Kindergarten Info

January 5 - 9, 2026

Mrs. Riski

Ms. Ortiz

Mrs. Lind

Mrs. Richardson

Important Dates

Jan. 5 - 6th - No School (Winter Break)

Jan. 7th - Middle of the year test results go home

Middle of the Year School Results

Mid-year parent letters and student assessment data will be sent home on Wednesday, January 7th. Please look for these in your child’s Goal Setting Folder. If you have any questions regarding the letter or your child’s progress, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Please sign and return your child's goal setting folder after reviewing it with them.

Thank you!

Learning Objective

Reading: Students will make and check predictions about a story

Writing: Students will create their own story using the sequence words: First, Next and Last.

Math: Students will recognize, count and write numbers 11 -13.

Science: Students will describe and classify rocks by observable properties of size, shape, color, and texture.

Winter Clothes

Parents,

It's that time of year. The weather is changing and it is COLD! Please make sure to replace your child's change of clothes in their backpacks with winter appropriate clothing.

Please send your child to school with a jacket everyday. Please work with your child on how to put on their jacket and how to zip it up!

Thank you!

Library

Below is the day your child's class will go to the library each week! Please make sure your child brings their book back the DAY BEFORE their library day. We always tell our students to keep their book in their backpack at all times (unless they are reading it) so it is always here at school when it's time for the library!

Lind: Monday

Riski: Tuesday

Ortiz: Wednesday

Richardson: Thursday

PURPLE - Irregular Sight Words

By the end of Kindergarten, your child needs to know how to read and spell/write the purple irregular words in your child's book bag.

Mastery means they do not have to sound them out or look at the word to spell them.

Please practice nightly until mastered. The goal is to be able to spell/write at least 25 of these words by the end of the 3rd and 4th nine weeks of Kindergarten.

Thank you for helping your child succeed in Kindergarten!

Book Bags

NEW sight word cards for the 3rd 9 weeks have been placed in your child's reading book bag. Please make sure you have cut out the ORANGE sight word cards.

Ideas to do after your child finishes their book:

-Find sight words in the book.

-Ask your child questions about the book.

-Retell the story in order.

Don't forget to make sure your child brings their book bag to school EVERY DAY!

Sight Words

This week's sight words are:

here, love, play, say

Standards Based Report Cards

Here are a few links to help you better understand how grading works in Kindergarten. Please read the parent guide for questions and reference the rubric to understand how each TEK is assessed and marked.

Parent Guide

1st Nine Weeks Rubric

2nd Nine Weeks Rubric

Transportation Changes

When making ride changes, picking up students for appointments and absences, please email both Sierra Salter (sierra.salter@gcisd.net) and Paola Cervantes (paola.cervantes@gcisd.net) in case one of them is out of the office.

Lunch

If you want to come eat lunch with your child, please let your child's teacher know 24 hours in advance. There are tables outside that you and your child can use to eat together!

Forget Me Not Shelf

If your child forgets their lunch/snack and you plan to drop it off at school, please be sure to let your child's teacher know in advance. This allows the teacher to check the Forget Me Not shelf and ensure that your child receives what you brought.

January Birthdays

June - 6th

Peyton - 7th

Nisa - 15th

Ava A. - 18th

Theo - 27th

Savannah - 28th

Teacher Wish List

Mrs. Riski's List

Ms. Ortiz's List

Mrs. Lind's List

Mrs. Richardson's List

PTA Facebook Page

Please join the OCT PTA Kindergarten Facebook page by searching

O.C. Taylor Kindergarten 2025-2026

This page offers lots of information about what is happening at OCT!

Gifted and Talented (GT) Update

Gifted and Talented Important Dates:

5th Grade referral window: Oct. 14th - Nov. 3rd

5th Grade testing begins: Nov. 10th - Dec. 12th

K-4 Parent Meeting: November 12th @ 5:30 (PDEC)

K-4 referral window: Dec. 1st - 15th

K- 4th GT testing: January 8th - 30th

Volunteering

If you plan to volunteer in any capacity this school year, please click here to complete the background check.

GLC Update

Dear Kindergarten Families,

My name is Bibi Yasmin Katsev, and along with Priscila Tamplain, I’ll be serving as your Kindergarten Grade Level Coordinator (GLC) this year.

As your GLCs, we’ll help coordinate several exciting activities throughout the school year, including:

Birthday celebrations for our amazing Kindergarten teachers
Lunchtime support
Thanksgiving Feast*
Winter Holiday Party
Valentine’s Day Party
Kindergarten Rodeo & Music Program
End-of-Year Kindergarten Party*

*Please note: Events marked with an asterisk are not PTA-sponsored and will require financial contributions from families.

I occasionally send PTA-related emails throughout the year regarding information for these events.

If you would like to have your email(s) on my list, please complete this brief Google Form as OCT staff are no longer able to share any emails with Grade Level Coordinators. Please note that your emails will not be shared with anyone else other than myself.

We’re excited for a fun-filled, memorable year together. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Best,

Bibi Yasmin Katsev

Kindergarten GLC

305-778-9670

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