J.C. Thompson Elementary The Best School in the Universe Curriculum Night September 9, 2014 WHATEVER IT TAKES A Character Counts! School

The Kindergarten Team Mrs. Thompson (817) Mrs. Tobler (817) Mrs. Brandon (817) Ms. Wise (817) Mrs. Yowell (817) Blazing Trails of Success

Tonight, we will…  experience a snapshot of a day in the life of a Trailblazer  learn ways that you can support your child’s education  Develop understanding of the expectations of Kindergartener at J.C. Thompson

JCT Vision Empowered to learn, motivated to lead! JCT Mission J.C. Thompson, together with families and community, will engage all students in a premier education, preparing them for success in an ever- changing world.

J.C. Thompson is a Northwest ISD Title 1 Campus: More than 35% of our students are considered low income We receive federal funds to assist all students Title 1 funds are flexible and are used for additional personnel, professional development, improve curriculum, enhance parental involvement, extend learning time for students, and provide other activities that are tied to student achievement.

AT JCT, we will…  Take care of ourselves,  Take care of each other,  Take care of this place!

Kindergarten Expectations

Attendance We want your child to have every opportunity to learn. Doors open at 7:20 and school starts promptly at 7:45. We encourage and recognize perfect attendance each six weeks. Whenever your child must be absent, please call the front office at to report the absence. When your child returns, please send a note or doctor’s excuse to explain your child’s absence. Attendance is taken each day at 9:30. Our goal is to have 98% of our students present every day.

Communication T.R.A.I.L. Guide Folders Tuesday Newsday communication Call blasts Online gradebooks grades 1-5. Please check with the front office if you need directions. Progress reports are available online the 3 rd Monday of each six weeks. If your child is failing in a content area, a progress report will be printed and sent home to be signed and returned. Report Cards sent out electronically and on paper the Thursday following the end of each six weeks.

Volunteers Volunteers are welcome at Thompson Elementary! You may volunteer services, time or supplies. You may volunteer here at school or in the comfort of your own home. Watch D.O.G.S.- Kick-Off will be coming soon! Moms on a Mission – new opportunity to be involved in learning at JCT. More info coming soon! Background check must be complete

Student Birthdays  Birthday celebrations may take place the last part of the day on the playground or in the classroom only. Please provide individual servings for the celebrations (cupcakes, cookies, napkins, etc.  The treat should be dropped off in the office and office staff will deliver at the end of the day.  The district specifies that birthday invitations may not be passed out during the day; however, the child can pass them out as students leave for the day outside the classroom door.  Treats must be store bought.

Clothes and Shoes Please be sure your child is prepared: 1.Be sure they have tennis shoes to wear during P.E. and at recess. 2.Be sure to leave a change of clothes in your child’s backpack for unforeseen incidents (accidents, mud, who knows?) P.S: Students should be bringing their backpacks every day!

Daily Schedule Kindergarten Schedule 7:45- 7:55 Morning Meeting 7:55 – 8:45 Writers 8:45 – 9:40 Readers/Social Studies 9:40 – 10:35 AMP 10:35 – snack 10:45 – 12:15 Math 12:15 – 12:45 Lunch 12:45 – 1:15 Recess/Restroom 1:15 – 1:45 Lit/Skills 1:45 – 2:40 Science 2:45 Dismissal

Getting to Know the Curriculum Please check out the Elementary Education Brochure on our website. Some brochures are available in the office.

Speeding to Read

Reading Log

What do we want your children to know? What do we want your children to know? Writing Workshop Kindergarteners will write independently EVERYDAY! Personal Experiences and Genre Studies Respond to learning in Math, Science and Social Studies Write with a Purpose Proofread Use Correct Conventions (Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling) Increase their letter to sound correlation

What do we want your children to know? What do we want your children to know? Reader’s Workshop Kindergarten will read both independently and in small groups EVERYDAY! More Text and Fewer Pictures Independent Reading Stamina (20 minutes or longer) Determine Fiction vs. Non-fiction and characteristics such as: Setting, Characters, Theme. Variety of Genres Comprehension Integration of Social Studies

How will we know what your children know?  Read Aloud  Guided Reading  Reader’s Workshop  Writing Workshop  Readers and Writers Notebooks  Genre Studies  Author Studies  Conferencing  Goal Setting  Small Group Instruction  Assessments  Before/After School Tutoring

What do we want your children to know? Math Understand the underlying concepts of math. Think like mathematicians. Focus on computational fluency Exploring multiple strategies to solve a wide range of problems Finding efficient ways to solve problems Emphasizing reasonableness of solutions

What do we want your children to know? What do we want your children to know? Science  Asking scientific questions  Relating science to their world  Using science tools in scientific investigations  Lab safety Physical Science  Forms of energy  Force is a push or a pull  Matter has physical properties Earth Science  Nature can cause change  Patterns of change in weather, metamorphosis and objects in sky  Cycles and simple systems Life Science  Habitats of animals  Needs of living creatures  Environmental changes  How living creatures adapt and change environment

Parent Conferences  Our parent conferences will in October. Dates include October 7, 9, and 15 th  Sign up tonight or look for more information in the next couple of weeks  Contact your child’s teacher if you have concerns throughout the year

How Can I Help My Child? Here are a few things you can do to help your child be successful in Kindergarten: Read with them every night. (be sure to write it down for speeding to read) Write with them as much as possible. -Magna Doodles -iPads Count anything and everything. Make sure they get a good night’s rest. Fill ‘em up right at mealtimes.

Questions What questions do you have for us?

Thank you for coming to Curriculum Night!