FAQ

This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.

1. Is my child expected to be reading by the end of kindergarten?

Yes. With a full day of kindergarten, the state and district expectations are set for the children to leave reading. The children will be expected to read cvc words (consonant - vowel - consonant), the expected 50 kindergarten sight words and start to read words with more complex grammatical rules such as words with long vowels, digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh, and ck), and so on.

2. Will my child learn to write?

Yes. Again, your child's level of writing will depend on his/her readiness. This area will amaze you. By the end of kindergarten, your child should be able to write multiple sentences with proper spacing, capitalization, and punctuation, however, proper punctuation, such as identifying the end of one sentence and the beginning of another is difficult. The children will write independently by sounding out words and eventually use many correctly spelled sight words and other common words. Through Writer’s Workshop, your child will learn to write three different genres of writing: narrative, informative (how-to books) and opinion. Many specific strategies and skills will be taught that will help your child evolve from picture stories to labeling, to writing a sentence, to writing a few sentences, to writing pages of sentences. It is truly amazing what your child will learn. However, please be aware that this is an area of individual development, but your child should understand the concept of writing, using spaces in between words, trying to hear the individual sounds in a word, etc.

3. Will my child have homework in kindergarten?

On Fridays, I send home your child’s red reading folder which contain the books I taught and we read together during our guided reading sessions throughout the week. Have your child read and reread these books to you and other family members. The more your child reads these books over and over, the more fluent of a reader your child will become. Once your child has read these books multiple times, sign the note that accompanies the book and return it to school. I then place stickers on your child’s reading folder. In addition to that, there is a fun home project or activity sent home from time to time. Starting at the end of January, I will send home a bag of books each week filled with books at your child's reading level. The children will be expected to read their books and write about their favorite one. These books are property of Frenchtown and must be returned. The paper copies sent home in the red reading folder are for your child to keep.

4. With what skills should the children come to kindergarten?

Believe it or not, my answer is not academic. Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful when the children come with a knowledge base(writing their name, recognizing letters, numbers, colors and shapes, etc.), but I am more concerned with other areas. I would like the children to come to school with the ability to be a good listener by raising his/her hand, taking turns, sitting in one place, and paying attention (At the start of kindergarten, their attention span is 10-15 minutes and increases quite a bit by the end of the year.) . I would like the child to interact socially in a positive manner. I would like them to be independent in using the bathroom, buttoning, zippering, taking their coat on/off, etc. These life and social skills are of utmost importance. I of course, teach and reinforce all of these mentioned skills on a daily basis. Once children acquire these skills, I can take care of the academics.

5. What is my role as a parent?

I hope you already realize that your role is of great importance. By working together to educate your child, he/she will develop more confidence, self-esteem and knowledge. I can teach your child a lot all on my own, but it could never match what we could accomplish together.

6. Should I send my child to kindergarten if his/her birthday is late in fall?

The answer is very individual and often depends on the child, but it is never a bad thing to wait an extra year if you are uncertain. Another year just gives your child an opportunity to develop more skills and independence. Look most carefully at your child's social skills in conjunction with his/her academic skills. My cousin (who will be 25 in November) was very bright at the age of four, but also very shy. She went to kindergarten and cried every day for a month. My aunt and uncle pulled her out of kindergarten and sent her the following year. She has been thriving ever since! Her sister was also a November birthday (she will be 20). She did attend kindergarten at the age of four and did quite well. She is starting her first year of college. The bottom line is that it is all about self-confidence. A confident child is a happier and more successful child.