Kindergarten for Parents

Miss Jessica Yeager       Miss Nadine Ginsburg

You may visit a teacher's class web site by clicking on her name above.

Kindergarten may be your child’s first independent venture away from home.  This information has been designed to acquaint you with some of the basic guidelines around which we have planned your child’s first formal experience. 

We provide a physically attractive, interesting, and intellectually stimulating environment composed of numerous centers of learning.  There are reading readiness, language development, number readiness, science, and art centers plus dramatic play, blocks and other areas.

Learning is based upon individual needs, interests, and experiences.  Much learning takes place through play.  It has been called the “child’s work”.  Through constructive, wholesome activities, your child learns while engaging in real experiences and manipulating tangible objects.  In an effort to assess each child’s needs, continuing observation, identification, and diagnosing is taking place.  Instruction is geared toward the individual and small groups of children, whenever possible.  The use of assistants helps to implement this phase of our program.

A variety of approaches are utilized.  Some of them are as follows:

• exploring, examining, questioning
• directed activities
• conversation and discussion
• formal instruction
• free choice of activities
• individual and small group learning
• dramatic play
• resource persons, teachers, parents, grandparents, interested citizens
• audio visual materials

We seek to help children develop a positive self image and sense of self worth so that they will feel good about themselves, their uniqueness and individuality, as they play, work and live with others.

Though kindergarten experiences may appear to be just “play” or “fun”, they provide important learning situations, which aid in preparing the child for future activities in the primary grades.  The following information will inform you of some of the things we do in kindergarten.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES IN KINDERGARTEN

• we listen to others
• we share ideas and experiences
• we learn new words
• we gain self confidence
• we develop good speech habits

READING READINESS IN KINDERGARTEN

• we listen and respond to literature
• we identify and create rhymes
• we say, recognize, and order the alphabet
• we identify and apply letter sounds
• we blend sounds to read words
• we read sight words
• we look and discuss literary elements in a story
• we use Houghton Mifflin Invitations to Literacy program
• we use the Fountas and Pinnell phonics program

SCIENCE IN KINDERGARTEN

• we use hands-on discovery and exploration of our world
• we explore different mediums using our senses
• we observe, classify, and sort objects
• we develop a scientific way of thinking through observing, comparing, and communicating
• we learn about our five senses, movement, and living vs. non-living

SOCIAL STUDIES IN KINDERGARTEN

• we develop projects of interest
• we learn to work in groups
• we learn to share and care for equipment
• we encourage individual thinking and creativity
• we learn to put materials in their proper place
• we unfold many enriching experiences
• we increase the child’s interest
• we stimulate thinking
• we learn from taking field trips (Adventure Aquarium)

MATHEMATICS IN KINDERGARTEN

• we learn recognition and writing of numbers 1-31
• we count by twos, fives, and tens
• we identify, create, and label patterns
• we develop number sense
• we measure objects using nonstandard and standard units
• we check the year, month, day, and date on the calendar
• we learn the language of sets
• we use Everyday Math as our curriculum guide

GENERAL NOTES

All kindergarten children receive daily specials such as music, art, physical education, and use of the media center.  Halfway through the year, the children visit the computer lab to enhance their technological thinking.

REPORTING TO PARENTS

FALL - Conference    At this time, the parents can enlighten the teacher about their child’s personality, interests, etc.  The teacher can share information with parents obtained through a variety of methods.

WINTER - A report card (Conference by teacher or parent request only)

SPRING - A report card

JUNE - A report card

A CONFERENCE CAN BE ARRANGED WHENEVER NECESSARY BY CONTACTING YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER

KINDERGARTEN HOURS:

Morning Session            9:05  –  11:50 A.M.

Afternoon Session        12:35  –  3:30 P.M.

Best wishes for a happy school year!!
 Miss Nadine Ginsburg  and Miss Jessica Yeager