WELCOME

1. WELCOME Seigfried’s Superstars Kindergarten seigfriedd@rcschools.net

2. I have been teaching 31 years. I have taught preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and university method classes. • I have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. I have a husband who is retired and likes to fish and watch movies. • In my spare time I love flower gardening, writing, reading, spending time with my grandchildren, spending time with my church family, and laying in my swimming pool! Mrs. Seigfried

3. If you would like to volunteer to help in our class, or volunteer to help with parties please see the sign up sheets in the hall. We will need to make arrangements ahead of time if you are coming to volunteer. Please remember to check in at the front office and get a volunteer sticker. • Needed: Items for Math graphing • I will need 1-2 people for each month to help with the scrapbook. • Snack: Every month there will be a snack calendar in the take home folder. Please check to see what day your child brings snack and drink. Please bring a healthy snack that does not require preparation. Drinks need to be 100% juice or bottled water. CLASSROOM INFORMATION

4. Bananas Cheese and Crackers • Apples Popcorn • Grapes Raisins • Strawberries Whole Grain Baked Chips • Blueberries Whole Grain Baked Crackers • Cherries Celery • Carrots Animal Crackers • Applesauce Goldfish crackers • Peach *This is just an idea. If you have • Yogurt questions about snack items, • Pear please email me. • Trail Mix HEALTHY SNACKS

5. Rutherford County is on a 9 weeks grading period. • Students need to wear tennis shoes each day for PE. • Please send in a change of clothes to keep in the room in case of an accident. Also, please send a jacket or sweater to be left in the cubby in case your child gets cold. CLASSROOM INFORMATION

6. Newsletters go home on Fridays. I am going to send them home via email. • Please check your child’s backpack and take home folder every day. • Conferences will be held in October and March. Any time you feel a conference is necessary, let me know and we can schedule one. CLASSROOM INFORMATION

7. Please save your old printer cartridges. I can turn them in monthly and earn credit for classroom items. I will have a special bucket by the door for these. CLASSROOM INFORMATION

8. Lunch Time: 11:50-12:20. Parents are welcome to join their child for lunch. We will have a morning snack. • Please send your child’s money either weekly or monthly. • All checks for lunch need to be made out to McFadden. • You may also pay for your child’s lunch online at www.mealpayplus.com LUNCH

9. Progress Reports and Report Cards Rutherford County is on a 9 weeks grading period. Progress Reports will come home half way through the grading period Progress Reports are not a final grade, just a brief overall score in each subject area. 2s will often be seen at this time; this simply reflects that we are still working on a skill and I may not yet have enough data to accurately give a mastery score…do not panic! Report Cards come home following the end of the 9week grading period We have 46 academic skill areas and 14 student responsibilities on our Report Cards. Some skills are graded throughout the year most are graded for one or two grading periods until mastery is reached and then will not have a score. Report Cards will be color coded to be more reader-friendly!

10. Grading Kindergarten is on a 1-4 Rubric Scale Grading System 4 = Exceeds grade level standard and produces quality work beyond expectationsconsistently and independently*Not all skill areas are appropriate to receive a 4 3 = Meets grade level standard and producing quality grade level work that demonstrates mastery consistently and independently*This is an excellent, developmentally appropriate grade* 2 = Progressing towards meeting grade level expectations and produces the required grade level work with teacher assistance and support*Complete mastery of a skill and independence has not yet been reached* 1 = Beginning to develop the standard and not yet able to produce required grade level work*This level is a concern for a child’s performance*

11. *9 Week Standards will be posted on class website*Rutherford County is under full Common Core implementation*Stay informed on what we are learning so you can reinforce these skills as much as possible at home!

12. On occasion it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Always send money in a sealed envelope, placed in your child‛s folder, with the following information written on it: *Your child‛s first and last name *The amount of money *The purpose for the money (book money, lunch money, etc.) *My name • With many children to keep track of and several reasons to collect money, this helps me tremendously and reduces the likelihood of errors. Also, if the envelope is dropped in the hallway or misplaced, this information will help the money to be returned to our classroom. MONEY

13. Students will need to read or be read to for 15 minutes each night. There will be a sheet to record this in the take home folder. • Vocabulary words will come home on Monday. They will be tested on these words on Friday. Please review your child’s words with them each night. • Homework will come home Monday-Thursday. • My purpose for homework is to establish work patterns, responsibility, practice skills, and interactive time with parents. HOMEFUN

14. Read to your child each night. • Expect your child to begin taking responsibility for him/herself • Give your child jobs/chores at home • Ask questions about your child’s work at school • Encourage positive behavior • Listen as children share/”read” books to you WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME…

15. Writers’ Workshop • Balanced Literacy • Literacy Centers • Math/Centers • Science/Social Studies Curriculum

16. Clip Chart • All students start on Ready to Learn. Students may move up or down according to the choices they make each day. • Any time a student makes it to the top of the chart, they get to add a jewel to their clip. • On Friday, if a child has Ready to Learn or above for at least four out of five days, they will visit the treasure box. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

17. Consequences if a student moves down: • Think About It—Warning • Teacher’s Choice—Loss of a privilege • Parent Contact—Parent will be contacted • Behavior will be noted in the take home folder each day. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (cont).

18. Book Buddies • Circus • Science Festival • Favorite Character Parade • Grandparent’s Day • Field Trips • Thanksgiving Feast • Christmas Caroling at NHC • 100th Day of School Celebration KINDERGARTEN FUN!

19. Book orders • Fall Festival • Thanksgiving Feast • Volunteering • Kroger Cares • Misc. • Grandparents Day Room Mother-Tara Stonestonefamtn@gmail.com

20. Donation money is being handled through the PTC. You will receive emails updating you throughout the year! Email the PTC at campusptc@gmail.com if you are not already on the email distribution list. • Money will also be used for classroom supplies needed for projects and activities. DONATION MONEY

21. We are: • Developing fine motor skills • Enhancing pre-writing skills • Advancing pre-reading skills • Enhancing reading skills • Using the computer for assessment • Covering math and concepts • Using the computer as a tool • Learning how a mouse works • Understanding computer functions • Keyboarding Kindergarteners and Technology

22. Email—this is the best way to reach me • seigfriedd@rcschools.net • Take Home folder • Red tub by the door--notes • Phone (615)-895-1030 • Website COMMUNICATION

23. Drop Off:  *From 7:00-7:40am, students may be dropped off at the side cafeteria door.*From 7:40-7:55 am, students may be dropped off at covered sidewalk (across from playground) or at the front doors*After 7:55am, students are tardy and must be signed in at the office by a parent. **Any time a parent is walking a child in, you must sign in at front office and receive a ‘Visitor’ tag

24. Pick Up:* Afternoon pick up for K and older siblings is in the back parking lot. * Traffic will make a semi-circle thru the lot and then exit to the left.* Please remain in your vehicle in the pick up line and have your child’s name displayed in your front windshield.**If your child is to go home with another student, theteacher and school office will need a note concerning this change.

25. DAILY SCHEDULE • 7:55-8:00 Announcements • 8:00-8:15 Calendar • 8:15-10:15 ELA Block (includes WG&SG reading; Word Study; Writers Workshop) • 10:15-10:30 Snack • 10:35-11:15 Related Arts • 11:15-11:45 ELA Sci/SS Integration • 11:50-12:20 Lunch • 12:30-1:10 Enrichment • 1:15-2:15 Math Block • 2:15-2:45 Recess • 2:45-2:55 Pack up

26. Listening to stories read aloud. • Learning nursery rhymes, stories, songs and poems. • Drawing pictures and telling about the picture. • Drawing pictures and writing words/sentences to describe them. • Recognizing and writing capital and lower case letters. • Learning the sounds for each letter (including long and short vowels). • Distinguishing likenesses and differences in sounds. • Generating rhyming words. • Blending sounds into words. Counting syllables in words. • Writing words using sound spelling. • Reading and writing sight words such as: a, and, at, can, I, in, is, it, like, me, my, see, the, we, you. • Writing two or more sentences about a topic using sound spelling and sight words. • Developing directional skills when reading and writing (left to right, top to bottom, front to back). • Listening to and reading leveled books. • Applying a variety of strategies to comprehend fiction and nonfiction • Recognizing and using end punctuation. • Using capital letters for proper nouns and at the beginning of sentences. Reading & Writing SkillsIn kindergarten, reading and writing skills are promoted through:

27. Support your child’s success in literacy by: • Read stories aloud – frequent reading to your child is the single most important boost you can give reading development. • Read poetry – nursery rhymes and poems help your child hear and use words with similar endings. • Go to your library – even before your child learns to read, he/she should be introduced to the joys of the neighborhood library. • Encourage your child to tell a story or repeat a favorite nursery rhyme. Be enthusiastic and responsive to your child’s attempts. • Provide a variety of books and reading materials that support a daily reading routine. • Provide opportunities for writing, drawing and manipulating letters. (chalk, magnetic letters) • Label things around the house so that your child becomes aware that names can be written. • Let your child see you using reading and writing in your everyday life; talk about what you read for work and for fun. • Ask “what if ” questions about stories and situations. • Encourage your child to write notes, make labels and create lists (Example – a shopping list). • Reread favorite books.

28. During the kindergarten year, students will: • develop number sense and relationships among numbers. • explore pattern and functional relationships. • recognize, name, draw, describe and compare geometric shapes. • recognize the attributes of length, capacity, area, weight and time. • sort and classify objects and organize data according to attributes. • apply strategies to problem solving situations. • choose appropriate reasons on which to base their conclusions. • communicate their mathematical ideas orally and in writing. Math Skills

29. Parents can encourage mathematical development by: • reading literature with math references. • playing math games. • singing jingles and reciting rhymes that use numbers. • encouraging mathematical vocabulary by making comparisons: greater, less, more, fewer, taller, shorter. • finding patterns everywhere in life: in shapes, in numbers, in objects—everywhere! • encouraging your child to express their reasoning processes. • playing with or making puzzles and mazes. • model persistence and pleasure with mathematics. • let your child know they can succeed. • practice estimation whenever possible.

30. The most important tool that young children use is observation. In kindergarten, an emphasis is placed on helping children make observations by using their senses. Developing an understanding of systems within science begins with students learning to classify (sort) objects and events in their world according to certain rules. Children learn science skills such as questioning, predicting, measuring, graphing and communicating as they investigate various topics and explore the relationships between them. Through hands-on investigations, students will: • Explore and compare events and classify properties of matter through the use of senses. • Observe and compare plant and animal growth and changes. • Understand that plants and animals have different structures and characteristics. • Predict weather and seasonal effects on plants, animals and humans. • Investigate science concepts, collect data and communicate information. Science Skills

31. Ways Parents Can Help Encourage Scientific Thinking: • Encourage your child to collect and organize objects such as seeds, rocks, marbles and shells. Provide a magnifying glass and encourage observational investigations. You could ask, “What do you notice?” “Which ones do you think belong in the same group?”“Why do you think that happened?” • Show your child that you are interested in science, too. Mix paints, weigh snow, study a rainbow, watch an anthill, predict the weather, catch fireflies and then let them go. • Sometimes, rather than answering your child’s science question, trigger an investigation by asking questions: “Why do you think...?”“What would happen if...?”“How could we find out?” • Take your child to the library to borrow books and videos on many different science topics. • Visit local museums, a zoo or a science center. Take nature walks and start collections. • Show your child that science is a part of everything we do, see and experience.

32. Kindergarten students are curious about their world. They are learning how to interact with others and are eager to explore sources of information. The kindergarten social studies curriculum introduces important social science concepts in the context of the kindergarten student’s day-to-day experience. The following social studies concepts and skills are introduced in kindergarten: • Democratic decision-making (looking at alternatives and voting as a class) • Authority figures are in charge of safety and can help solve problems • Character education traits (responsibility, respect, perseverance, caring, cooperation, honesty, courage, patience, self-control) • Working cooperatively toward a goal • Developing historical awareness (past and present) • Examining varied sources of information • Using a map and globe • Public and private goods (classroom and community examples) • People share traditions • People have basic rights Social Studies Skills

33. Parents can reinforce social studies concepts through fun activities at home: •Hold family meetings to discuss family decisions or events, vote on outcomes when appropriate • Discuss ways your child can be a good citizen (for example, picking up trash and throwing it away); Discuss character education traits • Perform a community service • Make a list of authority figures in your child’s life • Work together to accomplish a family goal; talk about cooperation to achieve it • Share stories, photographs and family traditions • Visit the library and look for a book related to your family’s heritage • Use a map or globe to discuss places important to your family • Cook a traditional family food • Locate an object related to a family tradition and discuss why it is special to your family • Discuss basic rights and safety issues with your child • Discuss the difference between public goods and private goods in your home • Keep a family scrapbook; Organize and label photographs with your child • Watch home videos and discuss past and present • Eat at a variety of restaurants to sample traditional foods of various

34. WELCOME Seigfried’s Superstars Kindergarten seigfriedd@rcschools.net