Dear Parents,
A BIG kindergarten welcome to both your child and you! This is a
fun, exciting time and I am really looking forward to getting to know each
of the children. A little about myself – this is my sixth year of
teaching kindergarten at Ida. Prior to this I taught preschool (3-5 year
olds). I also have taught children with special needs from infancy to
third grade. Then I took time off for my children. My husband Ken works
for Detroit Edison. We’re
both natives of
Our classroom-teaching assistant is Mrs. Sue Williams who has
worked at Ida for many years in the kindergarten program.
She does a wonderful job and the children feel comfortable
going to her for help and support. She
is an asset to our classroom. Mrs.
Williams and her husband Greg have three grown children.
Grandma Irene works in our classroom daily.
She works through the Monroe County Foster Grandparent Program.
She has assisted in our kindergarten class for four years.
She also helps in Mrs. Keller's fourth grade classroom.
Her help is certainly appreciated.
We truly believe that the children’s kindergarten year should be
a fun, positive learning experience. School must involve the cooperation
of the child, the parents, and the teacher for a very beneficial year –
so I will count on your interest and support all year.
You will be most welcome to visit our classroom during the year,
but I would like to ask you to please wait until after the first month of
school, unless your child has a birthday.
These first few weeks are an adjustment for the children –
getting to learn our routine, know us and their classmates, feeling
comfortable on the buses, etc. So the fewer the interruptions the better
during this time, as the class works together to adjust and learn the
responsibilities of their school day – thanks!!
We have had a busy and fun filled start of school. I hope your
child has shared many of the things we did at school with you. They are
all adjusting fine, and we need to remind them of how proud we are of
them. The most asked questions are “What are we going to do next?” and
“When do we get to go outside?”
Be
sure to check your child’s book bag each day for
their papers and any notes from school.
|
On Tuesday, September 25th
we will have a room meeting for parents, starting at |
September is the month that we concentrate on all kinds of
readiness activities. We do these as a group and really stress listening
carefully and following the directions that are given. The children need
to listen to see if they are to color or just outline, for example. This
is difficult as they are really eager to get to each task, but a very
important one for all of them to learn.
Another area of readiness includes printing their name, at least to
try. Please refer to the name strip that I sent with the packet of papers
on the first day. We sent an alphabet handout sheet home on the first day
of school; please refer to this as you practice with your child. We also
use scissors and sticks glue, reminding them often of the rules for both
of these.
Our math program uses a lot of hands-on manipulative materials to
teach and reinforce the lessons. The
Saxon Math Kindergarten Series is used as a guideline to implement various
math skills along with a variety of other teaching tools. Some of the
areas we will cover this fall include positional terms such as “next
to”, “above”, “beside”, etc., also how things are alike and
different, patterning and grouping, and shapes.
The children will practice their counting by one’s to 30 by Nov.,
50 by Mar., and 100 by June. Furthermore,
we’ll do number work, especially printing and knowing values 1-30.
We have a science curriculum that is implemented during our
Imagination Stations. We also
have a social studies program.
Our reading program is a whole language literature based approach
including phonics. The
Houghton-Mifflin Reading Series is the reading program that is used at our
elementary. We use a lot of books in each theme as well as posters and
songs.
One fun activity that the children really enjoy we call our
“Buddy Bear home visits”. This will begin next week. Buddy Bear is a
stuffed animal that will come home with each child for a night’s visit,
in a bag with a notebook and pencil. As part of our reading readiness and
writing program, we would like for you to write down in the notebook a few
sentences about Buddy’s visit to your house. Each child can use 1 page
in the book, front and back, and also include a drawing if they would
like, and of course their name, or signature, on the page. Be sure to
return everything the next day in the bag, as each child is eager to have
their turn. We share each entry during out carpet time.
We do a lot of singing with fun, educational records and CD’s –
a great way to help develop listening skills. We do many activities on our
carpet area – the pledge, the calendar, the weather, learning cards,
finger plays, and lots of stories. Many of our reading lessons are done on
the carpet. We have 3 computers in our room for the children with many
excellent programs to add yet another way of learning.
One of the most important areas of readiness now is the area of
social skills, including learning to function and participate with the
class – raising one’s hand to talk, staying in one’s seat, and
taking turns, etc.
Any of the papers that we do, we always do together step by step.
If I am doing a paper (lesson) at the board, then Mrs. Colpaert is walking
around the room helping the children. We encourage them to always try
their best, and we give each child a sticker, or a stamp, for their
effort.
Each month I will send a newsletter home the first week of that
month – not usually this lengthy!! I will keep you informed on what is
happening in our room, and around the school, too. Often I will send short
notes during the week to let you know of any events, any special
activities, or even a reminder of something coming up. I hope you will
find this communication informative and helpful – it is important to me
to keep you aware of what your child is doing at school. Mrs. Locke, (the
other kindergarten teacher) and I work as a team to best meet the needs of
all of the kindergarten children here at Ida. We plan and do many
activities together throughout the year.
The
first “major’ event we have planned is our all day trip to COSI (
Mrs. Colpaert and I are looking forward to a GREAT year. Be extra
positive and encouraging these first few weeks with your child. They have
so much to get use to, and it can be quite overwhelming for them. Please
be assured that we will do our best to meet each child’s needs, and to
give them the best care we can here at school.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Please
don’t ever think something is not important enough to inquire about
because if it affects your child in any way, it is important!!
The elementary office phone number is 269-3605.
Our classroom phone number is 269-9003 ext. 2413.
Here’s to a wonderful year,
Mrs.
Sherry Locke, Mrs. Sue Williams, and Grandma Irene
September
Dates:
Sept.
20th Library Walking Field Trip
Sept. 13th
"Imagination Stations" will begin.
We will have our centers every Tuesday and Thursday.
I will discuss centers with you at the parent-teacher meeting.
Sept. 25
Kindergarten Parent-Teacher Meeting in our classroom
(PARENTS ONLY)
Sept. 27 COSI Field Trip (AM &PM will attend all day)
NOTICE:
A.M. students should not be to school before
P.M.
students should not be to school before
Due to school policy please
remember if you bring your child to school that he/she cannot enter the
classroom before
Thank
you for your help.
*Our
Out-Class Schedule was sent home. If you did not receive a schedule please
let me know.
---
F.Y.I.---
For
Your Information:
>Remember
when you send NOTES to me, please place it in a sealed envelope and write
NOTE on the front in large letters. We
must have a note about any bus change or whether you or someone else will
be picking up your child. If
there is no note the school policy is that the child will be put on their
normal bus that day.
>Please
remember to put all the dates mentioned in this Kindergarten Courier on
your calendar.
>We
MUST have a note sent into school when your child has been absent.
It is required by the state. Thank
You!
>SNACKS…The
children really enjoy a treat and drink each day.
Last year the parents were great in keeping the snacks and drinks
well supplied. I store the
snacks and drinks in our room and use them as needed.
This method of supplying snacks is not required, but most
appreciated. Keep in mind you
will only supply for your child's class, which is 26 in the AM and 26 in
the PM You may start sending
snacks and drinks on Monday, Sept. 10.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
>If
you should pick up your child in the middle of the day, it is school
policy to sign he/she out at the office.
Mrs. Boyer enforces this rule for the protection of your child.
>PARENT HELPER