1. MS. MANNON’S KINDERGARTEN CLASS ROOM 128 Welcome to Kindergarten Curriculum Night

2. Get to Know Ms. Mannon Experience  Spent several years volunteering/working in preschools  Student taught in full-day kindergarten  Taught AM/PM kindergarten and full day Education  BA in Early Childhood and Family Studies from the University of Washington  Masters in Teaching from the University of Washington  English Language Learner endorsement from the University of Washington In my free time, I enjoy swimming, dancing, making arts and crafts, and taking my dog on long walks!

3. Mr. Mosley

4. Check Out What’s Happening in our Class http://staff.rentonschools.us/kde/ms-mannons-classroom

5. Some Memorable Quotes… “This hand sanitizer smells great! Like acorns! Like ham sandwiches!” “Ms. Manning? Ms. Mannington? Ms. Manningtonham?” “Ms. Mannon you are so smart at learning us!”

6. A Typical Kindergarten Day… Morning work Morning meeting Literacy centers or “reading centers” Recess Continuing reading centers Recess/lunch Math Specialist (Music, PE, and Library) Science or writing lesson Snack Choice time End of day

7. Literacy Testing  One-on-one DIBELS testing done in September, January, and May.  Letter/sound recognition test completed three times  Daily observations Whole Group Instruction  Learning about reading and writing strategies  Understanding fiction and non-fiction text Literacy Groups  Students will be grouped into groups and will be participating in four literacy activities during our literacy centers. I will meet with small groups daily.

8. Curriculum Reading Street  Has 6 units altogether  We will be starting the first unit soon  Each unit has 6 stories  Our first story is The Little School Bus Comprehension Took Kit Supplements the Reading Street curriculum Focuses on reading, writing, talking, listening, and investigating, to deepen understanding of nonfiction texts Our district now uses a “Balanced Literacy” approach.

9. What to look for at home… For each story there will be… - A Family Times (usually sent home on Mondays) - A Phonics Story - A Decodable Reader - (Both of which should be reread for homework)

10. Writer’s Workshop Our school uses the Lucy Calkins Writer’s Workshop model. Students learn three types of writing. - Narrative - Informational - Persuasive (brief unit) By the end of the year, students will be publishing their own work and sharing it with their peers during our weekly author’s chair! The students have already begun writing in their Kindergarten Journals.

11. Handwriting Head line -> Belt line -> Foot line -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM_dia8QGr0 How to hold a pencil… We use the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.

12. Investigations Math Curriculum Students recently began Unit 1 of the Investigations Curriculum. - Focuses on building routines, counting, and describing attributes. - For each unit there will be… - A “About the Mathematics in This Unit” handout - A “ Related Activities to Try at Home” handout *These handouts will be printed on yellow paper (Unit 1 handouts are in the folder provided)

13. SCIENCE We are about to begin a Five Senses Unit. Three FOSS science kits will be completed this year... - Wood and Paper (Fall) - Animals 2 x 2 (Spring) - Trees (Ongoing)

14. Kindergarten sight words 40 high frequency sight words are taught throughout the 6 units of the Reading Street curriculum. There are also additional words to learn for each unit. There will be ongoing sight word assessments throughout the year. We will have an incentive program this year for students who practice their words at home. Pass “kindergarten sight words”… Ice cream party Pass “challenge sight words”… Cotton candy party Pass “super challenge sight words”… Snow cone party

15. Frequently Asked Questions How does lunch work? Students can bring or buy their lunch at school. You can pay by cash or check. Lunch is approximately 15 minutes long and many students do not have time to eat their entire lunch. Students are given a snack every afternoon. They may choose to eat a healthy snack from home. They can also choose to finish their lunch during choice time at the end of the day. What are blue folders for? What if I lose it? Blue folders are a great way to communicate with me. There are two sides of the blue folder, “Keep at home” and “Return to school.” Sometimes students make a mistake when they put their papers away, so always double check what is sent home. If a student loses a blue folder you must replace it. Why is my child not bringing their work home? I have been having students complete most of their work in journals that they keep at school. I find that this minimizes clutter, and allows us to see students’ growth over time. Family members are always welcome to look at their child’s work located in their “journal station.” When will students receive homework? Not until mid to late October. At first all students will receive one math and one literacy sheet. Later I will begin giving challenge homework to students who I feel are ready for more difficult work. The point of homework in kindergarten is to establish good study habits early on in their schooling. Why are there no birthday parties? In our class we celebrate birthdays as a group. We will have a birthday celebration for all of the students born in September, October, and November sometime in October. Having birthday parties for every child takes up valuable time that can be spent learning. It is also more equitable. Some families may not have the means to purchase treats for the celebration. What is the best way to contact me (Ms. Mannon)? Immediately before and after school are NOT the best time to contact me, because I am helping students get settled in the morning, and I am supervising pick up after school. Simple questions can be answered via email. If you would like to speak with me one on one, I am happy to schedule a meeting with you.

16. Even More Questions These are questions that I have been asked since curriculum night… What are the classroom rules? PAWS How does the red, yellow, and green behavior chart work? Students will flip their card to yellow if they do something that breaks of our class rules. I typically give a warning before a child flips to yellow. A child will flip to red if they continue to break our classroom rules. They may also flip to red immediately if they do something unsafe or hurtful. An example might be pushing someone intentionally in line. Students who are on yellow at the end of the day miss 2 minutes of choice time and students who are on red at the end of choice time, miss between 5 minutes or all of their choice time. At this point in the year some students flip to red because they are still unfamiliar with my expectations. Flipping to red does not mean your child is “bad.” It simply means they need time to think and talk to me about better choices they can make. I also allow students to flip their card back if I can tell they are really trying to follow the rules the rest of the day. Beginning in October, parents will be contacted if a student flips to red. Does my child need to make up school work if they are absent? They do not need to make up class work, but they do need to turn in their homework as soon as possible. What can I be doing at home to support my child? Check my website for ways to support your child at home. http://staff.rentonschools.us/kde/ms-mannons-classroom/how- to-support-your-child-at-home At this point in the year, it is helpful to practice letter names and letter sounds. Developing these early phonics skills will help your child be a reader. Also, count with your child as often as possible.http://staff.rentonschools.us/kde/ms-mannons-classroom/how- to-support-your-child-at-home

17. Even More Questions… Can I eat lunch with my child? Of course! Please just check in at the office! When can I start volunteering? I will begin having volunteers in October. What is a “busy book”? A busy book is a book of coloring sheets and dot-to-dots that students work on when they finish their work early. Throughout the year this “busy book” will contain increasingly more difficult tasks. Eventually it will be called a “Challenge Workbook” and it will consist of first grade worksheets. Last year this was extremely successful, and students enjoyed the challenge!

18. ANY QUESTIONS?