Help your child Prepare for starting kindergarten...
 
Welcome to Candalaria Kindergarten! Kindergarten has changed! Instead of being the transitional year between home and school, Kindergarten is now the first year of your child's formal schooling. Kindergarten sets the foundation for future success in school. Although kindergarten is more academic than it used to be, it is still developmental. Each child will have his/her own unique starting point... as well as his/her own rate of learning, so every child will exit kindergarten in his/her own unique place. Our goal is to have each kindergartner make as much social and academic progress as possible while s/he develops confidence and a true love of learning. We will share our love of learning with your child to help him/her discover the joy in learning while s/he acquires a strong foundation in the basic areas of literacy and math. PLA To determine each child's starting point, a one on one assessment, called the Primary Literacy Assessment (or PLA) will be given to each child on September 5th, 6th, 7th or 10th. The PLA is used to evaluate your child's incoming knowledge of letters, sounds, and reading readiness. This gives teachers the information that we need to be able to plan Fall instruction. There will not be any school for Kindergarten students during PLA testing, except for the one 30 minute appointment when you will bring in your child to take the PLA with his or her teacher. (Sign ups for PLA testing will be at the August 30th kindergarten orientation for students.) Parents in the AM Kindergarten class will need to plan to stay at school during the testing. Mrs. Imig will give you a questionnaire to fill out while your child is being tested. At the end of the 30 minutes she will briefly share your child's results with you. Students in the All Day Kindergarten will be dropped off for 2 1/2 hours on their testing day. Parents You are the first, and most influential, teachers your child will have; therefore, we view the education of your child as a partnership. Parents are expected to: - get your children to school, on time, every day. - support what your child is learning in school - assist your child in the learning process - send your child to school in clothing that s/he can paint, run and play in. Comfortable clothes and enclosed shoes that s/he can get on and off with a minimum of help. - write your child's name in a visible spot on his/her clothing and backpack. Volunteers We encourage all parents to get involved at Candalaria by volunteering either in the classroom, on field trips, in the Media center, and/or to assist with any of our many school wide activities. Kindergarten classrooms need parents to help with all kinds of jobs from cutting and coloring to working with small groups students; some of these jobs can even be done at home. Please fill out the volunteer interest form, and a criminal history report, so that you will be ready to volunteer in the Fall. Communication Home Students will bring a "Thursday Folder" home from school each Thursday. School newsletters, information for parents, and class newsletters will be sent home in Thursday Folders. What you can do at home to prepare your child for kindergarten - Sign your child up for the summer reading program at the Salem Public Library. Set a goal of reading to your child for a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes each day. When your child receives his/her "certificate of completion" at the end of the summer, have him/her bring it to his/her teacher during by September 15th to receive a special prize and recognition at a school assembly. - Talk with your child to increase his/her oral vocabulary - Allow your child to develop independence and problem solving skills. - Teach your child to think creatively. - Teach your child how to take off, hang up, put on and fasten his/her coat. Find shoes that your child can get on and off independently. Make sure that your child knows how to use public bathrooms independently, including taking care of his/her own clothing and hand washing. - Talk with your child about how to meet new people and how to make friends. - Teach your child to open and close food containers that you will be sending in his/her lunch. - Talk with your child about things that s/he will do during a typical school day: sit on the carpet, listen, sing, raise his/her hand to talk, hang up his/her backpack and coat, ask an adult to go to the bathroom, use a drinking fountain, walk in a line, walk up and down stairs* - Teach your child to read and write his/her first name in correct case (not all capitals) - Make sure that your child is holding his/her pencil correctly and forming his/her letters correctly (from the top down) Students should also be able to hold scissors correctly. For more information about what we do in kindergarten and how you can help prepare your child for starting school, please visit my other web pages. If you have questions that are specific to your child you can email me: Important Dates: August 30th - Kinder STUDENT Orientation, 11:30 - 12:30 Sept 5th - 10th - PLA Testing for Kindergarten (sign up at Orientation) Sept 11th - First Day of school for Kindergartens