3. A Little About Me I hold the AMI Primary Diploma (3-6yr.) from the Montessori Institute of San Diego, and the California Child Development Program Director Permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. I have a Master degree in Political Science (Argentina ), a Master degree in Classical Languages (Italy ) and a Master Degree in Montessori Education from Loyola College, Maryland. I have been a Consultant and Lecturer for Elementary schools in Argentina and Mexico for the past 15 years. I have four children and all of them have been in Montessori schools. My hobby is to read books and sing with my family.

4. 7:35-10:30: Breakfast Morning work cycle 10:30-11:00: Lunch 11:00-11:20: Recess 11:20-1:30 Afternoon work cycle Snack 1:40-1:50: Second recess 1:55-2:50: Enrichment 2:55: Dismissal

5. SCHOOL RULES AND EXPECTATIONS

8. What is a Montessori classroom? Maria Montessori was an Italian doctor who devoted herself to educating the children of Rome's ghettos. She became famous for her visionary methods and insight into how children learn.

9. The Montessori approach is designed to support the natural development of children in a well-prepared environment. The centerpiece of the Montessori approach is allowing children to learn on their own while being guided by the teacher.

10. The Montessori concept of education allows the children to experience the joy of learning at an early age while preserving the spontaneity, initiative, and curiosity inherent in every child. This concept promotes the development of independence, concentration, and self- discipline and fosters love and respect for others and the environment.

11. Montessori believed that “it is necessary for the teacher to guide the child without letting him/her feel her presence too much, so that she may be always ready to supply the desired help, but may never be the obstacle between the child and his/her experience" (Montessori, 1967).

14. Kindergarten students learn to count to 100 and write numbers to 20. Attention is given to numbers 11-20 where emphasis is placed on tens and ones building a foundation for place value understanding. Beginning addition and subtraction starts in kindergarten. Students sort and classify groups of objects and identify basic shapes.

15. Know number names and be able to count to 100 Write numbers 0 – 20 Learn about numbers 11-20, with tens and ones Count objects to tell the number of things in a group up to 20 Compare numbers and groups

16. Understand that addition is putting together groups and adding to groups Understand that subtraction is taking apart groups and taking from groups Fluently add and subtract within 5

17. Understand concepts of time (morning, afternoon, evening, etc.) Know about the tools that measure time (clock, calendar, etc.) Sort objects into groups Identify and describe shapes

19. Use phonics when reading words Say the most frequent sounds for each consonant and vowel Read common high-frequency words by sight o The, of, to, you, is, I, am, can, what, have, etc.

20. Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters Recognize that spoken words are made up of syllables and sounds Recognize and produce rhyming words Blend two or three sounds together to make a recognizable word

21. Common Core Standards: Language Arts

24. How Can You Support at Home? Read to your child, playing with your child, and enjoying other learning activities (counting, sorting) Help with homework Show an interest in your child’s learning – ask your child about his or her school day and make school and learning an important part of family conversation Attend information meetings and other events organized for parents and families Speak to your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s school experience.

25. Monday: Spanish Tuesday: Tap Wednesday: Art Thursday: Physical Education Friday: Art

26. Students will receive a homework package every Friday and will turn it in the next Friday Homework will be differentiated based on the needs and level of each student IXL Math software Raz-Kids Reading program software

27. Birthday Celebrations: ‘walk around the sun’ We begin the celebration by a ‘birthday walk’ during which your child will walk around a candle which represents the sun. The birthday child walks in the shape of an ellipse, whilst carrying a small globe. The other children sit around the edge of the ellipse and watch. Each complete ‘orbit’ of the ‘earth’ around the ‘sun’ represents 1 year. During each ‘year’ we will talk about the birthday child and illustrate this with photographs of them

30. HOME/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION Corina Allende callende@mykla.org School phone number: (619) 263-9260 ext 2005