Kindergarten A

Dear Families,

Thank you, parents, for your presence during our Back-to-School Night and for taking the time to connect with us as we begin this year together. Your engagement and encouragement are so important and greatly appreciated.

September has brought a whirlwind of excitement and discovery in our kindergarten classroom. The first month of school has been a time of building friendships, exploring new books, and embarking on our learning adventures together. Students are embracing new routines, including family-style lunch where they are experiencing new foods and practicing being brave tasters. We’ve also been making the most of our time outdoors, whether playing in Prospect Park or going on wonder walks to notice the change in the seasons as well as the beauty and details of the world around us. From counting blocks to creating art, your children are engaged in experiences that nurture their growing minds. We look forward to watching our kindergarteners continue to bloom throughout the year.

Important Dates

• 09/22/25 - No After School: Rosh Hashanah

• 09/23/25 - School Closed: Rosh Hashanah

• 09/24/25 - School Closed: Rosh Hashanah

• 09/25/25 - New Parent Dinner, 6:30 PM

• 09/26/25 - United Voices, 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM (Sign-Up Sheet)

• 09/29/25 - HUGS COM & HUGS LGBTQ+ Social, 7:00 PM

• 10/01/25 - No After School - Yom Kippur

• 10/02/25 - School Closed - Yom Kippur

• 10/10/25 - Apple Picking Field Trip

• 10/13/25 - School Closed - Indigenous Peoples’ Day

• 10/17/25 - Crazy Sock Day

• 10/18/25 - Pumpkin Patch & Great Halloween Costume Swap!

Here are some important reminders for the week:

1. Please see the Kindergarten Parent Information sheet for essential items you may have missed during Back To School Night.

2. If you have not already done so, please complete the Parents as Partners Questionnaire as soon as possible. Completing the questionnaire is vital as it provides valuable insights into your child's unique needs, interests, and strengths. Your input plays a pivotal role in tailoring our educational approach to best support your child's development and empowers us to create an effective learning environment for your child's growth and success.

3. Please take the time to sit down with your child to review lunch menu options from Nutrislice. We are encouraging all of the children to try the hot food items. Please use this link to review the menu.

4. Please see the communication below from Poly’s Sustainability Coordinators:

Dear Lower School Families,

The time has come for our fourth annual Great Halloween Costume Swap! This year, we are also collecting sports equipment and apparel in good condition. 

Families can donate gently used costumes and sports equipment in the weeks leading up to Pumpkin Patch on October 18. At Pumpkin Patch, families and children can come to our tent and pick out a costume or sports apparel. 

Where and when do I drop off costumes?

There will be a costume collection box in the Lower School vestibule from Monday, September 29 through Friday October 17. You can also bring costumes and gear directly to Homecoming and drop them off at the swap station. 

Costumes Accepted:

• Children' s sizes (0-12)

• They should be gently used and clean

• Permissible and respectful: no imaginary weapons and no stereotypical 

representations of cultures or peoples. 

• Accessories and incomplete costumes are totally accepted!

Sports Gear Accepted:

• Field equipment (lacrosse sticks/baseball mitts, etc)

• Jerseys 

• Cleats 

• Shin Guards

Please do not donate helmets, mouth guards, shorts or sports balls

Please reach out if you have any questions: sely@polyprep.org and mvizzotti@polyprep.org. We look forward to a great costume swap!

Sarah Ely

Marie Vizzotti

Please read below for this coming week’s learning goals and a few pointers for what you can do at home:

Social Emotional Learning

• Friendships 

• Feelings/Emotions

• Empathy

Reading

• How to take a picture walk 

• Before reading a book, look through it from beginning to end using the illustrations to anticipate what the book will be about.

• Word of the week 

  • The sight word this week will be and. Have your child find the word “and” in magazines, newspapers, etc. They can circle, underline or highlight (also good for fine motor) every time they see the word. As you or they are reading books they can also count the number of times it shows up on the page.

• Print Concepts 

  • Directionality

    • Understanding that text is read from left to right and top to bottom on a page 

  • Distinguishing between letters and words

  • One-to-one correspondence

    • Pointing to words as they are read aloud; Using your “pointer power”

Fundations / Handwriting 

• Letters i and u

  • Recognizing lowercase letter i and u

  • The sounds of i and u

  • Writing lowercase letters i and u

• Fundations At Home Pack for letters “i and u”

  • The Fundations Home Support Pack provides you with the “why” and the “what” regarding our reading program, Fundations. The Fundations Home Packet also provides you with the language that the teachers use when forming their letters. Please use the same language when instructing and practicing with your child at home.

Writing Workshop

• We will begin our first writing unit called "We are all Writers!" This unit introduces children to writing by exploring both informational pieces and true stories. Students are encouraged to think, draw, label, and write about their pictures in their own way. It's an exciting step in developing their storytelling skills.

• We are also learning the little rhyme, When you think you’re done, you’ve only just begun. Children often say they are done, but we ask them to add more details to drawing, labeling and writing.

Math

Numbers to 5

• MIF Home to School Connections 

• Counting up to five objects using one-to-one correspondence

• Practicing writing numbers with the correct formation

• Ordering numbers to five in both increasing and decreasing order

• Practicing different ways to make five

Social Studies

• Seasons

  • Naming seasons and discussing why they change

  • What happens in nature and in our lives during the four seasons

• We are also celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month or Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana. Every grade has been assigned a Spanish speaking country to learn more about. Kindergarten is learning more about Mexico! 

What You Can Do At Home

• I Spy: Find pictures in the illustrations that begin with the letters we’ve learned so far: t, b, f, m, n, and this week i and u. Let’s play an “I Spy” game! Look for things that start with these letters in books or around you.

• Picture Walk: Before reading a book, take a picture walk. Flip through the pages and look at the illustrations from beginning to end. What do you think the story might be about? Who are the characters? Where does the story take place? This will help us make guesses and get excited about what’s going to happen in the book.

• Five Fingers Count: Use your hands to explore combinations that make 5. Show 3 fingers on one hand and 2 on the other, then switch to 4 fingers and 1. Encourage your child to find all the combinations.

• Number Tracing in Sand or Flour: Pour a small amount of sand or flour into a shallow tray. Encourage your child to trace the numbers 1 through 5 using their pointer finger. This tactile activity reinforces number formation and helps with fine motor skills. 

• Discuss the importance of celebrating Heritage Months: In September, we take time to celebrate the history, cultures, and contributions of people whose families come from places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, and South America. We celebrate because Hispanic people have shared so many important traditions, stories, foods, music, and ideas that make our communities stronger. It’s a way to honor them and to learn about different cultures.

• National Hispanic Heritage Month: Introduce your child to famous Hispanic artists like Frida Kahlo or Pablo Picasso. Let them create their own artwork inspired by these artists using crayons, markers, or paints. You can also explore traditional crafts like papel picado (colorful paper banners) or molas (colorful textile art).