Our Day in Kindergarten
Our days in Kindergarten are very action-packed! A classroom para, will be here daily to partner with me to help students learn and grow. We also have Penn State students that assist us. Mornings are the busiest time! We structure the day so that the children get both large and small group instruction. We do a variety of language activities to promote the enjoyment and development of reading skills every day! Writer's workshop is a part of the day that encourages children to express themselves in both writing and drawing. Many activities are project and theme oriented. Children are exposed to a variety of non-fictional and fictional literature. They will also have exposure to a Chromebook this year and learn to use an electronic reader. To be clear, most of our reading instruction takes place with paper books but, using technology as a tool is an additional goal in schools these days.
Math is practiced in daily classroom routines and unit work. Our district has a math program called Bridges. In addition to this program, students will be given a membership and a password to access IXL Math online to practice outside of school if they choose. Our math classroom activities are very experiential and hands on. We will practice number formation and later equations on whiteboards but, you will not see a lot of worksheets coming home. We do a lot of games and hands-on exploring! We will also utilize some online math manipulatives to build numbers and develop number concept.
A message from the teacher is sent home every Friday to communicate what is happening in our room!! We have a morning snack and a later lunch. Outdoor recess is also held for a 30 minute period in the morning. Students should properly dress for current weather conditions. All kindergarten classrooms share the same recess time and children have an opportunity to become acquainted with all Radio Park kindergarteners and teachers.
Each day includes time for different kinds of play. We are outside every day that the weather permits but, we also have indoor play time! Children learn and grow by making choices, taking turns and interacting with each other. Developing necessary social skills and forming friendships is a big part of the kindergarten experience. At dismissal, all kindergarteners are escorted to the bus or afterschool program by the teacher to ensure they get to the right place. Any changes to your child's dismissal plan must be made in writing or by calling the school office directly. You may not email a change because it may not be delivered in a timely manner.
Themes Through the Year:
September: Back to school, Building a Classroom Community, Apples
October: Fall, Pumpkins, Harvest and Halloween Parties
November: Autumn, Nutrition
December: Bears, Bears Bears: Fictional and non-fictional learning and fun!
January: Winter, Animals in Winter, Martin Luther King
February: Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, 100th Day of school
March: Spring, Transportation
April: Transportation and Life cycles
May: Plants and End of the year Garden Party Performance
June: Summer and Ocean Themes