There are SO many exciting things that are going to happen this year! Kindergarten is the first year of "real school" to many people so it is a big shift from Kinderstart/PreK programs. There are uniforms, all specialists, a lot of responsibility, along with a whole lot of fun :)

While there are many academic goals, the biggest goal of Kindergarten is to build their love of learning. I always pray that the Kinders come bolting down the hallway each morning, excited and ready for a great day!

 In terms of measured growth, some of the key goals for the school year include recognizing all letters/sounds, sight word recognition, reading/decoding CVC words (cat, mug, pin etc.), writing phonetically, numbers 0-31, addition and subtraction to 10, recognizing patterns and SO much more!

 There are also many developmental goals including taking turns, asking appropriate questions, being able to pack/unpack their own backpacks, getting winter clothes on on their own, asking for help when needed. 

There are so many things that grownups can do to help support learning and growth at home! While I do not send homework home, there are things that I will suggest and send home. Nothing is ever required but the extra support at home is important. 

  One of the biggest things you can do is read to your Kinders. You cannot believe how much that will help to ignite their love and excitement of literacy. It is the best thing you can do! After that, please help them to build their independence with remembering library books, packing their backpacks, getting their jackets/zippers/buttons done on their own, tying their own shoes (if they have them). These things may seem little but when there are 20+ Kinders all needing help, it can take a long time!

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me! Email is the best and quickest way to get your questions answered. I will respond to emails during school hours Monday-Friday. If you send an email over the weekend or after school Friday, I'll get to you first thing on Monday!

Absolutely! Children, especially Kindergartners, thrive and flourish with structure and routine. I always make sure to keep things consistent to help our little learners grow.

Our mornings normally start with morning work, than calendar, and then we jump straight into ELA (phonics, reading, writing). That is usually our entire morning. In the afternoon, depending upon when we have specialists, we start with math and then have science/social studies and religion. We end our day with free choice depending on the amount of time we have!