Welcome Thank you for coming tonight! You are making a BIG step towards ensuring your child’s success in Kindergarten!

1. Welcome Thank you for coming tonight! You are making a BIG step towards ensuring your child’s success in Kindergarten!

2. Tonight’s Purpose • Kindergarten is an academic program. • We work on social skills, but it is no longer the primary purpose of our Kindergarten program. • End of the Year goals for Kindergarten.

3. Letters And Sounds Letters And Sounds • Assessments • PRI and TPRI are taking place at this time • Testing information will be shared with you on October 8 during Parent & Teacher Conferences. • Goal • Your child is expected to read on a level D by the end of the school year. This is possible by knowing at least 13 sounds and all 52 letters (uppercase and lowercase) by Christmas. The remainder of the sounds should be known by the end ofJanuary. • All objectives are reinforced until mastery.

4. Balanced Literacy Balanced Literacy • We integrate reading and writing into all other academic areas. • Math, science, and social studies activities are incorporated in our themes. • Apple math: sort and graph apples, compare the weight of things to an apple, etc. • Apple Science: life cycle of an apple tree, parts of an apple, apple tasting, and apple recipes

5. Read Aloud Read Aloud • Gain information about the topic • Look at different forms of writing • (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc.) • Learn that words have purpose and • that reading is enjoyable!

6. Guided Reading • Small groups • All are about the same reading level and working on many of the same skills • Book walks are taken, new words discussed, and the book is read individually by each child -Please sign the “Reading Log” each time your child brings home the book bag and return it the next day. -Your child is responsible for returning the book in the shape it was received. If the book is lost or damaged, you are responsible for replacing the book. It costs $6 to replace any book.

7. Independent Reading • Make books in class • These books fill your child’s “Book Box” to read at specified time or when time allows. • Book shelf • Listen to Reading • Read online • Poetry Notebook & Journal

8. Writing • Shared Writing - Buzz Book • Interactive Writing • Journals • Students are encourage to write the sounds they hear. Spacing and punctuation will be introduced. • Allow your child to sound out the word • Make allowances for “misspellings” as long as the letter written corresponds with the sound heard. Refer to the stages of writing in your Kindergarten Parent packet.

9. Academic areas: • Blocks • Writing • Math • Reading • Computer • ABC • Overhead • Poetry • Art • Science Centers/ Learning Stations • Daily 5: • Read to Self • Read to Someone • Listen to Reading • Word Work • Work on Writing

10. Math • Calendar Math • Counting, days of the week, months of the year, patterns, graphing, skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. • Hands on! • Using objects to learn math concepts. WOW concepts

11. Assessments • TPRI • This test is taken at the beginning, middle, and end of year. Your child’s results will be shared • during a conference or included in your child’s report card. Conferences regarding your child’s • TPRI results are held in October and February. • Kindergarten report card • Your child’s first report card will be sent home the 1st grading period and every grading period • thereafter.

12. Handwriting: http://www.hwtears.com • Starfallwww.starfall.com • Introduction of letters and sounds as well as reading • and other games. • Literactivehttp://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp • Online stories and games with downloadable worksheets and • activities. You must register to use this site, but it is FREE. • Florida Reading Research Center www.fcrr.org • Printable games to play at home which concentrate on phonemic awareness skills broken down into rhymes, alliteration, phonemes, syllables, onset and rimes, and many more developmental literacy activities. • Click on: TEACHERS-STUDENT CENTER ACTIVITIES K-1. Scroll to the bottom for the printable games. • PBS Kids “Between the Lions” http://pbskids.org/lions/ • ABCya! http://www.abcya.com/kindergarten_computers.htm • A Kindergarten site of computer games & activities in various areas. • Primary Games http://www.primarygames.com/ • A source of games listed by subject area. • BBC Schools http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ • Online games listed by age or subject area. • Booklet full of simple literacy ideas for families • http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Kindergarten_Literacy_Activities_66523_7.pdf ONLINE Activities

13. ALL money is to be sent in an envelope or baggie labeled with your child’s first and last name. Stating the use of the money is helpful too. • An extra pair of clothes should be kept in your child’s locker at all times. Please include a baggie for the “messy” clothes. • Please make sure your child has a healthy, non-messy finger-food snack each day. If sending a water bottle, please send one with a twist-on lid. • We will celebrate “Spirit Days” (Home football game days) by wearing MISD Panther blue colors or a Mt. Peak shirt. Classes with the most participants win the “Spirit Stick!” • Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on October 8th. (Fair Day) • Please sign up tonight! • Our Fall party will be on Wednesday, October 31st . More details to come! REMINDERS

14. I am looking forward to working with you and your child this year to become the “Three Musketeers” with a few “Snickers” along the way.