York Academic School Kindergarten Parent Program Evening May 2, 2006

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York Academic SchoolKindergarten Parent Program
EveningMay 2, 2006
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KINDERGARTENOPEN HOUSE

• York Academic Elementary Program
• May 2, 2006
• Welcome to our parent information evening
  for the Kindergarten class. The following
  information will provide you with an overview of
  this program and the unique opportunities it
  provides you and your child. We welcome your
  questions and we are happy to set up an
  appointment to discuss the program in more detail
  with you.

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• 1. Introduction
• 2. Program review for Kindergarten
• Language Arts
• Math
• Community and Environmental Awareness
• Personal and Social responsibility
• Physical Skills and Well-being
• Creative and Cultural Expression

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• 3. Using Learning Centers
• - Instructional Strategies
• 4. Kindergarten Extensions and Challenge
  Activities
• 5. Discussion and questions
• 6. At home ideas

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• Some field trips or activities we plan will
  require a full day of participation from the
  Kindergarten students. You will know well in
  advance about these whole day experiences.

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• CLASS FORMAT
• The Kindergarten childrens focus of the morning
  activities will be on
• Reading and mathematics readiness
• Development of social skills
• Experiences in music, library, gym and art
• Thematic studies based on the topics of the
  Kindergarten program (Materials and tasks are
  modified to meet the individual Kindergarten
  students learning needs)
• These areas will be addressed through center and
  play activities, discussions, partner work,
  pencil and paper tasks, field trips, guest
  speakers, group and individual instruction,
  school assemblies, reading and skill development
  program.

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• READING AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
• Parents are given the opportunity to participate
  in the home reading program. Your child will
  bring home a book each day beginning about the
  third week of September. You can spend time
  reading together and discussing the book. There
  are also various skill booklets sent home with
  your child. These booklets reinforce various
  skills such as number and reading readiness,
  developmental printing and a variety of critical
  thinking activities. This is an activity that we
  have found both parents and children enjoy the
  time they spend working together. Homework
  packages begin to be sent out by the end of
  October. These are quick, nightly activities.
• FIELD TRIPS
• Field trips are planned to enhance the learning
  experiences of your child. A detailed list of
  field trips for the year will be provided in
  September.

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• PARENT VOLUNTEERS
• Parents are encouraged to participate in the
  classroom, assist in the preparation of materials
  and help on field trips. A JOB LIST will be
  posted outside the classroom door through out the
  year. A volunteer sign-up sheet will circulate
  in September.
• KINDERGARTEN A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
• This enriched environment gives the keen students
  an opportunity to expand their learning and
  develop their skills.

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• Grade five and six buddies are able to help the
  younger ones at recess, with paired reading and
  finding their way around the school.
• Increased student confidence in selves and
  abilities.
• Increased awareness of expectations for the
  upcoming grade.

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• Enables children to work at different levels.
  (centers)
• Encourages both independent and collaborative
  learning.
• Increased opportunities for student leadership.
• Allows children to work at different
  levelsremediation or enrichment work can be
  experienced without being obvious to others in
  the classroom.

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Affective (Social/Emotional) Student Learning

• There are better self-concepts amongst students.
• A productive classroom environment is contingent
  upon the understanding that teachers will develop
  one learning community, within a framework that
  fosters group spirit and solidarity.
• Develop a stronger sense of responsibility.
• The social skills of helping, sharing and taking
  turns are developed.
• Enriched classes allow more leeway for childrens
  naturally uneven social and emotional
  development.

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• Administrator Perspective
• Classroom management skills were observed to play
  a greater role in the success of a multi-leveled
  class, because teachers often had more groupings
  to organize.
• Strong organizational skills were viewed as a key
  to a successfully run classroom.
• Administrators generally felt that a teacher must
  be very proficient at planning for instruction to
  be successful in a multi-leveled class.
• Kindergarten prepares children for grade one
  expectations. Important for students to organize
  their boots, shoes, etc. early in the year.

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Kindergarten Extensions and Challenge Activities

• Individualized program plans are provided if
  needed. Some students are working on independent
  or guided research projects.
•  Students write independently or with minimal
  assistance in journals and daily activities.
• Students have a Show and Share booklet to record
  their ideas/pictures.
• Students who have mastered letter sounds are
  able to work on blends, digraphs and word
  families the example is more advanced but some
  students are working on it.

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• Students move up through the Home Reading books
  at their individual level (some students are able
  to read at levels beyond their grade level-
  comprehension activities accompany the books).
• Reading Comprehension activities allow for all
  students to work together at their individual
  level while performing the same basic tasks. See
  Sadie and the Snowman lesson plan.
• A Kindergarten word wall has been added to the
  classroom students use the words in their
  writing.
• Students record the Word of the Day in their
  personal dictionaries.
• Extensions are available for any task as
  required.

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At Home Ideas

• Here are some suggestions for activities you can
  do at home if both you and your child are
  interested. These activities cover a wide range
  of developmental levels and there is no doubt
  that many children will not want, at this time,
  to pursue all of these activities. As a parent
  you can encourage, suggest and assist your child
  but please do not push him/her to do activities
  he/she is not developmentally ready for. It will
  be frustrating for all involved. Working
  together on an activity that your child wants to
  pursue can be very rewarding. You will find
  yourself making up your own games!
• 1. NUMBERS
• Count EVERYTHING that is concrete.
• Example The number of cars on the way to the
  store.
• The number of buttons on a shirt.
• The number of commercials between 2 parts of a
  T.V. show.
• Make games out of looking for numbers.
• Example in magazines, road signs, car licenses,
  on T.V.
• Can you find the numbers 1,2,3,4,5 before we get
  to Grandmas house
• Match the number with real objects.
• Example 3 or 7

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2. LETTERS

• Bombard your child with meaningful print.
• Example name on his/her room door
• reading canister tins
• notes on the refrigerator
• Talk about road signs, store signs.
• Safeway begins with s can you make an s
  sound?
• On long car trips-in order, find the alphabet
  (using signs, license plates)

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• 3. GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
• Allow children time to play outside.
• Take your child to creative playgrounds (like the
  one we have at our school), skating, swimming
  pools, etc.
• 4. FINE MOTOR SKILLS
• Practice tying, zipping, snapping, buttoning,
  lacing.
• Allow opportunities to use crayons, glue,
  scissors (childs size). Remind your child about
  colouring within the lines, using a slow, steady
  pace, the concept of outlining. When using
  scissors, he/she will need to cut on the lines as
  smoothly as possible.
• Colouring books with dot-to-dots or tracing
  activities prepare young muscles for printing.
• Practice printing your childs name. Uppercase
  for first letter only. Lowercase for remaining
  letters.

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• 5. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
• Read to your child. Children who have been read
  to a lot have less difficulty learning to read
  and comprehend than those who have not. Show
  them the direction of print when reading (left to
  right, top to bottom)
• Always ask your child about his/her day at
  school. You may use this to develop sequencing.
  Example What did you do first? And then?
• Stress listening the first time and following
  directions. Try not to repeat directions-children
  need to learn that you mean it the first time.

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• Dont be afraid to use big words around your
  child. He/she will adopt only a vocabulary as
  large as the one they experience. Through
  context and sometimes outright explanation these
  words will become meaningful and part of his/her
  vocabulary.
• Practice labeling colors-what color is your
  sweater? The peas?, etc. Once the rainbow
  colors have been learned, continue farther with
  burgundy, magenta, turquoise, lavender, etc.
• Recite verses and sing songs. Nursery rhymes are
  extremely fun and pleasing to children.
  Indirectly they learn about word patterns and
  rhyming words. Songs such as Eensy Weensy
  Spider, Shell Be Comin Round the Mountain,
  BINGO are always enjoyed.

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• 6. SOCIAL SKILLS
• Encourage independence-children should be
  dressing themselves, handling small interactive
  difficulties, etc.
• Allow your children opportunities to play with
  others their age.