Welcome!

1. Welcome! Parent Information Night Riggs Preschool Saira Urbina

2. Stay in touch with your teacher Watch for emails, newsletters, notes, and the parent board inside the classroom How to contact your child’s teacher: Email is the best way!! Please put the best time and number to reach you at for a return call. Classroom phones go straight to voicemail: Ms. Urbina: 480-224-3400

3. Classroom Rules Discipline Philosophy: • Be positive, catch them being good! • Distraction and redirection • Quiet time • Special behavior plans if needed

4. Classroom Procedures • Arrival • Park in front parking lot, use crosswalk and head toward double doors on side of the building • Door will be open at 7:55am and 11:55am. • Sign in every day at the classroom! (First and Last name)

5. Classroom Procedures • Dismissal • Park in front parking lot, use the crosswalk, and head toward the side of the building. • Sign out every day at the classroom! • Wait in the hallway until your child is dismissed. • No playing in the grassy area or near parking lot please.. For safety.

6. Classroom Procedures If you are late, after 8:05 or 12:05, please get a pass from the office. Please be quiet in the hallway. If you need to speak with the teacher, please wait until all students have been dismissed. Then we are able to give you our complete attention. Thank you for being on time to school.

7. Classroom Procedures Attendance • Call if your child will be absent: • 224-3403 and/or email your teacher What to wear • Play clothes • Closed shoes

8. Illness Please keep your child home if they are ill Fever-free for 24 hours to return Please be respectful of others, let’s keep our staff and kids healthy

9. Birthday Procedures If you would like invitations passed out please give them to the teacher and she will pass them out. Treats must be store bought Some suggestions: fruit, donut holes, cookies, mini cupcakes, fruit snacks, etc. (NOTHING WITH NUTS!!!) Please check with the teacher about special allergies Please give me notice if you would like to bring a treat

10. Volunteers • Once in a while we need volunteers to help with preparing activities. This can be done in the workroom or taken home and returned.

11. Preschool CurriculumELA-English Language Acquisition Welcome to Big Day, by Houghton Mifflin, a program that embraces children’s natural curiosity and encourages them to explore, play, and learn about the world around them. Only in Big Day will you find... • A program organized around “Big Experiences” that engage children and integrate social-emotional, academic, and physical development. • Rich and varied opportunities for meaningful conversations that help children build oral language and vocabulary at school, home, and beyond. • Big books, little books, eBooks, audiobooks, and more—that ensure every child has access to the very best literature and nonfiction, at school and at home. • Innovative technology for children, teachers, and families that connects everyone to the learning process. • A comprehensive program with Daily Writing and Extended Play activities.

12. Preschool CurriculumOrigo Math Stepping Stones is a comprehensive program that addresses contemporary standards in mathematics, including numbers, algebra, measurement, geometry, and data. These strands are all connected and link mathematics to the real world, as well as to other curriculum areas. • Stepping Stones actively engages children in learning mathematics so they can construct concepts and develop skills by interacting with the real world, classroom materials, and other children. Children are actively involved as they manipulate everyday objects in individual, small group, and whole group settings. • The scope and sequence of learning is carefully designed to promote fluency of skills and a deep, balanced understanding of mathematical concepts. The key ideas and skills are presented in 12 modules, each focusing on one big idea in mathematics. • Stepping Stones provides vocabulary-rich learning activities where English language learners can acquire mathematics in a natural progression with their peers by listening and speaking English. Each activity ensures children are learning new academic language in a social and non-threatening way. • Stepping Stones has been written with children’s natural curiosity and playfulness in mind. As children engage with play-based and arts-integrated activities, they are acquiring the mathematical concepts necessary to excel in higher elementary grades.

13. ECHOS Science The delivery of the ECHOS Science lessons follows a project-designed sequence called the E-I-E-I-O learning framework, designed to provide teachers with a logical structure to deliver lessons that promote learning by thinking and doing. Standards-based science process skills are embedded in the curriculum. Units are designed and sequenced to allow the gradual introduction of these skills, from basic to complex in the categories of observing, describing, categorizing, predicting, experimenting, and drawing conclusions. E-I-E-I-O Framework: • Excite…to spark curiosity and wonder. • Introduce…the investigation • Explore…to deepen understanding • Interact…as needed to respond to individual strengths and needs • Outcomes…observe evidence of learning

14. Fundations • The Fundations Activity Set is designed to support students’ emerging understanding of the alphabetic principle of letter-sound associations, and written language skills with manuscript letter formation. Its purpose is to teach students the names of the letters and the corresponding sounds, as well as teach them the formation of lowercase and uppercase letters. Instruction is divided into two semesters. The focus during the first semester will be on teaching letter-sound correspondence in a whole-group setting. We will introduce and practice 2 letters per week. Second semester, letter-sounds are practiced and letter formations are introduced whole-group and students will practice writing the letters in small groups; lowercase letters will be practiced first.

15. Kindercademy and Community Preschool • Kindercademy is a child-centered program that emphasizes teaching foundational skills that will help prepare the child for a successful transition into Kindergarten. This program emphasizes reading readiness, math, writing, and language arts. In addition, students can participate in extra-curricular activities, such as, music, physical education, technology, and fine arts activities. This program is designed to exceed the Arizona Early Childhood Education Standards in a developmentally appropriate setting. • Community Preschool is a child-centered program that believes that children learn through experience and discovery. Our goal is to prepare children to enter kindergarten with a healthy self-concept and a positive attitude toward school and learning. This is accomplished by offering age appropriate curriculum designed to develop social, emotional, physical and cognitive abilities in our students. Since every child is unique, our preschools are designed to allow children to initiate activities that grow from personal interest and intentions. Through exploration our preschool students interact with materials, people, ideas and events. We encourage active learning by providing resources, planning experiences and creating an inviting environment in which all children can learn.

16. Areas of development • Assessed by Teaching Strategies Gold • Assessment will be ongoing • Data is collected with observations, pictures, and note taking. There is an app that we use on our tablet to collect this data during class time. • Conferences will be held twice a year: August 28th and 29th and February 12th and 13th

17. CUSD Preschool Program Philosophy Our goal as early childhood educators is to provide a strong foundation that will help all children become lifelong learners. We believe that children learn through experience and discovery. Our goal is to prepare children to enter kindergarten with a healthy self-concept and a positive attitude toward school and learning. We accomplish this by offering developmentally appropriate curriculum designed to develop social, emotional, physical and cognitive abilities.

18. CUSD Philosophy Continued… We understand that every child is unique, so we organize our preschool program to allow children to initiate activities to grow from personal interest and intentions. Our preschool students learn through exploration with hands-on developmentally appropriate activities and materials. We facilitate active learning by providing resources, and planning experiences in an environment in which all children can learn.

19. Preschool Program Overview The curriculum is aligned to the Arizona Early Learning Standards, which have been developed for children 3-5 years of age. The standards help us to provide quality learning experiences and cover a wide range of skill development. Since every child is a unique individual and learns at his/her own readiness level, the standards allow each child to progress through each developmental skill as they become ready.

20. Arizona Early Learning Standards The standards support each child to learn through positive relationships with teachers and peers and to learn through child-initiated, child-directed and teacher supported play. The standards are categorized into 7 different skill areas.

21. Social Emotional Children develop self awareness by recognizing and expressing feelings, learning to positively interact and cooperate with others, being responsible and respectful for self and others by using self control, approaching learning with curiosity, creativity, confidence and by problem solving.

22. Cognitive Children who have positive approaches to learning are more likely to succeed academically and to have more positive interactions with peers. Research has shown that high quality dramatic play is important for learning. The benefits of play include self-regulation, memory development, divergent thinking, problem solving, language development and academic skill development.

23. Language and Literacy Children develop oral language skills by speaking and listening. They develop pre-reading skills from the sounds and rhythms of spoken language, letter knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehending stories. They develop pre-writing skills by writing letters, words, and their name.

24. Physical Development, Health and Safety Children develop gross motor skills by doing vigorous activities inside and outside the classroom such as dancing, running, hopping, skipping and playing ball. Children develop fine motor skills inside and outside the classroom by drawing, painting, cutting, lacing, singing and writing. Children learn healthy habits and good hygiene. They also learn about safety and how to prevent injuries.

25. Mathematics Children develop math skills by learning numbers, counting, patterning, graphing, measuring, and by solving problems.

26. Social Studies Children learn about their environment around them, such as home, school, their community, and they learn about different places and people and how those environments compare and contrast to their own.

27. Science Children learn science skills by observing, asking questions, making predictions, experimenting, making conclusions and communicating answers to each other.

28. Fine Arts Children use their imagination, creativity, and the five senses to create artwork, music and movement, and imaginary play. By doing this, children develop independence, self-esteem and self-expression.

29. When We Play With Toys and Games We Are… • Demonstrating self-direction and independence. • Learning cooperation. • Gaining self confidence in our abilities. • Refining small muscle skills. • Improving eye-hand coordination. • Expanding math skills such as: counting, ordering, matching, patterning, and classifying. • Developing reading skills such as: left to right progression, visual discrimination, and letter/sound recognition.

30. When We Do Dramatic Play We Are… • Practicing social skills. • Learning cooperation. • Developing small and large muscles. • Improving eye-hand coordination. • Using our imagination. • Play-acting roles and situations. • Communicating with others. • Sharing ideas and solving problems using language skills.

31. When We Are In The Library We Are… • Gaining a better understanding of the world around us and the people in it. • Learning to make connections between the story and the things we already know. • Sequencing events. • Recognizing that letters have meaning. • Exploring the sounds and rhythms of language. • Expanding our vocabulary • Learning the use and care of books. • Using our imagination.

32. When We Do Art We Are… • Expressing our originality and individuality. • Reflecting our thoughts and emotions. • Developing skills in planning and organizing. • Learning about cause and effect. • Exercising small muscle skills. • Enhancing eye-hand coordination. • Expanding our vocabulary. • Developing creativity.

33. When We Are Building With Blocks We Are… • Learning self-direction and independence. • Learning how to work together and respect each others viewpoints. • Exchanging ideas. • Developing small and large muscles. • Improving eye-hand coordination. • Learning about sizes, shapes, numbers, order, area, length, patterns, and weight. • Exploring cause and effect. • Using our imagination.

34. When We Are At The Sand And Water Table We Are… • Demonstrating self-direction and independence. • Cooperating with others. • Enhancing fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. • Exploring, observing, and comparing. • Learning cause and effect. • Learning to ask and answer questions. • Expanding our vocabulary.

35. When We Are Discovering We Are… • Exploring and investigating the world around us. • Cooperating with others. • Learning to take care of living things. • Observing, predicting, and comparing. • Drawing conclusions. • Developing dexterity and eye-hand coordination. • Practicing motor skills. • Expanding our vocabulary. • Organizing and sharing our learning.

36. Activities You Can Do at Home • READ to your child at least once a day and have your child retell the story to you. • As you are driving in the car, shopping, or around your home, look for the letter of the week. Also, have your child try to read signs on the road or in the stores. • Practice counting with your child. • Practice colors and shapes with your child.

37. More Activities • Help your child practice writing his/her name. • Allow your child to do small, simple chores at home. It makes them feel important and gives them a sense of responsibility. • Have your child tell you about their day and what they have learned in school.

38. Remember, No child has ever been, or will ever be, deeply, personally invested in a worksheet. …that’s why we do hands on activities at preschool!

39. Forever Friends

41. Thank You for Coming! Let’s make this a great year! Questions and answers