Welcome to Kindergarten Ridgeview Elementary

Contacting Kindergarten Mrs. Nealy: jnealy@d49.org (719)495-1149 ext 6604 Mrs. Nelson: lnelson@d49.org (719)495-1149 ext 6602 Mrs. Reed: jreed@d49.org (719) 495-1149 ext 6603 Mrs. Spurlock: mspurlock@d49.org (719)495-1149 ext 6601 Mrs. White: kwhite@d49.org (719)495-1149 ext 6605 RVES Office: (719) 494-8700

Arrival Kindergarten will play in the front playground from 8:05- 8:15 a.m. Parents may opt to wait until line-up outside. No parking during this time. We line up at 8:15 & walk inside, parents say their goodbye’s outside. There is high student & vehicle traffic, please be aware of entrances and crosswalks. Allow room for students to enter safely & follow adult guidance for traffic lanes.

Fee & School Supplies The office will collect the $20 fees some supplies are shared, no labels needed Some supplies are NOT shared, labels needed Some supplies are STORED, labels needed - bins around the room for storage.

Home to School Communication Newsletters will be sent weekly/monthly depending on teacher Every Thursday- the red Thursday folder will contain communication from the class and school. District website and Facebook page are excellent resources Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences Quarterly report cards (Q1-Q3 Progress reports as needed) As a team, Kindergarten teachers are committed to honor the time after school in the evenings and weekends with our family and allow or focus to be on them. We have an expectation to respond to your e- mails/voicemails within 24 hours and we will adhere to that. Communication received before 8:00 am or after 4:30 pm will be responded to at our earliest convenience during school hours.

Fun Days and Parties We love to have dress-up & theme days in Kindergarten, for example: Scarecrow Day Q & U Wedding Dr. Seuss’ Read Across America Day 4 yearly parties that are exempt from the wellness policy: Fall/Halloween, Winter/Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and our End-of-the-year Celebration.

Birthday Celebrations and Snacks Only healthy snacks & water can be consumed during the school day, as we are under our Wellness Policy & Coordinated School Health Plan 2 recess and snack times daily -9:55 & 2:15 Party invitations need to be mailed, unless everyone is invited. Consider bringing a “birthday book” as we have a no food birthday policy in place (trinkets or other non-food items can be handed out in goody bags). We sing “Happy Birthday” Students receive a birthday pencil from the office

Power Zone Calendar Some dates to be MINDFUL of: Testing/assessment days 8/11, 12/8, 5/11 Conferences 10/6 & 2/16 BREAKS 10/9-10/20 Fall, 11/20-11/24 Thanksgiving, 12/18-1/2 Winter, 3/19-3/30 Spring

Enrichment Schedule Students will have 2 opportunities for enrichments daily at 9:25 and 1:25. The schedule varies so please have your child where PE appropriate shoes daily. Enrichments offered: Music, Art, 21st Century Learning (library), and iPads.

Daily Schedule Time Activity We are learning… 8:15-8:25 Morning work, attendance, parent notes and lunch count Students will be practicing sentence writing and illustrating in a fun way. As the year progresses we will add a variety of reading and math review activities. 8:25-8:45 Calendar We learn math and language skills in context of our calendar. We build our oral language, phonics, and phonemic awareness. 5-6 Student take turns sharing a “good thing”. 8:45-9:25 Interventions and literacy stations This is a chance for the teacher to pull small reading groups and to provide reading instruction at each student’s individual ability. The students not meeting with the teacher will be practicing literacy skills individually or with a partner. 9:25-9:50 ENRICHMENTS Students will attend special classes on a rotating basis (PE, Music, Art, 21st Century skills, or Ipad technology class). This is a great time to call the teacher if needed. 10:15-11:15 CKLA –Skills strand Students will be able to identify letters and sounds, blends, diagraps, and tricky words to build the foundation for great reading skills. 11:20-12:05 Recess and Lunch Students will enjoy a recess and eat lunch in the cafeteria. 12:05-12:10 Bathroom break 12:10-1:00 CKLA Listening and Learning Strand Students will learn science and social studies content during this time. NOTE: Often times the texts selected during reader’s workshop will support the content being discussed during our content area studies. 1:00-1:20 Math (Math pull out from 12:50-1:20) The teacher will provide math lessons to the whole group. New skills are introduced during this period. STAND OUT MATH IS DONE ON FRIDAY MORNINGS 1:25-1:50 Students will attend special classes on a rotating basis (PE, Music, Art, 21st Century skills, or Ipad technology class). 1:50-2:10 Students will then practice these particular skills with a partner and again individually. New skills are introduced during this period. Friday is Theme activities 2:35-3:15 Social Studies and Science/Lexia/SST The teacher will provide lessons that will guide the students deeper into the CKLA skill or weekly theme. Lexia or SST math time in lab or rotations in classroom 3:15-3:25 Pack an Stack Students will prepare to be dismissed for the day

Rules SAFE, KIND, RESPONSIBLE Follow directions quickly Raise your hand when you want to walk. Raise your hand when you want to talk.

Rewards Students earn “Husky-roos” for demonstrating safe, kind, and responsible behavior throughout the building. In class students can earn rewards for good choices and on task academics- rewards vary from class to class, so see the Kindergarten Handbook issued by your teacher for specific class procedures.

Consequences Students can be removed from activities or events for poor choices. The teacher choice may look like multiple verbal warnings, a hallway chat, refocus “THINK” sheets, time-out, walking the think track, or an office referral.

Volunteers We love help! You can volunteer for field trips, parties, Watch D.O.G.S and weekly classroom support after completing the background check. Please see the front office for details.

Curriculum We are using the Common Core State Standards in all areas. This year we are using Core Knowledge Language Arts for all language arts (ELA), Writing, Science and Social Studies. Guiding Kinders Math Workshop for our Math Standards.

Homework & Grading Monthly homework calendars have activities and skills to practice at home. Nightly reading for 20 minutes. Quarterly Home-to-School projects, reinforce learning, inspire creativity, and oral presentation skills. Standards-based grading: A/4= Advanced (beyond grade level), P/3= Proficient(right on target), PP/2=Partially Proficient (still needs support), NP/1= Not progressing. Sticker, smiley face or checkmark indicates looked at, but no grade given.

Dismissal Kindergarten will line up in the front playground from 3:25-3:40. Parents may opt to wait until line-up, outside. No parking during this time. We line up at 3:20 pm and walk outside, parents pick-up by the teacher identified gate. There is high student & vehicle traffic, please be aware of exits and crosswalks. Allow room for students to exit safely and follow adult guidance for traffic lanes.

Ridgeview Kindergarten Team Have a great year! Ridgeview Kindergarten Team