CLASSROOMS/K-5 CURRICULUM

KINDERGARTEN-MRS. SATLAK-MOTT, MRS. GIGLIOTTI, MS.SWEENEY, MS. ROWLEY, MS. MARSH

Classroom Announcements

May 2012

The teachers recently met next year’s kindergarteners, and boy does it bring to light all the wonderful things our present kindergarteners have accomplished! In writing we’ve turned to working on kindergarten conventions. Kindergarten students are beginning to look for things like a capital at the beginning as well a period at the end. Some classrooms practice editing by writing messages on the board that the children have to find mistakes in. The children love being able to tell the teacher what they did wrong! Reading is also a large focus right now. Children are reading in small groups and are working on decoding, retelling and of course the 27 kindergarten sight words.

Throughout the year in math we’ve been building a foundation to develop number sense. So far the children have practiced understanding sets of numbers (which is greater or less) and that numbers grow and shrink (change a pile of 6 to a pile of 10 then a pile of 7.) More recently, the kindergarten students are being exposed to basic addition with numbers to 10. You can help to continue our work by including mathematical talk at home. For example, ask your child’s advice on ways to solve a problem like “There are six people coming to dinner and only five chairs at the table? How many more chairs do we need?” or “There are six people coming to dinner, how many forks should we have?”

This month the kindergarteners will lead the school at the monthly P.R.I.D.E. assembly. Inspired by the book, Nico and Lola, the kindergarten assembly will be focused on kindness. Each classroom took pictures of kindness in the classroom such as being a good listener, sharing and working together until a job is done. The school will also be treated to a sign language rendition Put A Little Love In Your Heart. Their performance is really heartwarming and will help all of Stratton to put a little love in their own hearts!

Classroom Policies/Procedures

Full Day School Hours are 8:10-2:10

I am always looking for classroom volunteers! Please let me know if you would like to help out!

11:00-11:30 is Lunch Time-Lunch is $2.25 and milk is $.60. It is encouraged by the lunch staff to prepay for lunches by the month. This is also easier on the children as they don't have to worry about losing their lunch money. Recess is from 11:30-11:45. We are always looking for lunch volunteers.

Enter and Exit Doors-The children will enter school through the doors that open into the circle at the front of the school and exit school through the doors that open into the playground. Please send a note or call the main office if someone else is picking up your child. I cannot release them to anyone else unless I have your permission.

Absentees-If your child is not going to be in school, please notify the office in the morning. You can also send me an e-mail. If your child is ill, please use good judgement before sending him/her to school. If they have a temperature or vomit, they need to be fever free/no vomitting for 24 hours before they return to school.

The office telephone number is 781-316-3753

Clothing-Please label all of your child's sweatshirts, jackets or other items they may take off throughout the day.

Star of the Week-Each child will have the opportunity to be star of the week. When it is your turn, they will get to bring home our class mascot, named Booker T. Bear. They will spend the weekend with him and share their adventures together in a journal by drawing pictures, taking pictures or writing in it. If you are planning a special vacation, he loves to travel!

Our Families Book-At the end of October I send home a big piece of poster like paper for you and your child to create a scrapbook page of your family. Any pictures, drawing and journaling can be done as a family. We will be discussing the importance of family and how families are all different. The pages will be made into a book that everyone will get a turn to take home and share.

Snacks and Birthdays-The students will have the option of a snack every day. It will be in the afternoon since we have such an early lunch. I am asking that each child bring in a healthy snack (cheese/crackers, fruit, veggies, etc.)

On your child's birthday, you may bring in a special snack to help celebrate. Depending on the allergies in the classroom, there may be a special snack list to follow.

Please do not send invitations to school for a birthday party unless the whole class is invited. Please pass them out or mail them outside of school.

Communication-Your child will receive a special home/school folder on orientation day. This folder will go back and forth from home to school each day. Please send in any notes in this folder. You can also e-mail me or call the school and leave a message with Mrs. Fischer.

Homework-From September to December, the children will have homework on Wednesdays and Fridays. They will be practicing their letters while following the FUNdations program. In January, the children will have homework on Fridays and will also have a "challenge" homework as well.

Reporting Progress-Report cards will go home in November and June. We have scheduled conferences in December and June. Please keep in mind that if you for any reason feel like you need a conference in between these dates, let me know and we can meet!

Curriculum Outline

LITERACY

In each of the kindergarten classrooms the children's day is organized by use of a Work Board (Fountas and Pinnell), which uses picture icons that represent various work centers. The Stratton kindergartens are meeting the system wide mandate of at least a minimum of one 90-minute literacy block a day. All of our Work Board centers have a distinct literacy "flavor" to them. Although a Work Board icon may read Science, Explore My World (social studies) or art, our Work Board activities are interdisciplinary. Our center or Work Board work is supporting a teacher taught skill and often has a literature or literacy link.

EARLY READING

The formal reading program for the Arlington Public School is Guided Reading. Our guided reading materials, the bulk of which are leveled books, come from a number of sources. The books are fiction and nonfiction and support many of our classroom themes. We are in full compliance with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in all areas. Additionally, we are NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) certification.

PHONETICS

Fundations is our formal phonics and handwriting program, and it is being implemented in all of the Kindergarten through Grade 2 classrooms throughout the school system this year. Fundations is an adaptation of the Wilson Reading System. It is a systematic, sequential, multi-sensory method of teaching reading and writing skills.

WRITING

Building the foundation to read is partnered with learning to write. In our kindergartens involvement in the process of learning to write is systematic and based upon the concept that children learn to talk by talking, read by reading (and being read to) and write by writing. As we work toward independence in this area, the children are exposed to and actively involved in guided and shared reading and writing where initially the teacher provides a lot of support. Our formal writing program comes in large part from the guiding principles of Lucy Caulkins. We spend our year modeling the various ways that proficient writers express themselves. We start our formal writing in a small group, gradually working our way toward a well-managed writers' workshop environment. Our writing experiences include both large and small group formats, mini lessons using Me Books, Journals and Small Moment Writing. Our approach to writing lays the foundation for the writing experiences that will continue throughout the grades. We certainly see writing as an integral part of our literacy program.

ASSESSMENTS

Formal literacy assessnents are individually administered three times a year. The assessments include several of Marie Clay's instruments as well as the DRA II (Developmental Reading Assessment).

PARTNERSHIPS

The kindergarten teachers plan and share ideas and materials together as a team. As kindergarten teachers, we see ourselves as the beginning of a K-5 continuum. Additionally, developing literacy in our kindergartens is also seen as a partnership with parents. Here are some suggestions for working with your child at home.

1. Reading on a daily basis - reading aloud at bedtime. Sharing your child's "just right book" at any other time.
2. Choosing books from all kinds of good literature -
3. Sharing books from many genres including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, folk tales and nursery rhymes
4. Calling attention to the details in the illustrations of the book as you read. (The pictures in the books that you share together help children learn how to use visual and sensory imagry to enhance the "big idea" in books.

MATH-

TERC Math is the formal math program in Arlington. At the Kindergarten level there are five units that we work on throughout the school year. The activities are designed to provide the children with many "hands on" experiences that help them to develop a framework for more formal mathematical thinking. These are the following themes in TERC Math:

• Pattern Trains and Hopscotch Paths (Exploring Patterns)
• Collecting, Counting and Measuring ( Devloping Number Sense)
• Counting Ourselves and Others (Exploring Data)
• Making Shapes and Building Blocks (Exploring Geometry)
• How Many in All? (Counting and the Number System)

The children are assessed twice (November and May) a year in math.

In addition to TERC, the kindergartens do a great deal of supplementary work in the area of math. Because we work from an integrated curriculum model, math is woven into every unit of studythat we do in the Stratton Kindergartens. Teachers use a wide and varied number of materials and utilize their experiences and resources to provide the children with a rich and mathematical foundation.

Over the summer, a group of Kindergarten Teachers and department heads got together to work on the Social Studies and Science curriculum for the Kindergarten. With constant changes being made to the Massachusetts Frameworks a curriculum was designed that included the frameworks and standards.

SOCIAL STUDIES-

• Holidays-Columbus Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day
• Community/Work and Jobs
• Symbols-American Flag, National Anthem, Current President, words to Pledge of Allegiance
• Time (Social and Personal)

SCIENCE-

• Technology/Tools
• Earth/Space;Day/Night and the Seasons
• Magnets
• Life Science-Plants

OPEN CIRCLE-

The Open Circle Program is based at the Stone Center, part of the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. This program combines a theoretical basis emphasizing the central role that relationships play in development, a commitment to yearlong instruction within the classroom setting, and an experiental training model that encourages changes in teacher behavior by increasing facilitation skills.

The entire format of this program recognizes the critical role that relationships play in the social development and academic success of children. By learning social competencies necessary to make and maintain new and diverse relationships with classmates, children, and adults create new avenues for their own and other's growth. The Open Circle curriculum is organized around two clusters:

• creating a cooperative classroom environment
• building positive relationships and solving people problems