1. Welcome to kindergarten at Lyme Central School!

2. Before We Begin… Please be sure that you have signed in and provided us with your most up-to-date information. If your student is not in the LCS PreK program, be sure to take one of our Student Registration forms before you leave. These forms need to be returned to Mrs. Stevens. Kindergarten Screening will be on Friday, May 10 th. Kindergarten Visitation Day will be on Friday, June 7 th. (This is designed for children who have never attended Lyme.) In mid-June we will also have a special “moving up” day for current students of the PreK program.

3. EngageNY.org Parent information about the new Common Core Standards

4. Kindergarten is... Reading: Individual, Small Group, and Whole Group

5. Kindergarten is... Writing: Independent Writing, Guided Writing, and Shared Writing

6. Kindergarten is... Math: Writing and recognizing numbers 0-20 Verbally counting by ones and tens to 100 Counting up to 20 objects Vocabulary (left, right, above, below, etc.) Geometry and Patterns Real-world problem solving concepts Simple addition and subtraction (fluently up to 5) Ordinal numbers (first-tenth) Compare numbers (greater than, less than, equal to)

7. Welcome to our kindergarten year! Kindergarten is... Reading and Math Programs on the Computers

8. Literacy and Math Centers Small Group Learning

9. Kindergarten is... Social Skills

10. September We are a school family and share. All supplies are shared throughout the year. No pencil boxes or cases. No names on supplies. Names on all personal items.

11. September Your child will need to get a lot of sleep at night to do their best at school. Your child should wear clothes that they can manage independently (sweat pants, velcro shoes, etc.).

12. October Parents are welcome to enjoy our outside Halloween parade. A costume is needed. No guns, knives, etc. If your family does not celebrate Halloween, your child may go to the library. We learn about fire safety during Fire Safety Week.

13. November Veterans’ Day Thanksgiving Feast You will be asked to send in your child’s favorite traditional dish.

14. December Some years we go to the Day farm and find a tree for the school entrance. We all get a chance to cut the tree. We have a hay ride with snacks after. Holiday concert in our nicest clothes.

15. All Winter We go outside to play if the weather is appropriate. You will need to send in a snow suit, boots, hats, and mittens.

16. January - Pirate Week A week of academic activities with a pirate theme.

17. February Valentine celebration Children exchange valentines

18. 100 th Day Celebration You will be asked to send in pieces of food to make a pizza with 100 toppings. You will be asked to help your child make something using 100 pieces of one item.

19. March The leprechaun visits and leaves foot prints, gold candy, makes a mess, and leaves his hat in the window when he goes. We enjoy making traps to catch him in the room. We celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

20. April Easter egg hunt on the playground Earth Day activities

21. May We celebrate Grandparents’ Day. Grandparents are invited to share Morning Meeting and breakfast with the students.

22. June – Our Field Trip Thousand Islands boat tour with Save the River

23. June Kindergarten graduation signals that we are ready for first grade. We ask all our family and friends to join in our graduation celebration. PTSO sponsors this event.

24. Throughout the Year Freddy the Fire Truck, Andy the Ambulance, and Buster the Bus visit to teach the children about safe behavior.

25. Parents and Kindergarten Parents are the first and the best teachers of their own children.

26. Some extra things to help your child be successful: Study sight words Read with your child each night Make sure your child gets plenty of rest at night. Ask him or her how their day was at school. Play educational games at home to support school learning. Limit television viewing. Help your child feel independent by dressing them in clothes that they can manage on their own. Encourage exercise and healthy eating habits. Always remember you are your child's first teacher.