Please make checks
payable to the appropriate book company.
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
• Many times during the year we make a
photographic record of our trips and learning
activities. We will be using the school’s
digital camera on many of these occasions.
However, we need to print these pictures at
places like Target or Costco, so the printing
can get rather expensive. If you would like to
help us print a group of these, please let us
know.
QUESTIONS?????????
Please call.
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A few reminders about school procedures:
If you are late in the morning, please check in with the office, so that
we know your child is here.
If you are taking your child early, you must sign them out in the front
office.
If your child is absent please call the attendance line.
When sending in money for lunch or field trips, please put it in an
envelope with your child’s name on it.
Snacks—feel free to send in different varieties of snacks during the
year, such as, fresh fruit, fruit roll-ups, etc. A good time to bring them
might be when you come in to help.
Allergies—Each classroom has at least one student who is allergic to
nuts. Please do not send in any snacks with nuts.
Please do not send toys to school. These become a problem when the
children start “trading”. Many hurt feelings arise.
Also, for nap time the children just need a towel to rest on. Please
leave the “blankies” and stuffed animals at home.