1. W ELCOME TO BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT Kindergarten Room 2 With Mrs. Forcade

2. Tonight’s Agenda Attendance Typical Day Daily Work Folders vs. Thursday Folders Curriculum/Literacy/Math Enrichment Classroom Management/Behavior Communication Volunteers Birthdays

3. I want to see your child every day! Please have your child arrive on time each day. For absences, please go to our website or call our absentee line. Absentee Number: 703-957-4391 Attendance

4. Arrival/Morning Routine: unpack backpack, manipulative play for 15 minutes. Morning Meeting: calendar, jobs, days of the week/months of the year, date, money, counting. Shared Reading: big poem, sight words, choral reading. Writing: writing names, sight words, building skills. Literacy Stations: Independent work, small group enrichment work & small group reading focusing on: reading, writing, creativity, ABC’s, fine motor skills, and ability to work together. Math: Investigation 1 or 2 times per week as a whole group lesson. Enrichment centers 3 - 4 days per week, focusing on number writing, number recognition, and counting. A Typical Day in Kindergarten

5. Science/Social Studies: 3-4 times per week, theme based. Whole group/individual/hands-on, etc. Recess/Snack: 30 minutes Specials: Mondays: PE (Proper Shoes) Tuesdays: Search/Guidance Wednesdays: Library (Please return book) Thursdays: PE (Proper Shoes) Art Fridays: Music A Typical Day Continued…

6. Come home every day! Include daily work May be a note/reminder Empty all contents daily- great job for your child! Return with your child every day. Daily Folders vs. Thursday Folders Come home only on Thursdays Important papers from the school/county Important weekly reminders Please return with your child on Friday

7. PATHWAYS TO LITERACY *Consistency in K-2 *Alphabet/Chunk Charts: students learn to make correct letter sounds – no “uh” after each letter sound. 4 Components: 1.Shared Reading (Poems) 2.Daily Literacy Work Stations/Guided Reading groups 3.Writer’s Workshop 4.Daily Read Alouds

8. Pre-Reading Skills There are many pre-reading skills: Letter identification Sound Identification Rhyming Recognizing words with the same beginning, ending, or middle sounds. Syllables Recognizing environmental print Creating words based on known sounds Left to right, top to bottom, identifying spaces, etc.

9. MATH Investigations Student Discovery Hands-on Patterns, shapes, counting, time, money, measurement, addition, subtraction, data collections, graphing, tallying Math Focus: 1-2 days per week Math centers: 3 - 4 days per week

10. ENRICHMENT NO HOMEWORK IN KINDERGARTEN! Enrichment Calendar: available online at kindergarten website. *Not mandatory*

11. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT/BEHAVIOR Positive Reinforcement Encouragement Logical Consequences What I expect from the children WHY? I believe this will assist your child in developing self- discipline and building social skills, which is essential to his/her success in both academic and social life.

12. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT DRAGON BITES * Students can earn Dragon Bites by making good choices. * Dragon Bites are awarded by all school staff. *Class will decide reward when jar is filled with Dragon Bites. Kindergarten Dragons ROAR: Students will have an opportunity to reach higher levels of responsibility. Students will receive a certificate on Fridays, if they ROAR.

13. Consequences Note home: “Oops Note” – Describes poor choices of behavior: Date__________________ OOPS! Your child ______________________________ made some poor choices in their behavior today: _______________________________________________________ Together, we discussed the rules of the classroom, and I know your child will come back “Ready to Learn” on the next day. Please take the time to discuss this with your child. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me. Thank you!

14. COMMUNICATION E-MAIL: jean.forcade@lcps.orgjean.forcade@lcps.org – Please be patient with emails. I will try to reply to you as soon as possible, but I rarely have an opportunity to check my email during the school day. – Remember, you can use the “Daily Work Folder” as a means of communication. – Please use the Arcola web page and my web page! They are great resources for school information.

15. VOLUNTEERS Class Party PARENT(S): 1-3 parents. CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS: need 2-3 times per week. You will help students build reading, writing, and math skills. AT HOME VOLUNTEERS: creating classroom directory, class donations, etc. PLEASE FILL OUT FORMS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!!

16. BIRTHDAYS NO FOOD ITEMS ALLOWED FOR DISTRIBUTION WITHIN THE CLASSROOM PER RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LCPS. FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES, PLEASE SEND IN INVITATIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS-NO EXCEPTIONS. Ideas to celebrate your child’s special day: Bring in treat bags filled with pencils, erasers, & stickers. Donate book to class, OR have your child bring in their favorite book to read to the class.

17. THANK YOU!!! Thank you for your time tonight! Please remember to sign up for Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences and any volunteer opportunities.