Beavercreek City Schools Kindergarten Today

Kindergarten today is: Not the kindergarten from our childhood Expectations for social and academic progress are high Attendance is critical Parents play a huge role

How to help your child Establish sleep routines two-three weeks before school begins and continue on the days when your child is not in school Encourage self-help skills: dressing, independent bathroom skills Expose children to play with other children-not structured play Show your child where kindergarten is and talk about how school-age children are different Establish excellent attendance routines

Social Skills By the time school starts, your child should be able to: Listen without interrupting Pay attention to adult-directed tasks Be able to attend to personal bathroom needs Practice buttoning and zipping Bounce a ball Know name, address, phone number, mother and father’s names

Social Skills Use words instead of being physical when angry Speak clearly Play well with others Follow simple directions Manage bathroom tasks Show good manners Spend time away from parents

Fine Motor Put a puzzle together Use scissors correctly Hold a pencil and crayons correctly

Gross Motor Run, jump and skip Walk backwards Walk up and down stairs

Citizenship Cooperate with others Learn how to solve arguments by using words to work out problems Practice making choices

Economics and Government Express wants and needs Share, take turns, trade items fairly Identify adults who help: teachers, firefighter, police officers, parents Recognize the flag Understand rules and consequences

What Your Child Should Know ◦Read first name ◦Recognize at least half upper and lower case letters ◦Recognize letters in first name ◦Recognize rhymes in familiar stories ◦Have an awareness of initial sounds like B in bird

Reading Process Hold a book right-side-up and turn pages; pretend to read words left to right Know the difference between pictures and print Be able to answer questions about what has been read aloud

Writing Be aware that writing conveys meaning Express ideas to an adult who writes them down Draw a picture of familiar objects Print letters of own name

Communication Tell others about experiences and creations Join others in reciting poems, nursery rhymes, and singing songs Communicate with other children Speak clearly to be understood

Math Count to 10 by touching each object or while looking at number books Tell how many objects in groups of 5 or fewer Work on concepts: more/less, heavy/light, bigger/smaller, taller/shorter

Geometry and Patterns Identify, match, sort by shape and size Describe position: up/down, over/under, top/bottom, inside/outside, front/behind/between Sort by size, color, shape, or how it is used (cooking, art supplies, etc.) Copy and add on to simple patterns

Science Begin to use science words: night, day, sun, moon, stars, cold, hot…to describe what they see Notice seasonal change Know that living things need food, water, and air Learn that stories such as cartoons and movies show plants and animals doing things that are not real (flowers talking, animals singing)

Science and Technology Use the five senses Recognize familiar tools: hammer, scissors, paintbrush, etc. Ask “what if?” questions; experiment Ask “alike” and “different” questions

Social Studies Understand events that happened in the past Discuss what is happening: weekdays are schooldays, etc. Share personal family stories, “When I was little…” Identify the way we belong to groups: boys, girls, preschool class, family, friends, neighborhoods

Resources For some good ideas to help your child to be ready for kindergarten, visit: Ohio Department of Education: Summer Home Learning Recipes: www2.ed.gov/pubs/Recipes/reck-3.html Kindergarten Readiness Checklist: garten/school-readiness/38491.html garten/school-readiness/38491.html

Half Day vs. Full Day Kindergarten Half Day Kindergarten Sample Full Day Kindergarten Schedule 30 min. - Special 20 min. - Reading 35 min. - Centers 30 min. - Calendar and Writing 15 min. - Math 30 min. - Arrival/morning work 30 min. - Calendar 20 min. - Read aloud and shared reading 40 min. - Reading (Daily Five) 30 min. - Snack/Recess 30 min. - Writing Process 30 min. - Math 60 min. - Centers 60 min. - Lunch/Recess/Quiet Time 30 min. - Specials 20 min. - Science/Social Studies

New Schedule Full-Day Alternate Day Schedule Monday and Thursday Or Tuesday and Friday With Added Wednesday on Alternating Weeks

First Week of School During the first week of school, you will bring your child in for a 30 minute appointment with your child’s teacher. During this time, you will have a chance to ask questions and share information. The teacher will then assess your child to determine his/her readiness for reading. Because teachers will be meeting with all parents and students, kindergarten classes will not be in session Aug. 23 rd to Aug. 26 th.

Gradual Start adapted from Perrysburg Schools Your teacher will send you a post card informing you of your appointment date and time in August. Students report for their first full week of kindergarten on either: August 29 th (Group A) or August 30 th (Group B).