Mrs. Gorsuch’s PM Kindergarten Manual 2008-2009

1. Mrs. Gorsuch’s PM Kindergarten Manual 2008-2009

2. Dear Kindergarten Parents, • Welcome to kindergarten at Ryan Elementary!!! I am so excited to meet and work with your family. This will be a year full of amazing growth and learning for your child. I am honored to be a part of the journey. • Hi, my name is Renee Gorsuch. I was born and raised in Michigan and moved to Colorado in 2002 with my husband Jason. We have an 18 month old son named Griffin. We spent our summer at the zoo and the Children’s museum playing and exploring! I earned my undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University in Special Education and General Education I have also earned my Master’s degree in Literacy Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. This is my second year at Ryan Elementary. I am honored to be a part of this amazing school!  • A few things to know about me personally……. • I am a HUGE Detroit Red Wings fan and love to banter with Avalanche fans! • (good thing there aren’t many of them) • I ran college track at Eastern Michigan. I was not very good but I do have the • uncanny ability to chase down run away 5 year olds  • I love to take pictures and am dabbling in Photoshop. Expect A LOT of • pictures from class to make their way to your home. • I have two crazy dogs which I love. They were my first kids. Dakota is an • eight year old 123 pound yellow Lab and McCarty (yep, a Red Wing fan) is a • 6 year old CRAZY Vizsla. • I live in Coal Creek Canyon and frequently get much different weather up • there than we get down in Broomfield. Can you say SNOW??? And….I hate • SNOW!!! • Halloween is my favorite holiday. I pick out my costume months in advanced • and love planning for the big day. The dogs are very happy that I now have a • “real” baby to dress up. • I would really love to be five! • Professionally…… • In the classroom, you will find that I love to teach through song, movement and laughter. I am very structured and organized. I think if children know what to expect they will flourish. I have a passion for the teaching of reading. I love the “ahhha” moments that five year olds get when learning something new and exciting. I truly feel it is my job to inspire your child to learn and enjoy. I will do my best to participate in all school events and functions. I love teaching and can’t wait to develop a relationship with you and your family. • Please feel free to contact me with any comments or concerns you have throughout the year. My voicemail number and e-mail address are on the next page of your booklet. • Go Red Wings! (you knew I had to put that in again!) • Renee Gorsuch

3. Everything you need to know about kindergarten…………… • School Hours: 12:30-3:20 • Drop-off in the front of the building and Pick-up by the classroom door • School Phone Number ……… (303) 982-3105 • Voicemail Number …………… (303) 982-0944 • E-mail Address ………………… rgorsuch@jeffco.k12.co.us • Classroom Discipline • Kindergartners are between the ages of four and six when they come to school. Most children are excited to begin their school journey and are eager to please the teacher and succeed with their new independence. However, it is also the nature of the age to experiment with limits and boundaries in a new situation – especially one that is as structured as school. In the event that a problem arises in the classroom, I will take the following steps to correct it. • 1) I will give the student a warning, taking the time to explain what the problem is and why the behavior cannot continue. In addition, I will explain the acceptable behavior. • 2) If the behavior continues, the student will need to take time to think more about the appropriate behavior during a time-out at recess. This time-out can be anywhere from five to fifteen minutes – depending on the behavior. • 3) In the event the behavior is not corrected with a time-out, I will make a phone call home to let you know what is going on and what further actions will be taken to correct the problem. • Friday Folders • Your student will receive a folder from me to serve as a method of communication between the teacher and parents. Each Friday, I will be sending the folder home to you full of information from the school. This may include permission slips, enrichment information, PTA information, report cards, a class newsletter, or other notes from me. Please go through the contents of the folder each week and send it back to me on Monday.

4. Library • We will be going to the library on Thursday to check out books one day each week. Please be sure your child brings his/her book back each week in order to check out a new one! • Newsletters • I will be sending home a newsletter each month. This will include the things we will be doing and learning in the coming month. This should help you to talk to your students about what they have learned and what they can be excited about learning next. In addition, it will give you some ideas for what to work on at home. • Special Events • This year, kindergarten will be having several special events and visitors to the classroom. I will be sending home a schedule of our special days as soon as we finish scheduling. The schedule is subject to change. If we need to change anything, we will let you know as far in advance as possible. • Classroom Volunteers • Parents are welcome to volunteer to help in many different ways at school. • Each special event may require parent volunteers to chaperone. • Our class will need one or two parents to volunteer as Room Parents helpers to plan and run class parties at Halloween, the winter holidays, and Valentine’s Day. • Parent volunteers will be welcomed into the classroom. If you would like to volunteer on specific day please sign up on the volunteer chart. This may include playing games or doing art projects with the kids or clerical work (cutting, coloring, and gluing) for upcoming classroom activities. Those who are interested in volunteering can come and talk to me at any time and I will work them into the schedule. • The Ryan Elementary PTA has several volunteer opportunities for parents throughout the school year. It is really important for kindergarten families to get involved!

5. Midterms and Report Cards Ryan Elementary works on a trimester schedule. This means report cards will be coming home three times during the year. Attached, you will find a copy of the report card. In addition, midterms will be coming home three times. This is an informal way to keep you up to date on your child’s assessments and progress. Recess Kindergartners will be having one fifteen minute recesses during their day. Please start sending a jacket with your child in mid September, it gets chilly out there quickly  Show and Tell Box Each week, I will be sending home a lunch box with one child in our class for show and tell (Everyone will get a chance!). Please help your child choose an item for show and tell that fits inside the lunch box. Then help your child write and memorize three clues about the item. We will be playing a guessing game with the show and tell clues. Kindergarten Superstar Each Monday, I will be sending home a star of the week sheet with one child (They all get a chance for this, too.). Please help your child create a star of the week that tells his/her story and return it to school the next Monday. You may also include several pictures of your child’s growing up, adventures, pets and family to share. Estimation Jar Each week, I will be sending home the estimation jar with one student. Please fill the estimation jar with something – anything from marbles to golf balls to Oreo cookies. Send the jar back to school with your student sometime during the week and we will practice our estimation and counting skills. (For the first semester, please try not to have more than 20 items in the jar. The limit for second semester should be about 50. Thanks!)

6. Poetry Folders Students will be using poetry in the classroom to reinforce reading and writing skills. Each week, we will be adding a poem to your child’s poetry folder. Potery notebooks will be sent home at the end of the school year for you and your child to enjoy. Homework Expectations A reading folder will be sent home daily with your child. Please read the enclosed book with your child and sign the daily record sheet. Additionally, you may be asked to do a five finger retell and possibly other reading comprehension activities. There will be no homework on Fridays. In addition to formal homework assignments, give your child plenty of opportunities for learning in daily life. Allow them to participate in fun activities like soccer, baseball, storytime at the library, etc. Birthdays Birthdays are a very special thing for five- and six-year-olds and we would like to celebrate! For kindergarten this year, we are asking that those who are interested in sending something in for a birthday, send in special non-edible treats to honor your kiddo’s special day. Stickers, pencils, rings, or anything that you can find in the birthday aisle at Target will work. This will protect those children who have allergies and keep our teeth from rotting besides! Thanks in advance for your help on this issue! Vacations and Homework While it is best to plan vacations for times when your child is not in school, there are times when it cannot be avoided. If you have to be gone for an extended period of time, please have your child keep a journal (either in pictures or in writing) of what he/she does on vacation each day. I will keep classroom paperwork for your child to get when he/she is back from vacation. A lot of what is done in the classroom does not involve worksheets and may be difficult to be saved. Also, most of our copies are not run very far in advance and I may not have them before you leave for vacation, but I will do my best to see that your child does not fall behind.

7. Mrs. Gorsuch’s Kindergarten Schedule • 12:30 Opening: • This includes calendar activities (patterning, days of the week, hundreds chart, words of the week, poetry, singing, place value, question of the day, time, and counting jar). • 1:00 Guided Reading: • This is when we do reading groups for direct, small group instruction with reading skills at your child’s specific reading level and ability.. • Centers: • This is when students will be exploring concepts we have learned throughout the day. Centers include Movement, Computers, Creative, Science, Blocks, and Seasons • 1:30 Word Work: • During this large group time, we will do our phonics and phonemic awareness instruction. Skills addressed will change from the beginning of the year to the end as the children progress. • 1:45 Writing: • Writing instruction will take place during this time. This will include everything from letter writing to journal writing to story writing. • 2:15 Recess • 2:45 Math: • This is the time of day for math instruction. This will include direct instruction, center learning, and paper/pencil work • 3:00 Shared Reading • 3:20 Dismissal

8. Notes