Welcome to Kindergarten!

1. Welcome to Kindergarten! Ms. Hradek (pronounced: Ms. Ra-dik)

2. A Few quick facts about me: • This is my 3rd year at McMeen Elementary • Before McMeenI taught at an Early Childhood Center in Denver for 5 years • I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado after transferring from Northwest Missouri State University • I’m originally from St. Louis, Missouri • I have a dog and a cat • I love being active and outdoors with my family and friends • If I could scuba dive everyday… I would!

3. Take 5! • Take 5 minutes to get to know some of the other families in your child’s class! Find someone you do not know and introduce your self. Then tell your new friend 2 special facts about your child!

4. Behavior • Stoplight chart • Green:  Great day! • Yellow: Warning and lose 5 minutes of recess or activity • Orange: Fill out a Refocus red sheet in another classroom for 5 minutes and lose 5 minutes of recess or activity. The form needs to be finished at home with guardian and returned following day (SIGNED!!!). There might be a call home. • Red: Office Referral and/or sent to office, definite call home. • NOTE: Sometimes we have special days, these might include birthday celebrations, celebrating green days, and other classroom events/celebrations. If a student is on yellow, orange, or red on a special day, they will not get to partake in the treats that come with that celebration. This does not include events in which families are invited to attend.

5. Birthdays: • If you would like to do something special for your child in the classroom on his/her birthday: • Birthday treats cannot take place until 2:20 PM • Healthy treats are encouraged!!

6. Star Sticks!!  How to get a star stick: - Turn in ALL homework completed on Tuesday - Above and beyond compassion/respect for others - Hard work and perseverance with academics - Exemplary behavior Once your child gets 7 star sticks they get to pick a prize out of the treasure box!

7. Academic Expectations • Reading: • Identify all letter names and letter sounds • 25 Kindergarten Sight Words (I will provide you with a list) • DRA Reading Level 4 (Knowing the sight words will almost guarantee a DRA Level 4 or higher!!!!) • Math: • Count to 100 • Identify and write double digit numbers (0-20) • QUICKLY Add and subtract (0-5) • Counting by 5’s to 50 and 10’s to 100 • Comparing numbers (1-10 – more/less) Example: Top It • Shape names and characteristics

8. Academic Expectations • Writing • First letter of sentence and pronoun “I” is always capitalized • Period at the end of a sentence • Sight words spelled correctly • Write with phonetic spelling on non-sight words

9. Homework • Homework folders go home EVERY THURSDAY and are returned with homework completed EVERY TUEDAY • Important school fliers/notices also go home in homework folders so make sure you check it! • There are celebrations at the end of the year that celebrate hard working students who complete and turn in their homework. • Homework provides parents/gaurdians with an excellent opportunity to interact with their child on an academic level. It also lets the student know that school is something to take seriously (because the adults in their home take it seriously).

10. Volunteers! • I love having parent volunteers in the classroom!!! October is when I will send home a sheet (in homework folders!!) for you to sign up and let me know what kind of classroom volunteering you would like to do. • At this point, I only know I will need a parent to come in on Thursdays (anytime) and fill homework folders with homework and other school notices. Let me know if you are interested! Amy_Hradek@dpsk12.org