Meet your teachers:

Mrs. Giddens - I am overjoyed that I get to teach, learn, and laugh with your child this year. Nativity is almost a 2nd home - I've worked and been involved in the school since 2003. I have been teaching at Nativity for 5 years. I taught 3rd grade for 2 years and this will be my 3rd year teaching Kindergarten. My husband is also a teacher and I have an almost 6 year old son Caleb and a newborn son Nate - they are the light of my life! A few more things about me: I have always wanted to be a teacher - my first play memories are playing "school" with my stuffed animals (and yes, they always did their homework!). I have lived in Northern Virginia my entire life. Purple is my favorite color and I love reading and re-reading my favorite books.

Ms. Emily - Hello friends! I am pleased to be working in Kindergarten again this year. This will be my 4th year at Nativity and am blessed to be a part of this wonderful school. I have taught ECE (Early Childhood) for over 25 years and love working with young children. I am a mother to three wonderful children, Kian, 20, Liam, 14 and Seren, 9. They are my whole world. I always try to treat your children as my own, with love, empathy and respect. In my spare time, I like to write, study Japanese, (I have spent a lot of time there,) drink a lot of coffee and love classic Mustangs. Looking forward to a wonderful year with each and everyone of you!

By the end of Kindergarten your child will be able to:

• Write first and last name
• Use letters and phonetically spelled words to write about experiences
• Know all letter names
• Know all letter sounds
• Know all the vowels and their sounds
• Read CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant like mat)
• Read and write all my sight words
• Develop reading comprehension
• Read emergent readers for understanding and fluency
• Rhyme and segment words
• Know colors
• Identify shapes and draw them
• Identify numbers 1-30
• Write numbers 1-100
• Count to 100 by 1's, 5's, and 10's
• Add and subtract numbers up to 10

By the end of Kindergarten your child will know:

• That God loves us and shows us through the Bible, Jesus, and the Church
• A beginning sense of community through family and civics
• A beginning understanding of geography and map skills
• A beginning exploration of science through investigations, observation and recorded observations

Star of the Week:

Every week a new student will be our "Star". Each day of the week the student will bring in different things that will help us learn about them a little bit more.

Monday - please bring in a poster all about you!

Tuesday - please bring in a favorite book to share!

Wednesday - please bring in a show-and-tell of your choice!

Thursday - trip to the Treasure Chest!