Welcome to Kindergarten Grand Prairie Elementary School 2015-2016

Absences/Tardiness Call the Grand Prairie office to report an absence. 815.469.3366 If your child is late, he/she MUST stop in the office before going to class. Tardy or early release that is after/more than 15 minutes is recorded on attendance record as a half-day.

Bus/Car Riders Bus Riders will be dropped off in front of the school. Please wear the name tag/label to school for the first week. First day: Teachers will greet them in the front of the school. Day 2 +: on designated playground. Every morning, the children will be directed to a playground sorted by community until the day begins or stay in designated areas if indoor recess. Students will exit according to their bus numbers along with 1st and 2nd grade. Car Riders will be dropped off in the East (Sutton Dale Dr.) parking lot. They will need to enter through the front door. Teachers on car rider duty will bring children to the car rider line at dismissal. PLEASE do NOT get out of your car. This will help with the flow of traffic. They will find you. Please do not email the teacher regarding bus/car rider changes. Please let the office know.

Bus Changes A WRITTEN NOTE is required for any change of transportation at the end of the school day! If you are picking up your child early, you will need to sign him/her out in the office. Please notify the office at least 30 minutes prior to the end of the school day. PLEASE attach your child’s bus tag to his/her backpack as soon as possible. 815.469.3366

Lunch/Recess A supervised lunch and recess will occur daily. If you would like to volunteer to help in the lunchroom, you may send an email to fsp157c@gmail.com. We are always looking for clean-up helpers!! All Kindergarten classes will have lunch first (11:20-11:40) and recess second (11:40-12:00). Please be sure to LABEL your child’s lunch box, and/or water bottles with his\her name. You can sign up for Hot Lunch via District website. Click on FORMS.

Birthday Celebrations Your child’s birthday will be celebrated in his/her classroom. Invitations will only be passed out at school if there is one for everyone, all boys or all girls. For safety reasons, we do not give student addresses and/or phone numbers for invitations. For the safety of all, we only allow non edible treats.

Snack Students will have a brief snack break each morning. Please pack a healthy snack of fruits or veggies each day. You may send your child to school with a water bottle but no juice for snack time, please.

Folders Your child’s take-home folder will come home each day and should be sent back to school each morning. Please check all correspondences and clean it out each evening. Weekly newsletters will be available on the district website and/or emailed to you each week highlighting important events and dates to remember. Please access the Virtual Backpack through our district website for important information. (See parent handbook)

Labels Please be sure to label any and all removable clothing. An EXTRA complete change of clothing can be sent to school in a bag labeled with your child’s name on it. This helps us be prepared for accidents and spills throughout the school year.

ELC Kindergarten students will have the opportunity to check out books from the Grand Prairie ELC once a week. Books will need to be returned a week from the check-out date. Please check your child’s newsletter as ELC days will change according to the TIGER schedule!

Kindergarten Specials Music Once a week for 35 minutes. Art Once a week for 30 minutes. Computers Physical Education Daily for 30 minutes. * Gym shoes needed to participate.

Field Trips 3 or 4 field trips. A permission slip will come home each time prior to the trip. Volunteers will be determined at that time. You may only attend one trip for the school year.

The school is not responsible for lost/stolen toys brought to school. Please do not allow your child to bring toys to school unless a specific request has been made by the classroom teacher. The school is not responsible for lost/stolen toys brought to school.

Kindergarten Curriculum

Handwriting Correct letter/number formation Tripod Grasp Capitalize first letter in name, lowercase letters to follow Spacing between letters and words

Good Habits, Great Readers Meets the needs of all learners Oral and written language Phonics\phonemic decoding skills Comprehension strategies Whole group, small group, and one-on-one instruction Shared and independent reading\writing

High Frequency Words: 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter

Writer’s Workshop Daily (40-45 minutes) Writing will be stored in writing folders until the end of each unit. Genres include: Narrative, Informational, and Opinion. Three parts: Mini-lesson Write, write, write Share

Words Their Way Phonemic awareness and phonics sorting activity each day Differentiated Instruction Letter-Sound Connections Routines include: sorting with the teacher, independent practice and application, a selected poem highlighting sort feature, and partner games Begins in January

Daily Five Read to Self Read to Someone Work on Writing Listen to Reading Word Work

Common Core Math Sorting/Classifying Counting Patterns Number Recognition Number writing Problem Solving Addition Geometry Subtraction Calendar Fact Fluency Position/Location

Background of Common Core: Illinois adopted Common Core National Standards along with 47 other states Created newly aligned curriculum in English Language Arts & Math Old standards were very broad & not challenging Written for K-12 College & Career readiness Rigorous skills, reading more complex text, higher level thinking and problem solving Math instruction will focus on the 8 Mathematical Practices

Changes you might see: New resources: Many new titles and genres that kids will be reading Some new Math resources & manipulatives Hands on approach to Math where kids will be spending a longer time going into depth with math skills Kids will be writing more frequently about their reading of both fiction as well as informational text

Where can I see what my kids will be learning? www.fsd157c.org District office tab Curriculum tab ALL curricular expectations are listed for parents

Assessments and Grading For the 2015-16 school year all three schools will report grades to parents on a quarterly basis. Teachers will collect evidence of learning in a variety of ways: observations, informally, and formally. Outcome Assessments will come home throughout each quarter.

RTI: Response to Intervention A Regular Education Initiative Tier 1: Flexible, small group, differentiated, research-based core curriculum. Assessments 3x year for progress. Tier 2: Not making progress with curriculum, additional interventions in reading and math will be provided (support services). Closer monitoring of progress. Tier 3: Additional, targeted supports, increased and intensive instruction, one-on-one throughout school day. Parents: BIG PART of process. Please communicate with us throughout the school year!

Conferences Monday, November 23rd or Tuesday, November 24th. Sign up tonight!!!!! 20 minutes Set-up alternative day if traveling this week due to Thanksgiving holiday

ELC One book/week Class scheduled time Due back following week Grand Prairie check-out: One book/week Class scheduled time Due back following week Your child’s teacher will remind you of library day! Learning Centers

Specials Computers Physical Education Music Word processing Gym shoes every day Explore and make music Keyboarding Box Tops for Education Rhythm patterns and beats Internet and games Variety of instruments

Homework Weekly practice of skills and high frequency words Reinforcement of classroom work Fluency book bags daily Varies by teacher

give. grant. grow. MISSION: Raising funds throughout the year to fulfill teacher written grants for the classroom. Over $2 million granted to date. GRANTED TO: Grand Prairie, Chelsea and Hickory Creek FUNDRAISERS: Annual Dinner Auction, Golf Outing, Coin Drive, Frankfort Fall Fest BETA Tent RECENT GRANTS: SMART BOARDS in 20 classrooms at Chelsea Rebecca Caudill, Blue Stem and Monarch Book Programs Electronic Signage at Chelsea Razkids and Math Fact Programs at Grand Prairie Hickory Creek guitars, music, green screen and PE Equipment Netbooks and Tablet PCs at Hickory Creek For more information and volunteering opportunities visit our website at www.ef157c.org

The FSP is the Parent Teacher Organization for District 157-C The FSP is the Parent Teacher Organization for District 157-C. Our mission is designed to strengthen the partnership between home and school through parent volunteer opportunities, student enrichment activities and family fun events. Some of the ways that we have enriched and supported the curriculum include: Funding for field trips Sponsoring special assembly programs Providing scholarships Providing curriculum enrichment funding to each school Coordinating volunteers for all our events and programs Each year we also hold FREE family fun events such as: Family Fun Night and Creative Arts Showcase at Grand Prairie Exploration Night and Family Fitness Night at Chelsea Come visit our table at Curriculum Night and visit us at www.fsp157c.org Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FamilySchoolPartnership157c Contact us via email at fsp157c@gmail.com

Thank you for coming!