Megan Cheatham, Annie Snead, Velma Jones, Dene Houchens, Leigh Ann Pruitt, and Kelsey Evan

We are so excited to start this new adventure with your child this year. As experienced kindergarten teachers, we know all too well that entering kindergarten can be an exciting and stressful time for both parents and children alike. We know that there are often feelings of excitement, anxiousness as well as sadness on that very first day. As parents we know that there can be concerns about your child’s readiness and fear of the unknown can make this transition difficult. However, as your child’s teacher this year, we will create an exciting learning opportunity for you and your child as we embark upon this new adventure together.

Our Literacy Program is a Balanced Literacy Approach. Your child will be engaged in 2½ hours of literacy each day. So what does this look like in a kindergarten class?

• Shared reading – the teacher reads aloud while introducing different reading strategies
• Guided reading – the teacher will meet with small groups of children and work with words and texts that meet the individual needs and abilities of those students while small groups are meeting with the teacher, other students are engaged in a variety of literacy stations.)
• Independent reading – an opportunity where students read independently, practicing skills they have been taught throughout the year
• Writing – response to stories, journal writing and narrative writing

Where students learn by doing! Kindergarten math workshop is very hands on. The concepts we will cover this year include: counting and comparing, geometry, sorting and classifying objects, patterns, measurement, data and graphing, money, parts of a number, problem solving and fractions.

Science in the kindergarten classroom is interactive! Throughout the year we will learn about topics such as: scientific investigation, the 5 senses, patterns in daily life, changes over time, magnets, shadows, basic needs of plants and animals, water properties, living and non-living things, and conservation.  Each science concept will be assessed at the end of each unit.

Our Social Studies concepts are very exciting for our new learners. You will find that your child will love to come home and share with you all the new facts and findings that we are learning about each day. Some of our Social Studies concepts include civics, geography, history and economics. Each social studies concept will be assessed upon completion.

Your child will receive a report card each quarter.  We will have a parent/ teacher conference upon completion of the first quarter of school. At this time your child’s teacher will discuss the PALS assessment and your child’s first quarter grades. Your child will be given the PALS assessment in the fall as well as in the spring. We will also complete the DRA reading assessment during the second, third, and fourth quarters of kindergarten. If at any time you have questions or concerns about your child’s grades, please contact your child’s teacher to schedule a conference.