Adams Elementary Kindergarten Roundup

1. Adams ElementaryKindergarten Roundup Welcome!

2. Kindergarten is a great place to be! Registration Packets due today through June 1. Incomplete packets will not be accepted. A complete packet consists of: • Student Information Card • AM/PM Preference Form • Health Information Form • Guardianship Status Form (In cases of custody issues, we must have copies of pertinent legal forms.) • Proof of Residency Form (Two documents required) • State Birth Certificate • Immunization Record (A copy of the immunization record provided by your health care provider.) • Pink Immunization Card (Completely transcribed from the medical record.)

3. Before School Begins! Kindergarten Back to School Night • August 21, 2014 from 3:30-4:30 • You will sign up for the Kindergarten Pre-test on this day. (See below) • Class assignments will be given at that time. • Class assignments will also be emailed and posted on the doors and website! First Week of School • All Kindergarteners attend only the first day on Monday, August 25, 2014. It will be the early out schedule. AM- 8:50-10:50 PM- 11:25-1:25 • There will not be a Kindergarten bus on Monday, August 25, 2014. • Depending on the number of students to be tested, days will not be attended by your kindergarten student. This is the window for the individual pre-tests. • You will be notified at Back to School Night when school will reconvene.

4. Kindergarten Readiness “Childhood should be a journey, not a race.” • The informal list in the registration packet represents desirable readiness skills that will help children get off to a good start when they begin school. Not every skill must be acquired before entering kindergarten. It is a guide to help reassure parents that their intuitions and experiences with their own children give them valuable insight about readiness for kindergarten. • Young children change so fast– if they can’t do something this week, they may be able to do it a few weeks later. • What teachers want to see on the first day of school are children who are healthy, mature, capable and eager to learn!

5. Smooth Transitions • Be positive about school. • Listen to your child’s questions, worries and fears. • Help your child be on time and attend regularly, except when ill. • Communicate with the teacher. • Talk about what happens at school. • Teach responsibilities: picking up, doing chores, following directions. • Practice independence (being away from mom!) • Help your child make simple decisions.

6. Safety First! Drop Off and Pick Up • Please drop your children off in our drop off/pick up zone. This is about 100 feet west of the main doors. • Teach your children to cross in the parking lot crosswalk (in front of any the west busses). Do not let your children run across the parking lot between parked cars or cars that are dropping children off. • When picking your child up, please wait in the drop off/pick up zone. • Do not pass busses with red flashing lights. • Please make sure you watch for children crossing in the crosswalks.

7. Language Arts • Read to your child daily! • Build vocabulary by talking to your child about everything. • Look for alphabet letters in your environment. • Teach your child their last name, parents’ names, phone number and address. • Talk about colors and shapes.

8. Writing • Check your child’s pencil grip! • Have your child start their name with a capital and have all the rest of the letters lowercase. • Practice holding scissors correctly.

9. Math • Practice counting real objects with one-to-one correspondence. • Recognize numbers 1-20 • Recognize the difference between numbers and letters.

10. Homework Yes, there is homework in Kindergarten! Homework provides practice and it enables parents to know when a child is having difficulty with schoolwork. Parents can support homework by: • providing a “homework” area that is well lit and free of distractions. • setting a daily “homework time.” Some parents call it “schoolwork time” so kids know the “I have no homework” excuse won’t work. • offering a snack or a play break before homework; or using it as a homework-completion incentive. • Thank you for all your support!

11. Let’s Have a Great Year!