Welcome to Gallimore Elementary

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Welcome to Gallimore Elementary
Home of the Roadrunners!
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allimore Elementary School

• The mission of Gallimore Elementary is to
  provide opportunities for ALL students to achieve
  their personal best in a safe, positive
  environment.
• It is our vision that the students, parents and
  staff will foster a school community that
• Values diversity
• Interacts and communicates respectfully
• Promotes confident, life-long learning
• Supports personal responsibility, independent
  thinking and problem solving

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Some general information about our school

• How many kids go to school here?
• What grade levels attend this school?
• What are the attendance boundaries?
• What else we want you to know about our school

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Questions parents usually have about Kindergarten

• How do you figure out whether students attend in
  the AM or PM?
• What can I do if Id like my child to attend a
  session different than the other kids in the
  neighborhood?
• What are the school times for AM and PM?
• Who are the teachers?
• Whats the best way to make sure my child has the
  right teacher for Kindergarten?

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A Day in the Life

• A.M. students begin at 838.
• They go home at 1142.
• P.M. students begin at 1232.
• They go home at 337.

Mrs. Miller
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More Questions about Kindergarten

• Can I request that my child have a certain
  teacher?
• How many students are in each class?
• Is there anyone in the classroom helping the
  teacher?
• When can I find out which teacher my child is
  having and some information about the first days
  of school?
• Well send you a letter before school starts
  thats just about Kindergarten
• Well mail you a school newsletter with general
  information as well

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Still more Kindergarten Questions

• How do I find out bus riding information?
• The school district will mail it to your home
• You can find it on the school district or the
  school website www.pccs.k12.mi.us
• Bus drivers will call your house with information
  about noon take home and pick-up times

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More Kindergarten Information

• What does the school do to provide a safe
  environment for my child?
• Outside doors will always be locked
• Parents will only have access to the classroom
  area by going through the office
• Paraprofessionals and safeties help with arrival
  and dismissal
• AM PM bus riders are walked to the bus line by
  their teacher at dismissal before anyone else
• Walkers are released when the teacher makes a
  contact with the person responsible for pick-up
• We have two emergency information cards for each
  child
• We only release students to people whose names
  are on emergency cards
• School staff are always with your child on the
  playground

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Still more Kindergarten questions

• How can I find out about whats going on in my
  childs classroom?
• Call the teacher anytime you have a question
• Look for a classroom newsletter to come home
  regularly
• Volunteer to help in the classroom
• Learn how to ask your child the right questions
  about their school day

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Last Kindergarten Questions

• Are there day care options for the half day my
  child is not in school?
• Kindercrew
• Kids Time
• Private daycare options
• What do you need from me before school starts?
• Completed immunizations and physical forms
• Do you have any other questions?

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Whats Happening During Todays Orientation?

• Goal 1
• We want your child to develop at good feeling
  about his or her new school
• Goal 2
• Were trying to find out enough about your child
  to help him or her have the right kind of start
  to Kindergarten

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While Children are Visiting Today

• Whos in the classroom with them?
• What kinds of activities have been planned?
• Draw a person (fine motor skills, general
  maturity level)
• Art activity(fine motor skills, ability to follow
  simple directions)
• Choice time(how they interact with others)
• Story(attention span, listening and expressive
  language skills, being a part of a group)
• Interactions with adults(language skills)

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What Were Doing After You Leave Today

• Were going to meet and talk about our
  observations we made during your childs visit
• Were trying to get some idea of your childs
  readiness for Kindergarten based on what we saw
  today.
• Well use what we observed today, along with the
  information you gave us about your child, to try
  to make the best teacher placement for next year.
  Well also balance classes with boys and girls
  and younger and older children.
• We might call you or send you a letter if were
  worried about something we see today or need more
  information from you

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What were trying to provide for children in a
developmentally-appropriate Kindergarten

• Honoring the September starting point for each
  child and helping them make as much progress as
  they can for the rest of the year
• Providing learning opportunities based on how
  five year olds learn best

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Honoring Starting Points

• On the first day of school, each child will be at
  a different readiness level for the expectations
  of Kindergarten. This starting point can be
  influenced by
• What parents have done to help with exposure to
  books, numbers, letters of the alphabet, writing,
  and development of general knowledge about the
  world
• Preschool experiences
• Language development, including learning English
• A childs individual rate of maturation,
  including the month of his or her birthday
• How much opportunity children have had to
  interact with other children

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• Its our job to make sure we honor the starting
  point of each child and help them make as much
  progress as possible during the school year.

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Providing a program based on how five year olds
learn best

• They need concrete learning experiences
• They learn best in a wholistic way, not always
  with a specific subject matter orientation
• They have limited attention spans
• Play and movement are important
• Being a successful learner includes developing
  good skills for interacting with peers, good
  motor skills, and a sense of personal
  responsibility for their own learning as well as
  development of academic skills.

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What will my child be learning in Kindergarten?

• Reading readiness skills and a simple reading
  vocabulary
• Writing
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies

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What happens during a typical Kindergarten day?

• Whole group, small group, and individual work
  time
• Activities that change about every 20-25 minutes
• Assistance and encouragement with learning from
  the teacher, a paraprofessional, and parent
  helpers
• Choice time along with work that is required to
  be completed
• Library, Physical Education, and Computer Lab
  times each week
• Recess, weather providing

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What we would hope to see at the start of
Kindergarten

• Each child
• Is ready to come to school each day eager to make
  his or her best effort to learn
• Is ready to share, be cooperative, and be willing
  to solve problems with their classmates
• Has developed confidence in his or her ability to
  handle the routines of the classroom
• Has some recognition of alphabet letters and the
  sounds they make, especially those letters in
  their name
• Has some concept of the numbers to 10
• Can write some of the numbers and letters,
  including spelling his or her name in lower case
• Has had a lot of exposure to books

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• What parents can do during the summer to help
  their children get ready for Kindergarten

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• Do you have any final questions?