Pottsgrove School District

 Dear Parents,Welcome to Kindergarten! I am so excited to be a part of your child’s education this year. I hope that we can work together closely to help your child achieve success. I moved to Pennsylvania from Kansas fourteen years ago where I had lived for most of my life. I taught there for five years in the Wichita Public Schools in 1st grade, 2nd grade, and Kindergarten. This is my fourteenth year teaching in the Pottsgrove School District, and I am thrilled to be teaching Kindergarten! I have a six-year-old, Henry, so I am always working on the balance between work and home!I hope this handbook will be helpful in explaining our goals and expectations in Kindergarten. I am always open to questions, comments, or suggestions. I look forward to getting to know each of you as the year progresses. Thank you for being an important part of your child’s education! You can always contact me through e-mail at mbenedict2@. Sincerely, Maria Benedict1725295264160Kindergarten CurriculumOpening Exercises – attendance, lunch count, pledge to the flag, journal writingCalendar Activities – learning the days of the week, months of the year, graphing weather activities, and counting by 1’s, 5’s, 10’s. Language Arts – Our Language Arts program is guided by the reading program “Wonders” by McGraw-Hill. This program consists of theme-based comprehension skills and strategies, concepts of print, guided reading and interactive read alouds. The activities include; exposure to poetry, literature, dramatization, listening, comprehension, auditory discrimination, following oral directions and sequencing. The program uses foundational skills to incorporate the following beginning reader skills; phonemic awareness, phonics, rhyming words, opposites, alphabet recognition, listening for alphabet sounds within a word, recognition of sight words, and learning to read word families. Writer’s Workshop – Our goal is for each child to enjoy writing and to begin little by little to understand how to become a better writer. We will learn the foundational skills needed to draw and write a narrative, informational and opinion piece of writingMath – We will be using a program called Math in Focus. This program will cover the following concepts: comparisons, sorting, classifying, numbers 0 to 100, shapes (solids & flats), patterns, measuring, problem solving, addition and subtraction, counting and writing numbers. Science and Social Studies– Our topics include: Weather and Seasons, Seeds and Plants, Caring for the Earth, Animals, Family and Friends, and Our Country. Handwriting – We will be using the “Wonders” writing program. We will do activities to promote small motor control and we will also be working on forming letters properly as we write on lined paper.Daily 5 – Students will be engaged in independent reading, listening to books on CD, working with letters/sounds/words, iPad activities, and reading with a partner, while the teacher directs guided reading groups. Structured Play – Students will gain social experiences, practice responsibility, and form peer relations. Often these play times are teacher directed.Daily Schedule 8:40-9:05 Arrival, lunch count, attendance, journals (9:00 is the official start to the school day) 9:05-9:50 Language Arts 9:50-10:35 Daily 5 (literacy stations) 10:35-10:40 Brain Break (movement activity) 10:40-11:30 Language Arts/Writing 11:30-12:00 Lunch 12:00-12:30 Recess 12:30-12:50 D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read) 12:50-1:00Calendar 1:00-1:50 Math (Whole group lessons and centers) 1:50-2:10 Snack/Pack-up 2:10-2:30 Social Studies/Science/Centers 2:35-3:20Specials (Computer Lab, Gym, Library, Art, Health, and Music) 3:25 Dismissal What is Class Dojo? Class Dojo is a classroom management tool I use that is designed to help teachers improve student behavior and communicate more effectively with parents. Each student gets a “monster” that teachers can award points to and take points from throughout the day based on student behavior decisions. It’s engaging for students, informative for parents, and most of all… it’s fun! How are points awarded/ taken away?Class Dojo allows teachers to create specific behaviors for positive and negative points. Some examples of behavior a student may earn points for are: “listening ears”, “working hard”, and “showing respect”. There are also specific times during the day that students can earn points if they are on task, such as during writer’s workshop and Daily 5 reading stations. We try to keep Class Dojo positive and fun. However, sometimes kids make mistakes or break a rule. In order to teach kids to make better decisions, a consequence is given. Sometimes the consequence is losing a point, a time out, or the loss of a privilege. Some examples of behavior a student may lose points for are: “dishonesty”, “disrespect”, and “hands/feet not to self”. How do I know how my child’s day went?If your child receives a ?on his parent communication sheet in the FISH binder, then you know your child had a great day! If your child gets 2 or more points taken away during the day, then you will receive a brief note in the binder letting you know why points were taken away. On rare occasions, you might get a note if your child lost just one point if it was something very serious that happened. What happens when my child earns points?Celebrate with them when they get home! Congratulate them on great decisions made. Students will earn rewards as “trade in” points. Once each student gets to a number of points designated by the teacher, his/her points will be erased and “traded in” for a reward and then he/she starts over. What happens when my child loses a point?We know students and parents do not like when a point is lost. It makes us sad to take a point away too! However, consequences teach students how to make better choices so, sometimes it happens. If your child loses points here and there and not on a daily basis, don’t worry too much about it. Remember, this is the management system. Previously your child’s teacher may have been using a stop light system, a clip chart, or time outs. You probably would not have seen each and every time they received a consequence or had to move to a different color. Therefore, occasional lost points are OK. We do not expect you to punish your child for a lost point here and there. If it is happening often and I am concerned about your child’s behavior, you will hear from me. Otherwise, just a little chat about making better decisions is all that’s needed.What are the other benefits of Class Dojo?When you log onto the Dojo app, you will see our “Class Story”. This is a place where I post pictures of our class and keep you updated with reminders or announcements. It is similar to having a Facebook page for our class. Mrs. Jones, our principal, is also able to communicate school news and pictures to you through this app. We highly encourage you to download this app to be able to be informed about our class and school! ProceduresArrival and Dismissal: As students arrive between 8:40 and 9:00, they will head to breakfast or their classrooms (any students arriving between 8:30 and 8:40 will wait in the cafeteria). All students must be in classrooms by 9:00am. Children who arrive after 9:00 will be marked tardy and must be checked in by a parent in the office. If you are dropping off your child, I would recommend arriving at least by 8:50 so your child has time to unpack and be seated by 9:00.If your child plans to eat breakfast at school daily, please let me know, so I can direct him/her in that direction if he/she comes to the classroom first.Dismissal begins at 3:25. Kindergarten students are walked to their busses as they arrive, or walked to an area to wait for parent pick-up. If you are picking up your child early, you must sign your child out in the office. If you need someone else to pick up your child, you must list the person on your child’s emergency card or send a note.Lunch: A lunch menu will be sent home each month and can also be found on the district website. The children will eat their lunches in the cafeteria. Children will be allowed to choose their own lunches each morning from the offered selections. To help children in making this decision, you may want to review the selections on the lunch menu with your child in the morning. Lunch prices are: Student lunch (includes milk) -- $2.70 Milk only -- $.50Pottsgrove has a computerized cafeteria management system. Each child will have an account for lunch purchases. To deposit money into your student’s account, put a check or cash in a sealed envelope or plastic bag with your child’s name and “lunch money” written on the front, or you can deposit the money electronically through the district website. Specials:Kindergarten students participate in all of the special area classes.Day 1 – ComputerDay 2 – Gym – sneakers requiredDay 3 – Library – please always return books in the provided library bag to prevent damageDay 4 – ArtDay 5 – HealthDay 6 – MusicFISH binders: Family Involvement Starts Here - Children will bring FISH binders home each day with completed work and parent information. There will be a star on the parent communication page if your child had a good day. If you child lost two or more points on Class Dojo, a note will be written explaining any problems we had. Please check these folders daily and initial the proper space. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to write notes in this folder. I will check these folders every morning when the children arrive in the classroom to gather any notes or papers that have been returned. I do not check backpacks, so please put everything important in the FISH binder or write a note stating that something else is in the backpack.Homework: Homework will begin in October and will be discussed at back-to-school night. For kindergarten, homework usually entails reading books at home and practicing sight words. We work hard all day, and I want your child to have time to play and relax at home!Notes:Notes are required for the following reasons:*Absences/illness – You can use school absence notecards (available in the office) or simply write your note on a piece of paper. The important thing is that you send a note. If a note is not received within 3 school days, the absence will be unexcused.*Early dismissal for doctor appointments or different dismissal than normal.*Educational Trip - If your child will be missing school for a trip, you can find an educational trip form online to fill out and return prior to the trip.Conferences: Conferences are scheduled two times during the year (November and April). These conferences are for parents. If you are unable to find childcare, you are welcome to bring your child with activities to keep him/her occupied while we talk. These conferences are planned to discuss your child’s progress and offer you ideas on how to help your child succeed. You are always welcome to schedule additional conferences by sending a note with your child or calling me.Dressing for School: Please dress your child in comfortable clothing for school. It is best to dress children in “play” clothes instead of “dress” clothes since many activities require children to sit on the floor, use art materials, or play outside. In cold weather, please dress your child accordingly since we may go outside to play or for a short walk on the school grounds. Please write your child’s name or initials inside sweatshirts or sweaters that your child might take off during the day. We always end up with items that no one will claim! Because we do many physical activities during the day, it is recommended that children do not wear clogs, flip-flops, or sandals without a strap to school. Sneakers are required for gym class and to play on the climbing equipment at recess. Medications: The school nurse will administer all medications. If you send cough drops with your child, a signed note must accompany them, giving your child permission to use them. Please contact the nurse if your child is to be given any medicine during school hours or if there are any significant changes to your child’s health.Birthdays: Children may celebrate their birthdays in school, however due to state guidelines, they are no longer allowed to bring in edible treats. You are welcome to send in a non-edible treat for each student (pencil, stickers, etc.), but this is not necessary. To make the day special for each child, he/she will have a special placemat at his/her seat for the day and special jobs to help with in the classroom. Every year parents ask if birthday invitations can be sent in. If you send in an invitation for every child or for all boys or all girls, the invitations can be passed out. When invitations are only sent in for a handful of students, there are hurt feelings for students who were not invited. 147625Snack: Please be sure to send your child to school with a snack EVERYDAY. Listed below are a few things to consider when packing your child’s snack.*Healthy snacks are preferable such as fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt, etc. *Please keep your child’s snack separate from his/her lunch box. The lunch boxes are kept in a bin and your child would have to dig through the bin to find his/her snack. Since our snack is in the afternoon, he/she also might eat the snack for lunch if it is in the lunchbox. *A drink is not needed as we have a water fountain in our classroom.*In past years we have had materials/books stained by orange “Cheetoh/Dorito” fingers, so if possible, please refrain from sending these!*Please be sure your child can open the snack “all by myself.” We also ask that if the snack requires a utensil, you send it from home.* Please send only one snack that is a reasonable amount of food for your child. Snack lasts approximately ten minutes before students have to put away the remaining snack. Please take this into consideration when you are deciding how much snack to pack for your child.Thank you for taking the time to make these accommodations when packing your child’s snack. This helps us to keep snack time and classroom disruptions to a minimum in order to maximize instructional time.** If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at school through my e-mail mbenedict2@ HYPERLINK "mailto:mbenedict2@" HYPERLINK "mailto:mbenedict2@" HYPERLINK "mailto:mbenedict2@" HYPERLINK "mailto:mbenedict2@" ................
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