Last modified: July 7, 2023

Welcome

to

Wasatch

Kindergarten!

Family Guide 2023-24

Communication

We welcome communication, and feel that it’s an important component of your student’s success.

Email is an effective way to communicate, and we check it daily.  If you’d like to talk in person, we’d be happy to arrange a time before the morning session, or after the afternoon session.  Between the two sessions is tricky, due to the short transition time.  (A note pinned to your child’s shirt also works!)

Folders will be sent home once a week.  Please return the folders once a week on the designated day. Monthly – Kindergarten Korner newsletter

Weekly – Writing homework page

Beginning of a new Math unit – A summary of our math focus

Schoolwide notes/flyers about upcoming events

“Book Baggies” – Please return these once a week!

Check out our classes’ Instagram pages.  Use it as an opportunity to talk with your child about what’s happening in school!

SignUpGenius is used for classroom volunteers, party volunteers, testing appointments, SEP’s, etc.

SEP’s (a.k.a. Parent/Teacher Conferences) are held twice a year. Please bring your student when you come!

Mrs. Auralea Dalton

Classroom: 2

E-mail: auralead@provo.edu

Mrs. Shari Payne

Classroom: 1

E-mail: sharip@provo.edu

Phone number: (801) 374-4910 ext. 2825

Making school a successful experience

Your child’s social and emotional well being is very important!

As kindergarteners, we will be learning about differences among individuals, and how to work independently. We’ll also learn to “Develop skills to interact cooperatively with others.” (Kindergarten Social Studies Standards)

Items to leave at home

“Personal” school supplies

Toys

Watches or other jewelry that are toys (these are easily lost)

Hand Sanitizer

Clorox wipes

Birthday party invitations  (Unless they are for the entire class)

Welcomed items

School supplies from the Kindergarten list will be used as a class community

A full sized backpack – for ease of transporting folders back and forth

Wasatch donation of $25

Attendance

Time is precious.  Even if your student can only attend one hour of school due to a dentist appointment, please come be with us for the time you can!

Birthdays

If it’s important to you to send something on your child’s birthday, please contact your teacher a few days beforehand to make arrangements.  This is absolutely not a requirement.

As teachers, we look forward to simply focusing on your child’s special qualities and talents on that special day!

Snacks

Please ensure your child has a healthy meal before school begins.

We will occasionally use food as part of our learning, but will not have a designated “snack time.”  Please do not send personal snacks/food with your student.

Homework

The purpose of homework is to give your child the opportunity to practice and apply previously taught skills in a different environment.

Repetition is important in retaining knowledge and reaching mastery.

Homework isn’t meant to teach brand new skills.

Kindergarten “Homework”  – 4+ days per week

WRITE  2 sentences.  (no more than 10 min) At first, it may just be copying a simple sentence.

Then students will be independently completing the end of a

given sentence.   Ex.  I like to…

Finally, students will be generating their own sentences.

(Sound spelling is encouraged!)

READING TIME – 4+ days a week  (10 min) Can be spent in any of the following ways~

You read TO them

You read WITH them

They read to YOU

***Reminder:   Weekly, you will receive a homework writing page.  This is for practice, and should not be returned.

When we begin a new math unit, you will receive a summary of the math focus.   It is to keep you connected with what we’re doing in class, and is not an assignment.

Baggie Books

The “Baggie Books” are not assigned books by your teacher.  They are simply books your student can use for their reading homework, if desired.

PROCEDURES

Three books per week will come home on Mondays.

Students return Baggie Books to the school on Fridays.

Many parents find it helpful to put the Baggie Books back in the student’s backpack each day after reading them.  (It prevents the need to remember to put them in their backpacks on Friday morning.)

After your student has read the book, please initial the bookmark—next to the book that has been read.  Return the bookmark to the bag.

If Baggie Books are lost or damaged (it happens!), please pay $5 per book to the front office.

LEVELING

The “leveling” of the books is not a perfect science!  We appreciate your patience.

Students should be able to read 90% of the book without help.

If your student needs to be provided with a different book level, please write a note and put it inside the book bag.

MAKING THE MOST OF READING TIME

Plan to reread the books several times during the week.  This builds fluency!

Please encourage your child to put his/her finger under each word while reading. This is called “tracking.”

“Reading the pictures” is an encouraged strategy.

If a student comes to a word they could not sound out, encourage them to “Use your power!”   (See back side of this page)

Ask your student questions about the book, even if it is a very simple book. Example questions are listed on the back of this page.

Most important ~

It may be hard not to constantly correct errors when a student is learning.  Make sure that you positively praise something that your student is doing correctly at least three times during each reading session.

Cookie Club / Incentives

The Cookie Club is a club we want all of our students to be in!

We will meet with all students each month to celebrate meeting our Cookie Club goals.

Here is how it works:

Each month the Kindergarten Korner newsletter will publish the high frequency words we will be working on for that month, including bonus words. The week of the check-ins, we will meet with each student to see if they know those high frequency words to mastery (within 3 seconds per word).  If they are having trouble, we will do extra practice, as well as ask you for help at home so that everyone can meet their goals. The cookies are special.  All students begin with their own cookie jar to keep at school all year.  Each month as they’re earned, a seasonal felt cookie is added to the jar. At the end of their kindergarten year, they will take home their full cookie jar as a memory of what they’ve worked hard to achieve this year.

This is a fun incentive for students to learn their high frequency words, and for teachers and parents to help their student succeed!

In addition~

The ABC Club is an incentive for students to fluently name all letter names and sounds (fluency is within 3 seconds per letter).

Students will earn a special book when the goal is met!

The 100 Club is an incentive for students to count and write to 100.

Students will earn a 100 Grand bar to be taken home.

This will begin after Christmas.

*Note:  Club check in’s are only once a month, and will begin at the end of September.

Academics

It’s a real treat to meet one-on-one with your student at the beginning of the year, and again at the end of the year.

Please note that May 3-7 there will be no kindergarten for an entire week while we hold individual appointments for the KEEP (Kindergarten Entry & Exit Profile).  We cherish this individual time with your child to proudly show what they’ve learned !

Essential skills ~

By the end of the school year, students will be reading sentences that include both sight words and 3-4 letter words.

To get there, students will be able to identify all letter names and sounds by the time we return from Christmas Break.

By the end of the school year, students will be able to correctly show addition and subtraction story problems using pictures and objects.

To get there, students will be able to count to 100 and

identify numbers up to 20 by Valentine’s Day.

By the end of the year, students will be independently writing at least 3 detailed sentences on a single topic, naming the topic, and using correct spacing & capitalization.

Need for intervention~

Early intervention is key!  We’re so fortunate to have research based programs to get a child caught up and at grade level.

When there’s a need, please take full advantage of this opportunity:

The “Care Bear Class”  will begin August 24.

8:05am – 8:35am – AM Class

11:50am – 12:20pm – AM Class  OR  PM Class

We teachers will review data on a monthly basis to evaluate needs.

We’ll then make invitations and exit students. Students who meet goals, will be exited in order to make room for other students.

Here is the link to Utah’s Early Childhood Core Standards

Safety

Drop off~

A Kindergarten “Drop off” car lane has been established at the front entrance.  When kindergarteners enter, there is a special spot for them to gather.  As the hall splits, it’s on the right hand side and is marked for each class.  Our kindergarten aides will be there to greet students beginning 15 minutes before the bell rings. Three minutes before the bell rings, the aides will then walk the class together to their kindergarten rooms.

Walking students will also wait with their class by their entrance spot outside the Wasatch Too doors on the red paw prints!  Again, an aide will be there to greet students 15 minutes before, and will walk the class together to the rooms three minutes before school begins.

Note:   For the first week, teachers will also be there to greet students each day.

Late entry~

If occasion arises that a student arrives after the bell, the student will check in at the office and find their way to the classroom independently (as in the past.)

Pick up ~

When school is dismissed, the kindergarten aides will walk students to the front entrance or the walking entrance outside Wasatch Too.  Bus students will go together to the bus.  With an aide, the classes will wait together.

When the child sees their “safe person,” they will raise their hand.  The aide will then touch them on the head/High Five to dismiss them.  Their “safe person” could be a sibling, neighbor, parent, or grandparent.

Ten minutes after school is dismissed, any student who has not been picked up will be taken to the office to safely wait there, including students at the walking exit outside Wasatch Too.

Going home with friends / Carpool lines ~

“Play dates” are an important part of growing up, and very encouraged!

If your child is going home with someone else, please send a quick note pinned to their shirt or email your teacher the night before.

A student saying he/she is “going home with a friend” has proven to be unreliable and is a safety issue. 🙂

A parent note or email helps us to get the child to the right place for pick up—either at the front of the school or at the back!