Eli Pinney Elementary School

2010-2011
Troy Ehrsam, Principal Wendy Hamby, Kindergarten Teacher Lindsay Simons, Kindergarten Teacher

The Kindergarten Experience

What will my child learn " in kindergarten?

Kindergarten used to be about saying the alphabet, counting numbers and getting along with each other. Today kindergarten is much more academic. It includes hands-on learning and problem solving, independent reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies and health.

Enrollment Information
Parents of students who will be entering kindergarten this fall will have two opportunities to register their child for the 2010-11 school year. The Dublin City School District has applied for an all-day kindergarten waiver for the 2010-11 school year. Assuming the waiver request will be approved by the Ohio Department of Education, will we continue to have a half-day program. Kindergarten registration days at Dublin City Schools elementary buildings are scheduled for April 14 and April 20. Parents should contact their buildings after Feb. 16 to make an appointment for either of those two dates. Times will vary by building. A building representative will provide parents with additional details. Students must turn ve years old prior to Sept. 30, 2010 to be eligible to enter kindergarten.

Parents are asked to bring copies of the following papers for registration: 1. Original Birth Certicate or Passport 2. Immunization Records 3. Proof of Residency (i.e. utility bill) 4. Childs Social Security Number 5. Custody Papers (if applicable) Any questions about kindergarten registration should be directed to the ofce of the school your child will be attending.

Reading is. . ."

A literature based program that includes read alouds by the teacher, shared reading of big books, guided reading instruction based on student needs and independent reading time.

Student skills:
Listening to and retelling stories Making predictions about story events Recognizing beginning sight words Using phonemic skills to decode words Using multiple strategies to read new text Reading and identifying ction and nonction text

TE

Early Literacy Intervention Program

ELI Program

Students qualify based on KRA-L assessment

Fast paced, focused instruction on: Book handling skills Phonemic awareness Letter/word recognition Vocabulary development 12:00-1:00 extended day for half students Incorporated into the school day for all day students

taught through shared writing, interactive writing, guided writing and independent writing experiences

Writing is . . ."

It begins with drawing and scribbling and moves on to making letters and spelling words. By the end of the year, students are writing in complete sentences with spacing and beginning & ending sounds.

Listening and Speaking

Students will: Listen without interrupting Take turns to speak Express complete thoughts Summarize ideas in order Discuss and share ideas with others

Mathematics is . . ."
Number - understanding quantities and recognizing numerals Measurement - exploring and comparing length Geometry -2D and 3D shapes Patterns - logical thinking Probability & Statistics gathering data & graphing

Exploration of the world in scientic terms

Science is. . ."

Students will learn about animals, trees, seasons, Earth & space and the scientic process through: Hands on experiments Observations Informational Text Big Book Shared

Social Studies is . . .
Realizing that people are both alike and dierent Understanding the importance of rules Understanding roles in society

Knowing that maps and globes represent real places Identifying special days and holidays

Health is . . ."
Identifying the ve senses Understanding feelings & emotions Developing personal relationships Developing healthy habits Taught by the classroom teacher and the guidance counselor.

A typical day in half day kindergarten

9:05-9:15 Fine Motor Skills Handwriting One-on-one reading 9:15 10:00 Math / Language Arts Listening Speaking Reading Writing Spelling

10:00-10:15 Gross Motor Skills Outdoor Play 10:15-10:30 Whole Group Instruction 10:30-11:25 Small Group Rotation Teacher-led activities Independent Work Hands-on activity Technology 11:25-11:35 Review & Dismissal

Bus Schedules

9:05-11:35 Morning Session 12:00- 1:00 ELI for half day students preceded by lunch 1:05-3:35 A0ernoon Session A.M. Kindergartners are bussed to school with all day K-5 students in the morning. They are dropped o at their assigned location at the end of the morning by a kindergarten only bus. P.M. Kindergartners are picked up at their assigned location by a kindergarten only bus. They return on the same busses as all day K-5 students. (August ??, 2010) TBA - Bus schedules

School/Home Partnership
Communication
is key to a successful year.

Conferences & Curriculum Night Phone Calls Newsletters Notes School email, district website & mass email Voice Mail

August 2010
Phase-in days
Monday, August 23rd Tuesday, August 24th 1/3 of all students each day Wednesday, August 25th ALL students attend school on Thursday, August 26th
As you plan for the beginning of kindergarten, please be aware of the three-day phase-in for kindergarten students. The phase-in helps with the transition to kindergarten because the students are brought into schools in small groups. On each of the three days of the phase-in, one-third of the students attend class. During the phase-in time, students are oriented to the world of kindergarten and teachers take some time to accurately assess individual skill levels in a small-group setting. The phase-in period is Aug. 23-25. Your child will only be attending kindergarten one of the rst three days of school. Your phase-in day, Aug. 23-25, will be assigned to you by your school. Students are also assigned AM or PM kindergarten status. Buildings may try to accommodate parental requests, but stafng levels are set and requests may not be able to be granted. Additional information regarding the phase-in will be provided during the registration nights in April.

Getting Ready
What can you do with your child to prepare for kindergarten? Count objects to 20 and read numbers in the world around us Learn to say their full name and write their rst name Learn their phone number and address Name objects with a specic attribute, for example name something blue in your house Listen to a story and retell it in your own words Put a puzzle together Tie shoes, button buttons, zip zippers, snap snaps Say the alphabet and practice capital and lower case letters

Two Sculptors
by Ray A Lingerfelter

I dreamed I stood in a studio and watched two sculptors there, The clay they used was a young childs mind and they fashioned it with care. One was a teacher: the tools she used were books and music and art; One was a parent with a guiding hand and a gentle and loving heart. And when at last their work was done, they were proud of what they had wrought For the things they had worked into the child could never be sold or bought. And each agreed she would have failed if she had worked alone For behind the parent stood the school, and behind the teacher stood the home.