Kindergarten

Name	Position	Room Number	Voice Mail
Mrs. Susan Birdsall	Teacher	4	204
Mrs. Donna Bober	Teacher	3	203
Mr. Tom Myler	Teacher	2	202

Kindergarten is a year of tremendous growth and learning. A major focus of kindergarten, especially during the first half of the year, is social and emotional development and the establishment of good work habits. Children learn to follow directions the first time being asked, get along with others, wait for their turn and be part of a large group. This social development and learning is key to a child’s academic learning and social success. In addition, good work habits are stressed. Taking time and doing one’s best are important concepts introduced in the beginning of the year. A great deal of emphasis is also placed on taking responsibility for one’s actions and accepting appropriate consequences. A very important focus of Kindergarten is to instill a love of learning and establish a positive feeling about school. Kindergarten is truly a magical year full of excitement and fun.

Language Arts	Math	Health	Science	Social Studies	Technology
Students are immersed in a literature-rich environment with direct instruction in phonemic awareness and concepts about print.	Number Sense	Healthy and Active Lifestyles	Earth and Sky	Historical Themes (holidays, customs and traditions)	Bailey's Book House
Recognize the front cover, back cover, and title of books	Calendar Connections	Injury and Disease Prevention	Growing and Changing	Government/Citizenship (responsive classroom)	Millie's Math House
Understand the difference between a letter, a word, and a sentence	Patterns	Human Growth and Development	Weather	Relationships, Cultures, and Diversity	Sammy's Science House
Identify text and illustration	Geometry	Substance Abuse Prevention	The Five Senses	Places and Regions	Trudy's Time Place
Understand that print conveys meaning	Measurement		Ocean Life	Economics	Kid Pix Deluxe
Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters	Data Collection				Alpha Smart Writers
Identify and create rhyming words	Problem Solving				Students learn basic computer skills
Produce letter-sound association
Blend sounds, segment sounds, and manipulate sounds in words
Segment words into word parts
Listen and respond appropriately to stories orally and in writing
Predict story events by using pictures and text
Recognize high frequency words
Retell stories naming beginning, middle, and end
Speak clearly in complete sentences
Listen attentively to stories and speakers and participate in class discussions

Skills and concepts are taught through integrated thematic units. Art and music are important elements to thematic teaching and are incorporated throughout the themes to develop academic skills, gross and fine motor abilities and phonemic awareness. Basic computer skills are introduced as a technology component to the Kindergarten curriculum. Themes include: “All About Me,” The Seasons, The Farm, Ocean Life, Life Cycle and Recycling, Friends, Family, Colors and Nighttime.