1. 2014-2015 Fall Open House Mrs. Koptelova

2. Welcome to Kindergarten! Please be sure to sign in on the sign-in sheet. Don’t forget to sign up for a conference time on October 13 th.

3. PTO Meeting PTO meeting will be held in the cafeteria tonight at 7:05 PM Membership - $10 per family

4. Class Subjects Our curriculum is based on the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). We use the curriculum developed by the school district, as well as the state-adopted texts given to us by the school district. Your child will participate in the following: –Reading –Writing –Math –Science –Social studies –Music – Thursdays and Fridays –Art – every other Friday –PE – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays –Computer Lab –Mondays –Library – Wednesdays

5. Reading We cover many skills in Kindergarten that will help your child learn to read by the end of the school year. To help your child, you can –read to them everyday –practice letters and sounds everyday –practice sight words as they are sent home throughout the year The key is to practice, practice, practice.

6. Letter Expert I will be sending home a letter expert packet and your child will become the “Letter Expert” for a specific letter. In this packet, your child will be responsible for learning the sound that the letter makes, how to write that letter correctly, reading a book with that specific letter, finding an object that starts with that letter and then sharing his/her findings with classmates.

7. Writing Students will be expected to write using the block style of print. Our curriculum is called Handwriting Without Tears. Students will also be expected to write using the proper case (upper/lower). This can be practiced by starting with their name. Writing in Kindergarten is… –Drawing a picture –Labeling a picture –Writing letters to match the sounds we hear –Writing a sentence –Writing a story

8. Math We will cover many concepts in math this year including graphing, counting, numbers, sorting, addition, and subtraction. To help your child you can: –practice counting forwards and backwards –skip counting by 10’s –sorting everyday objects –writing numbers –putting things in order

9. Portfolios We will be using a portfolio for each child to track progress in reading, writing and math. Students will be able to see their progress as they learn more and will be able to set goals for themselves.

10. Social Studies School Community Rules and Procedures Families All About Me Community Helpers Flags and Pledges Friendship Texas Holidays Historical Figures Maps and Towns

11. Science Most of our topics are experienced through hands- on activities and labs. Magnets Simple Machines How things move Seasons 5 Senses Weather Animals Matter Natural resources Plants Life cycles Recycling Sound Light Heat Water

12. Classroom Community Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have rules to help us get along with each other. Our class rules are: –Use our materials the right way –Use calm indoor voices –Say kind words to others –Use your hands the right way –Share and work together

13. Grades You will start seeing graded papers in your child’s Wednesday folder. Your child will earn grades in the following subjects: Reading, Language/Composition, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Health, Art, Theater Arts, Music, PE, and Technology. In Kindergarten, we use the initials E+, E, S+, S, N, and U to grade whether your child has mastered the basic concepts being taught. Report cards are sent out every 9 weeks, and progress reports will be sent to all students at the end of the 5th week during a 9-week period. Progress reports will not be sent during 1 st nine-week period.

14. Behavior Management Clip Chart System –Each student has a clothes pin. –Start each day on the green color, “Ready to Fly”. –When a student is not following the classroom rules and guidelines, he/she will be given a verbal warning. If the behavior persists, he/she will be asked to move his/her clip down. –Move up for good behavior. –The folder will show what color your child ended the day on. Benefits –Focuses more on the positive. –Students can move their clips up and down throughout the day.

15. Behavior Management Trace’s Treats –Students can earn Trace’s Treats from any adult in the school for modeling good character. –After earning 5 Traces Treats, students earn a prize from our class treasure jar. –After earning 15 Traces Treats, students can earn a big Trace’s Treat to put in a treasure chest for a drawing. –Students can earn extra rewards like a good note home from the teacher.

16. Conduct Your child will receive a grade in a general conduct which will be determined by how well your child can conduct their behavior in the classroom. There is also a grade given in the following areas: Following Directions, Uses Time Effectively, Participation in Class, and Homework. On Wednesdays, a blue folder is sent home with information from the school as well as any graded papers. The individual grades, as well as conduct information are recorded in this folder. The grades I input are not your child’s average. The grades inform you of papers in the folder and conduct from the previous week. Please sign the folder at the bottom and send it back the next day. The conduct grading scale is as follows: E=Excellent S=Satisfactory N=Needs Improvement U=Unsatisfactory

17. Homework Your child will receive an orange homework folder every Monday. Please complete the packet and return it in the folder on Friday morning. Homework is to be done every night, not in one sitting, otherwise it does not effectively reinforce the skills taught in class each day. Work is not accepted early. The homework grade is affected by turning it in late. Homework is graded and listed on the report card separately from the academic subjects. The following grading system is used to grade homework: Excellent: Turned in on time and complete Satisfactory: Turned in on time, but one page is incomplete Needs Improvement: Turned in on Monday, or turned in on time, but more than 1 page is incomplete Unsatisfactory: Turned in later than Monday

18. Tardiness If your student isn’t in the classroom by the time the second bell rings (8:20 AM), please have them check in at the front office before coming to class. If your student is tardy four times, the school will contact you, usually by sending home a letter. On the 5 th tardy your student’s conduct grade will be dropped one letter.

19. Transportation Changes Send a note to school clipped inside the folder in the morning with your child. In case of an emergency transportation change, call the front office at 832-484-7900 and they will send a note down.

20. Website Be sure to check my website and Metzler’s website. I post valuable information, pictures, and kid-friendly websites. Your child’s picture cannot be included if the photo box is marked on the privacy sheet from the student handbook.

21. Snack You may send a snack with your child to eat during our center time in the afternoon. –You are not required to send one and most children will outgrow the need for one later in the year. –Please label your child’s snack. If you do send one with your child, I would encourage you to pack a small, low-sugar snack for your child. It is very important for your child to eat breakfast everyday. Please do not send snacks with any kind of nuts.

22. Attire Please be sure to include a change of clothes in your child’s backpack. Please don’t forget to wear tennis shoes on P.E. days.

23. Scholastic Book Orders We will send home book orders every month. –This is one of the best ways to get children excited about reading. –The books are usually lower priced than at local bookstores, plus they help me earn points to buy books for the classroom. You can pay by check or cash, or you can order online with a credit card. –When sending cash, please be sure to send exact change. –Checks should be made out to “Scholastic Book Orders”. –Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub (One-Time Class Activation Code: NGCVC)

24. Birthdays Order cupcakes, cookies, or ice cream through Klein Food Service. –Contact the nurse and cafeteria manager for more information. –You may consider giving out a small toy to students instead of birthday treats. Class lists cannot be distributed so please contact the teacher for current head count. For invitations –All boys –All girls –All students

25. Parent Volunteers Must fill out criminal background check prior to volunteering. You can assist with classroom needs by donating items from the class website.

26. Let’s Have a Great Year!