1. All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulgham Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

2. These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day.

3. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

4. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup ~ they all die. So do we. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living.

5. Think of what a better world it would be if we all ~the whole world had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

6. Welcome to Kindergarten! Meet the teacher…. Alissa Hicok Thank you for sharing your beautiful children with me! It is my goal that each student in our class looks forward to coming to school every day and leaves feeling good about themselves and having learned or shared something new. Our communication is essential to reaching this goal. As the children and I get to know each other these first few weeks, communication between home and school is even more important. Please, if you have any questions, concerns or just want to check in, do not hesitate to contact me.

7. What’s going on in Kindergarten? Ways to find out… –Check your child’s folder daily –Check my website http://www.rtnj.org/CenterGrove.cfm?subp age=165843 http://www.rtnj.org/CenterGrove.cfm?subp age=165843 –Email me ahicok@rtnj.orgahicok@rtnj.org –Ask your child

8. What is most important? When you send your Kindergartner to school what do you want most for them?

9. Curriculum Reading/Language Arts: We build confidence and excitement about reading as we engage children with books and book-talks, and focus on beginning reading skills including sight word recognition (don’t sound these out!), phonemic awareness and word blending. We use Wilson Language “Fundations” to teach letter sounds & formation as well as word blending to read words. This is an excellent program to help the students gain a strong grasp of letters, sounds, and the structure of our language. In Reader’s Workshop students work at their own pace and reading level to learn the concepts of print, structure of text, different genres, and learning and enjoyment! In order to allow time to work with individual students I use a centers approach in the classroom. More on this to come… Handwriting/Writing: Handwriting is very important, but in kindergarten so is coloring, playing with playdough and cutting. This helps develop hand strength to make the process of handwriting easier. We form letters using the Wilson font. Proper and practiced letter formation helps students build writing fluency. Our Writer’s workshop has already begun. We have been discussing that writing is just telling on paper, and we use pictures to tell a story. Children will begin to express themselves creatively through writing and pre- writing skills. We will work toward writing sentences and stories in a variety of genres, but especially in the beginning, please do not correct every spelling mistake or the children may learn to only write the words they know. We want them trying even if it isn’t correct. Encourage the students to “write the sounds they hear” and “stretch” or “tap” a word to try to get more sounds Responsive Classroom: We take a lot of time in the beginning of the school year to go over rules, procedures and routines. Showing the children what to do and how to do it the “kindergarten” way helps keep order, and when a mistake is made, gives us a reference and allows students to take ownership of the choices they make. We focus on CARES (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self Control) and use language in the classroom and school-wide to support this philosophy. Following directions is a big part of Kindergarten. At home, practice these skills with your child. It can be as simple as “brush your teeth and go get your socks” but it still offers them the opportunity to follow directions at home.

10. More curriculum… Math: Everyday Math - There is a letter for you to take home that reviews the structure of the program and the calendar routines. The routines provide daily practice in beginning math skills. There is also an online portion that I will update you on shortly (and probably via the website!) Social Studies: We first explore getting along together by building our classroom community and learning how we make friends. Beginning with a focus on ourselves and families and moving to the greater community we live in. We explore differences in families, customs, schools and homes and think about needs vs. wants and why we work We talk about people long ago (in time with the calendar). We will also be taking time to explore maps to give us a picture of the world we live in! Science: We explore so many areas in science…to name a few: our bodies (5 senses, emotions), nutrition (apples… coming soon!) and living & nonliving & animals (butterflies) Technology: We have already begun using our smartboard! I hope you’ve heard all about it. I like to show quick videos to supplement and engage the students and a great site called www.starfall.com to practice and reinforce our letter concepts. There are many other resources on the web and for use with the smartboard that I will be bringing to the classroom as the year progresses.www.starfall.com

11. Meeting the needs of all of our children… Children come to Kindergarten from all different backgrounds…some with multiple years of preschool, others with none at all. Some of our children don’t know any letters or sounds, and some can read and write many words. The best way for me to reach all of the students in our class is to first, get to know them and their strengths and weaknesses, then second, to change what is done in class through differentiation. Hence, some students may not be working on the same projects, answering the same types of questions, or reading the same books in class. The children will learn at a young age that they are working in school to better themselves and meet their own goals.

12. Class Rules & Procedures Rules & Consequences Caught doing good! Show and tell- October Supplies Homework Questions…