Welcome to Mrs. Cody's Class of Learners : 2019

Kindergarten Handbook

Welcome to Union Elementary School!

This is an exciting time for you and your child! We hope that this booklet will provide you with a list of important information and an overview of the key learning experiences that your child will be introduced to in kindergarten. There is a lot of information here, so we encourage you to keep this packet as a reference that you can go back to throughout the year.

We are always glad to answer any further questions and are looking forward to a fantastic year!

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

Dena Cody

Heather Bates

Mary Mello

Vanessa Weinstein

Rachel Whalen

The First Day of School

Some children eagerly look forward to kindergarten, while others are much more apprehensive. You can help your child prepare for the first day by going over their opening day schedule (e.g. “I’ll bring you to school and then at the end of the day you will take the bus home).

Children should arrive between 8:00 and 8:15 and go to the lower playground (back of school). They will be supervised by playground staff at this time, but during the first week the kindergarten teachers will go out a little early to greet you. At 8:15 the bell will ring, students will line up at their designated line and the teachers will walk students inside as they wave goodbye to you! We know that this can be a difficult goodbye, so on the first day, kindergarten families are invited inside to have coffee and talk with administrators.

On the first day we will spend lots of time playing, coloring, and getting to know each other and our school layout.

The school day ends at 2:45. At this time, children who ride the buses home will be escorted to their buses on Park Avenue. Children who get picked up in a car will be escorted to the Loomis Street entrance. And teachers will wait on Park Avenue at designated line-up spot with those children who walk home.

Some children will love to tell you all about their first day, while others will not share a peep! Either way, be assured that your child was busy meeting new friends and trying new things, so make sure that they get to bed early. The first week of school is sure to be exhausting (for everyone)!

Kindergarten

2019-2020

Contact Information:

Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools Website: www.mrpsvt.org

Union Elementary School Phone Number: 802-225-8200 Room: 103

My Email: denac@mpsvt.org cell:802-249-1424

(Email is the best way to reach me and I regularly check it before school, after school, and once during the school day. I’m also happy to talk via phone or check-in in person if a bigger question arises.)

Transportation:

Your child may be eligible to ride the bus to school depending on where you live. Please call the school, or check the local newspapers, to find out your child’s bus number and what time they will be picked up at their stop.

All other children may be walking to/from school or dropped off/picked up in a car. Car drop-off is located at the Loomis Street entrance. There will be staff members there to assist your child in finding his/her way. When walking your child to school, please escort them to Park Avenue in the morning and meet them on Park Avenue in their designated line-up spot in the afternoon.

Absences and Tardies:

Please notify the main office if your child will be absent or late to school. If your child is tardy, please escort him/her to the office to receive a late arrival slip. The side doors to the building are locked all day, and the front door locks at 8:15. After this time, you must press the buzzer at the front door to be let inside.

Changing Your Child’s After School Plans:

If you have a dismissal change for your child, or other time sensitive information, please send in a written note or call the main office and speak with Diana or Pam. (Do not email this information!) Please try to notify the school of dismissal changes by 12:00pm. If we do not receive a phone call or a written note, we will follow your child’s typical after school schedule.

Class News and Notices:

Blog: http://mrscodyues.blogspot.com/

I regularly update our class blog with news and photos. Be sure to check it out! I also send out emails (see the attached form to sign up for this!) with important information and dates.

On the first day of school, you will also receive a red Family Folder for home/school communication. Please check your child’s backpack and Family Folder daily for notices. You may also place any notes for me in your child’s folder. The children will learn to bring in their folders each morning and check for any notes.

Specials:

Our Specials schedule is as follows:

Monday –Music

Tuesday - Art

Wednesday -Library

Thursday-PE Sneakers

Friday – PE Sneakers

School Meals and Money:

Children may purchase breakfast (before 8:15) and lunch at school each day. Please use the Family Folder to send in lunch money for your child’s account. You may also contact the cafeteria directly to arrange for payments. A paper copy of the lunch menu will go home at the beginning of the month, and you can also always find the lunch menu on the school’s website.

If you plan to send a lunch to school with your child, please label their lunch bag. Children will not have access to microwaves or refrigerators at school.

Snack:

Please send a healthy snack to school with your child each day. Snack donations for the whole class are also much appreciated!

Later in September, the school snack program will begin. This will give you the option of purchasing school snack for your child for the month. More information about this should go home soon.

Daily Schedule:

Morning Recess/Arrival: 8:00am - 8:15am (Lower Playground)

Recess and Lunch: 10:45am - 11:30am

Specials: 12:40pm - 1:25pm

Dismissal: 2:45pm (car pickup on Loomis street, walkers meet on Park Avenue at designated line-up spot)

Clothing:

Kindergarteners are involved in activities that require jumping, running, climbing, etc. Sneakers are especially required on PE days. Some families choose to have children keep a pair of sneakers at school.

In class, children will be painting, and using markers, glue, and other “messy” stuff. Please select clothing that is both comfortable and appropriate for these activities. Also, please be sure to send in an extra set of clothing for your child to keep at school in case it is needed.

Birthdays:

If you would like to send in a birthday treat with your child, please coordinate this with me ahead of time. Also, UES asks that it please be a healthy snack!

Conference/Progress Reports, and Report Cards:

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held in the fall and spring. During this time, we can look at your child’s schoolwork, talk about their social and academic growth, and answer any questions that you might have.

Report cards are sent in January and June.

Volunteers:

Volunteers are an important part of our classroom and school community, and any help, in or out of school, is much appreciated! Some great times to volunteer in our classroom are during ECO outings, during literacy or math blocks, and during special events or field trips. I will start welcoming volunteers into the classroom in October, once the children have had some time to settle into our routines. Please contact me if you are interested in helping out. Thanks!

Volunteering with the UES Parent’s Group is another great way to get involved and support your child and our school. Please contact Maria Anselis for more information (maria.arsenlis@gmail.com).

Donations:

Donations to our classroom are greatly appreciated! We can always use healthy snacks, pencils, markers, stickers, disinfectant wipes, and softer tissues. I will also occasionally list items on the blog that would be helpful. Thank you!

Kindergarten Curriculum

Classroom Community:

Children flourish when they know the security of predictable routines. They are able to thrive academically and socially when their emotional needs are met and they feel as though they are part of a caring community. At Union Elementary School, we follow the Responsive Classroom approach to help build strong classroom communities and a positive school climate. Modeling, role playing, and guided discovery are a few of the ways in which we teach. Please see https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about-responsive-classroom for more information.

UES also follows the PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) program that includes “proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments.” You can find more details here: https://www.pbis.org/school.

Morning Meeting:

Each day we begin with a whole-class meeting that provides academic enrichment and helps us to build community. The children all love starting the day in this fun and friendly way! Throughout the year different greetings, sharings, activities, and daily messages are incorporated into our meetings.

Reading Workshop:

During this time, children will participate in interactive read-alouds, practice enjoying books independently and with friends, and have time to work in small groups with the teacher. Whether they are already reading or not, children will be supported at their level so that they continue to develop a love of books and the ability to read for understanding. We use fiction, nonfiction, songs, drama, storytelling, and poetry to help all children become enthusiastic and skillful readers.

Word Work/ Phonics:

Using the Fundations literacy program and the Orton Gillingham approach, children will be taught reading, spelling, and handwriting skills in a systematic, structured, and multi-sensory way. We will start off slow with letter sound/symbol relationships and letter formation and will work on building mastery and fluency. Again, children are met at their own level and small group and one-on-one support is provided to help all children grow and be challenged.

Writing Workshop:

Following a workshop model, and using Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study (http://www.unitsofstudy.com), children will be exposed to narrative, information, and opinion writing. From day one, children are told that they are all “writers,” and the writing process of storytelling, planning, writing, illustrating, sharing, and revising is emphasized. Children are given ample time to pick topics, build their own voice, and create and “publish” books. Children will begin by using pictures and letters/sounds they know to spell words independently. Building independence, and not worrying about perfection, is key! As more “sight words” and spelling strategies are learned, children’s writing will become more conventional and detailed.

Math Workshop:

In kindergarten, children will build number sense and work on addition, subtraction, measuring, geometry, and estimating. Our goal is to have children develop fluency with numbers to 100 and to help each child to connect and utilize math skills in daily life. As with literacy, math is always differentiated to meet children where they are at. We use games, centers, manipulatives, ten frames, and lots and lots of counting to help children understand math concepts and develop critical thinking skills.

Science:

Following the Next Generation Science Standards (http://www.nextgenscience.org), children will experience four main scientific topic areas: Forces and Interactions, Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems,

Weather and Climate, and Engineering Design.

We will do experiments with pushing and pulling objects, study animals and plants such as butterflies, apples, and pumpkins, look at patterns in the weather and seasons, and practice using the scientific method to design simple tools.

Social Studies:

Getting to know our school and local Montpelier community, and the jobs that people do to support these communities, is an important focus of kindergarten. Throughout the year, we will also do many projects related to accepting and valuing all people and learning about similarities and differences among people and cultures across the world.

Large chunks of time on Fridays are devoted to social studies and science, but these topics are also integrated daily into choice times, literacy, and math.

Quiet Time:

Each day children will have about 15 minutes of Quiet Time to lie down, rest, draw, and look at books. (More time will be given at the beginning of the year.) Children may sleep at this time if they like, but most choose to just lie down. You may send in a towel or blanket for your child to keep at school for Quiet Time.

Choice Time:

Choice Time gives children the chance to choose from and play with different games, art, and building materials in our classroom. It allows them to work on social skills, self-control, and having fun! Sometimes this will be a more structured time where children will rotate through activities, and sometimes this will be more of a free play time.

Kinder Art:

Our KinderArt program was created by teachers at UES more than twenty years ago. Since then, it has offered our five and six year olds an opportunity to become familiar with the works of well known artists. Children learn to look at art and create art as they become aware of line, color, texture, and form. We also integrate topics such as math, reading, and science as we learn about art. Our art teacher, Kristina Kane works with us to tie in these concepts in her art classes each week, and we also receive support from our other specialist teachers.

Special Classes:

Each week, your child will have Music, Art, Library, and PE with a specialized teacher. We also work with our Technology coordinator to integrate computers and technology into our classroom routines. Our guidance counselor also visits each class once every other week to help children learn more about friendships and social skills.

Here are the specialist teachers at UES:

Music: Samantha Lafleur

Art: Kristina Kane

Library: Marita Frey

Physical Education: Emmanuel Riby-Williams and Max Jennings

Technology: Jeffrey Jarrad

Guidance: Suzanne Francke, school guidance counselor and Christine Parker, school social worker

ECO (Educating Children Outdoors):

The ECO program was developed by teachers in coordination with naturalists from the North Branch Nature Center. Each grade level at UES participates in ECO at least twice a month with the older grades traveling to Hubbard Park and the younger grades exploring places closer to school. On ECO outings children participate in different games and thematic activities in an “outdoor classroom.”

In kindergarten, we will usually have ECO every other week. More details and a schedule will be sent home in September.

Field Trips:

In kindergarten we will go on walking field trips that will allow us to explore the Montpelier community and participate in special events in town. We also have two all-day field trips. In the fall, we visit an apple orchard and at the end of the year, we go to a local museum or activity center. For the past few years the kindergarten has visited the Montshire Museum in Norwich.

Recess:

Recess is an important part of kindergarten! Playing outside allows children to develop physically, socially, and emotionally, and we try to go outside each day unless the weather is especially wet or cold. Please send your child with a sun cap, rain gear, and warm clothing when needed - it is likely that we will be going out!

Extending Learning At Home:

Families often ask what they can do to help their children at home. The answer is to read and read, and to make reading fun! Reading to your child, modeling being a reader yourself, and having lots of books in your household really does make a difference. Beyond that, teaching your child to be curious about the world around them (point out when they are a scientist, mathematician, good friend, etc.) and helping them to build independence (chores, self-care, cooking etc.) are some of the most important skills that you can help your child work on in kindergarten.

Welcome to Mrs. Cody's Class of Learners

Monday, October 21, 2019

Math Menu

Monday, October 14, 2019

Important October Dates

Friday, October 4, 2019

Fire Safety

Monday, July 29, 2019

Kindergarten Handbook/Curriculum Information 2019-2020

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Important Fall 2019 Dates: