Kindergarten Info

March 9 - 13, 2026

Mrs. Riski

Ms. Ortiz

Mrs. Lind

Mrs. Richardson

Important Dates

Mar. 10 - Spring Picture and Class Picture Day

Mar. 11 - Kindergarten Rodeo + Parade (More information below!)

Mar. 13 - No School - Instructional Planning for Teachers

Mar. 16th - 20th - No School (Spring Break)

Mar. 23 - 3D Creation objects due (info. below and email sent March 12th)

Mar. 25 - Goal Setting Folders go home and Report Cards are ready in Skyward

Mar. 27 - GCISD website closes to pay online for field trip

Mar. 27 - Play It Safe Program (see Ms. Holley's section for information)

Apr. 8 - Dallas Zoo Field Trip (permission slips sent 3/2)

Learning Objective

Reading: Students will identify characters, setting, and main events in fiction.

Writing: Students will listen to a story and write a response to it.

Math: Students will tell about the parts (attributes) of a 3D shape.

Social Studies: Students will tell the difference between the direction of left and right.

Kindergarten Rodeo

Our annual Kindergarten Rodeo is on Wednesday, March 11th and you won't want to miss this event! We will parade through the halls/outside on rodeo day at 7:40am. The actual rodeo will be at 2:00pm in the cafeteria. The children LOVE getting to dress up like cowboys and cowgirls for this very special performance!

We can't wait to share this very special OC Taylor tradition with you all!

3D Creations

Dear Parents,

We need your help :)! After Spring Break, we will continue our unit on 3D shapes and would like to give the students an opportunity to build REAL objects/things with 3D shapes.

Here are the steps you and your child need to take by Monday, March 23rd:

1. Ask your child what they plan to build and send in items to help. We will "plan" our design and build most of the following week after Spring Break.

2. Look on Pinterest with your child, they may see some awesome creations. A few ideas are attached below. We will make animals, robots, castles, buildings etc.

3. Bring items to school (see list below) by Monday, March 23rd to create the REAL object your child has chosen. (We welcome you to bring in extra materials to share with others. Make sure your child knows what is theirs and what is to share.)

4. Teachers will provide construction paper, markers, crayons, etc.

5. If your child brings in boxes for their creation, consider wrapping it with the color of paper they desire in advance. For example, if they are making a pink castle, please wrap all the boxes prior to sending them in, it will help a BUNCH! (Imagine for a short minute that ALL the 5-year-olds are all needing your help at one time....and go from there!)

6. Please consider sending a strong base if the creation needs stability.

This is one of their favorite projects of the year and we LOVE helping them, but anything you can do in advance to reduce chaos is much appreciated!! ;-)

Possible 3D Shape items:

pre-wrapped small boxes (Kleenex, cereal, kids shoe boxes or tissue boxes-for buildings, bodies and heads-thank you for pre-wrapping these if your child has a "vision" in mind)

masking tape

duct tape

fun patterned tape

toilet paper or paper towel rolls-colored or plain

dixie cups

colored or patterned cardstock

ping pong balls or other spheres

popsicle sticks

cotton balls party hats

hot glue sticks

Any other items your child would like to include in their creation!

Yearbooks Are On Sale!

O. C. Taylor Yearbooks are on Sale!

You can order a yearbook and create an ad/ dedication page online at yearbookordercenter.com. Our order number for O.C. Taylor is 17833.

We are offering both softcover and hardcover yearbooks this year!

Last day to order an ad/ dedication page is March 14th.

Last day to pre-order a yearbook is March 28th.

Winter Clothes

Parents,

It's that time of year. The weather 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 4th 9 weeks have been placed in your child's reading book bag. Please make sure you have cut out the GREEN 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:

Stop, Tell, Time, Told

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

3rd 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.

March Birthdays

Cecelia - 1st

Lucy - 2nd

Troy - 2nd

Christian - 18th

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:

Kindergarten testing is complete. Information will be sent home once all testing is complete across the district.

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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