Welcome To Kindergarten !

1. Welcome To Kindergarten !

2. Specials 12:40-1:40

3. Library Friday

4. Kindergarten Daily Schedule 8:10 School Doors Open. 8:40 Official Start of the School Day 8:40-9:00 Pledges/Announcements/Begin Calendar Math 9:00-10:00 LA Block (Writer’s Workshop, Readers Workshop, Journey’s) 10:00-10:30 Reading Intervention (Small groups, Guided Reading groups, Daily Five) 10:30-11:00 Lunch 11:00-12:10 LA Block Continues 12:10-12:40 Math (Journals, Interactive Math Lesson) 12:40-1:40 Specials (Music, Art, PE) 1:40-1:50 Math Continues 1:50-2:25 Science 2:25-2:45 Recess 2:45-3:15 Math Intervention (Small groups, Guided Math groups) 3:15-3:50 Social Studies 3:50 Prepare for Dismissal

5. Classroom Expectations The 4 B’s: Be a Good Listener! Be Kind to Everyone! Be Safe! Be the Best You Can Be!

6. Students will be eating lunch each day in the cafeteria. They may either buy their lunch or bring their lunch. You may either send money in an envelope marked with your child’s name or set up an account online through child needs to go eat breakfast as soon as they arrive at school. Your child will receive a lunch number that they will need to learn to put into the number key pad in the cafeteria. Lunch: Ice cream: We recommend you use ice cream as a reward. BEHAVIOR Clip Chart – Every Kindergarten class has a clip chart with a numbered clothespin for each student. Students start every day on “Green = Good”. There are four colors: Green = “Good” Yellow = “Satisfactory” Orange = “Needs Improvement” Red = “Unacceptable” Students will be given 2 warnings before their clip is moved down. They have the chance to move back up for making better choices. Certain situations (such as physical/safety) will not receive any warnings and will be an automatic red (“Unacceptable”) Super star – At the top of the clip chart is a star for “Superstar”. This is for when a student goes above and beyond what is expected. These are rare and special so please do not be disappointed or expect them daily/weekly. Remember - Green is good! Please celebrate when your child comes home on “Green”!

7. Students will be eating lunch each day in the cafeteria. They may either buy their lunch or bring their lunch. You may either send money in an envelope marked with your child’s name or set up an account online through child needs to go eat breakfast as soon as they arrive at school. Your child will receive a lunch number that they will need to learn to put into the number key pad in the cafeteria. Lunch: Ice cream: We recommend you use ice cream as a reward. BEHAVIOR Behavior Chart – In the daily binder there will be a chart where we will record each days behavior. Please initial the box every day. If a student moves a clip down, there will be an explanation as to why his/her clip was moved. Report Card Grades - The marks on the behavior chart will be used to determine their conduct grade (E, S, N) each 9 weeks. Point System: Satisfactory: 1 Needs Improvement: 2 Unacceptable: 3 Grading Rubric: 0-3: E 4-7: S 8 or more: N

8. Students will be eating lunch each day in the cafeteria. They may either buy their lunch or bring their lunch. You may either send money in an envelope marked with your child’s name or set up an account online through child needs to go eat breakfast as soon as they arrive at school. Your child will receive a lunch number that they will need to learn to put into the number key pad in the cafeteria. Lunch: Ice cream: We recommend you use ice cream as a reward. GRADES Report cards are sent home every 9 weeks. There are 4 - 9 week grading periods in a school year. Assessments -Variety of ways we assess – observational, hands-on, recording sheets, and orally. Our main assessment is observational. We are required to assess certain skills each nine weeks. Our report card is based on a sliding scale. The skill increases in difficulty as the year progresses. Students grade may drop if they do not master the new requirements for a specific skill. Grading Criteria-We do not give numeric grades. Below is our grading criteria: E =Consistently understands and applies key concepts, processes and skills for grade level standards S = Usually understands and applies key concepts, processes and skills for grade level standards N = Beginning to understand and apply key concepts, processes and skills for grade level standards

9. Important Information

10. Transportation • All transportation notes must have a parent signature. • Transportation notes can be hand written, or faxed. • Changes must be received before 3:00 pm. to ensure your child gets home the correct way. • Checkout is not available from 3:25-3:50. • Please let your child know if there is a transportation note in their daily binder (this helps make sure we receive it). Absences • Tardies – Instruction begins at 8:40 • Absences –Dr. Notes/Parent notes within 2 days of return • 5 consecutive absences require a Dr. Note

11. Daily Binder • Starting the second week of school each student will have a daily binder that we send home. • Please check for information, initial the behavior sheet and send back to school each day. • Wednesdays – look for information sent from PTO/school. Money • Please send all money in a labeled envelope with your child’s first and last name and what it is for (it can be tricky sometimes – is it for lunch, fundraiser, PTO, party, etc) • Please let your child know if there is money in their daily binder (this helps make sure we receive it).

12. Teacher Edlio & News Posts Water Bottles • Every teacher has a class website on edlio. This is where we will share information with you about the classroom. • Students can bring water in a bottle with a sport type lid or thermos. • Only water is allowed in the classroom – no juice, milk, gatorade, etc. • Please label your child’s water bottle with his/her name. • We have water fountains in the classroom as well. Please visit http://wces.tomballisd.edlioschool.com/ Click on “parents” Then, “contact teacher” Search for your child’s teacher On the right hand side of your teacher’s page, click on “subscribe” Parent Volunteers & WatchDog • We love volunteers! We will send home more information after we get settled into the school year. • WatchDogs – program for one male adult per family to volunteer at school for a day. Your schedule will include time with your child but other grade levels as well. Spots fill up fast so sign up soon.

13. TeacherWeb & Newsflashes Water Bottles • Every teacher has a class website on teacherweb.com. This is where we will share information with you about the classroom. • Newsflashes – please go onto your teacher’s teachweb and sign up for their newsflash (on left side of screen). You will sign up with an email address. This will be one of the main ways that I will be communicating information with you. • Students can bring water in a bottle with a sport type lid or thermos. • Only water is allowed in the classroom – no juice, milk, Gatorade, etc. • Please label your child’s water bottle with his/her name. • We have water fountains in the classroom as well. Snack • Snack is in the afternoon and last 10-15 minutes. • It is a working snack – we will continue with our academics as they eat snack. • Please do not pack messy items – items that need spoons or items that spill. Be mindful of nut allergies. • Pack snack separate from lunch so there is no confusion. • We can not provide snack for those who forget. Students should only bring 1 snack.

14. Shoes • Student’s must wear tennis shoes for recess and PE. • If you would like your child to wear other shoes to school (boots, sandals, etc), please send an extra pair of shoes in the backpack. Teachers are not responsible for reminding them to change shoes before PE (will get an oops note for incorrect shoes). Homework • Initial Daily Binder and return to school every day. • Be on the look out for projects throughout the year! Typically one a month. • Home Readers – will be sent home after reading assessments are complete. • Please work on letter/sound /sight word schedule in you child’s daily binder.

15. Headphones • Every student will need their own set of headphones that remain at school (we will send them home at end of the year) in a ziploc bag labeled with his/her name. • Can find headphones at: Target, Walmart, Best Buy, etc. • Please try to avoid the in-the-ear ones – they don’t stay in their ears very well. • These will be used during our weekly computer lab visit and when working on the classroom laptops. Library • Mrs. Dare (librarian) teaches a weekly lesson followed by check out. • Kindergarteners check out one book at a time. • They have to return their old book before they can get a new book.

16. Students will be eating lunch each day in the cafeteria. They may either buy their lunch or bring their lunch. You may either send money in an envelope marked with your child’s name or set up an account online through child needs to go eat breakfast as soon as they arrive at school. Your child will receive a lunch number that they will need to learn to put into the number key pad in the cafeteria. Lunch: Ice cream: We recommend you use ice cream as a reward. CAFETERIA • Students will be eating lunch each day in the cafeteria. They may either buy their lunch or bring their lunch. • You may either send money in an envelope marked with your child’s first and last name or set up an account online through www.parentonline.com • You will receive a monthly menu for lunch and breakfast. Your child needs to go eat breakfast as soon as they arrive at school. • Your child will receive a lunch number that they will need to learn to put into the number key pad in the cafeteria. • Lunch: $2.35 (student) $3.50 (adult) Breakfast: $1.25 • If you do not want your child to buy chips/snacks/ice cream every day you will need to log onto your child’s lunch account and “block it”. • Parents are welcome to come and eat lunch with their child. We have parent tables set up (you can not eat at the class table). Please do not come every day – this is a great social opportunity for your child to interact with classmates.

17. Academics

18. WRITING We follow Lucy Caulkin’s “Writer’s Workshop”. Basics of Writers Workshop– The format is the same all year: • Mini-lesson (10-15 minutes) • Students write independently (work up to 30 minutes) • Author’s Chair (a couple of students share their writing with the class) • Conferring – Teacher meets with individual students to discuss their writing progress during “independent writing time” Phonetic Writing – writing the sounds we hear Example: A ball is big and red. Phonetically written: A bl is bg ad red. Word Wall Words (Sight Words) - Students are expected to write these words correctly.

19. READING Reading Level: We will determine your child’s reading level and provide books for them to read at school and at home. Reading Strategies: We use a variety of reading strategies to give students different ways to decode words they don’t know. Sight words : These are 48 common words that are often found in our reading. The list is in your student’s Daily Folder. You are receiving a packet of sight words to create flashcards. The students will receive a grade every 9 weeks on their report card based on how many words they know. These words are memorized. Comprehension: The students must be able to understand, retell with detail, and answer questions about the story. Retelling includes the characters, setting, beginning, middle and end of the story. Our goal is for student’s to retell independently without a lot of adult prompting.

20. DAILY 5 It is a daily literacy structure that teaches independence and helps create a love of reading and writing. Students are independently working on one of the following: • Work on • Writing • Listen To • Reading • Read to • Someone • Word Work • Read to Self During this time, the teacher is pulling guided reading groups (groups of 4-5 students to work on their specific reading levels).

21. MATH • What does math look like in Kindergarten? • Interactive and Hands On • Repetition • Understanding from the foundation on up • Lots of Discussion • Math Journals – creating problem solvers • Students will explain and justify their answers to math problems. • Encourages peer teaching and looking at “more than one way” to • solve a math question. • Tools – • Manipulatives, Recording Sheets, Math Book, Journals

22. Science Topics: Nature of Science, Objects, Energy and Motion, Earth Materials, Earth and Sky, Living and Non Living Things, Plants and Animals Social Studies Teacher Created Materials: is our new Social Studies adoption. Second Step: Social Skills Program Other topics: Important dates and people, Texas history, community, rules and authority figures

23. THANKS! We look forward to a great year! Mrs. Harl Mrs. Vatuna Mrs. Hulett Ms. Molinar Mrs. Prince Mrs. Thorn