All About Mrs. Huff's Class

Mrs. huff’s Kindergarten Class

Welcome!! Mrs. Wooten and I are looking forward to a great year with all of you! Here is some information for you to read over. I think it will answer a lot of your questions about kindergarten! Please keep this in a safe place.

 

Communication Folders

These blue folders will be our communication on a daily basis. I will start sending these home on the first day of school. The folders will include everything from classroom newsletters, notes, letter writing sheets, math homework, reading logs, etc.! If you need to write me a note, please put it in your child’s folder. We will be checking them daily, so be sure to send it back to school each morning! 

Any work that is done during the previous week that can be sent home, will be sent home on Mondays (a lot of our work is hands-on/manipulatives). Please take out all of the work and return these folders the following day. 

I will be writing our class newsletter each week. You will receive these letters via email/Class Dojo. Please let me know if you do not have internet access and I will print you a hard copy if needed. PLEASE read the newsletter each week; it will tell you what is happening in our classroom and school and there will be times when I will need your help with projects, field trips, etc. 

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is our behavior system this year. Please see the handout about Class Dojo (an app you can download on your phone) and make sure you sign up.This will also be the primary way you can get in contact with me. I check Dojo several times throughout the day and in the evening. Please feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. I will also be posting pictures of the students on Dojo throughout the day and I will send reminders through Dojo. 

At Midway, all of our students earn “Eagle Bucks.” This is fake money that the students earn for good behavior. Every quarter, there will be a store set up for the students to visit to spend their Eagle Bucks. 

4 Dojo Points= 1 Eagle Buck

Students will have Pay Day on Friday afternoon. I will give students an Eagle Buck for every 4 Dojo points they have earned throughout the week. 

 

Reading

In Kindergarten, we have a balanced literacy approach. 

-Shared Reading: We will be reading books as a whole class. The lessons will target print concepts, phonemic awareness, comprehension skills, decoding strategies, and supports oral language.

-Guided Reading: I will meet with small groups of children with similar reading abilities. We will be working on specific pre-reading/reading skills with a book that is appropriate to their level of reading.

-Independent Reading: Students will read appropriate books on their reading level by themselves. This helps promote enjoyment, fluency, comprehension and gives children a chance to practice their reading strategies.

-Read Alouds: I will read aloud books to model fluent reading, support comprehension, and expand vocabulary. Read alouds also help students develop a love for reading.

Your child will be participating in each of these reading activities DAILY! Literacy is woven in our day so seamlessly in routine tasks, play, and exploration! It is appropriate for kindergarteners to experience reading in a natural, systematic progression. He or she will have many reading opportunities throughout our day!

 

Alphafriends

Kindergarten students will be learning a phonics program called Alphafriends.  Everyday your child will meet friendly letter characters that provide visual memory clues so that children will learn and retain letter shape and sound correspondence. The “Alphafriends” that your child will meet are a combination of people and animals that are lively, bright, and colorful. They have fun stories to go along with them to help students discover important phonics rules. 

 

Writing

Just as in our reading program, our writing approach is also balanced. We have a shared writing time, modeled writing time, and independent writing time. Children will first be taught how to hold and use writing tools, how to make shapes to form a picture, and eventually, letter formation. Writing in kindergarten is a gradual process and children will have numerous opportunities to practice writing DAILY!

 

math

During math, we will do number talks where students verbally explain their thinking with numbers. We will have a math lesson everyday as well as time for students to work independently, with partners, and with groups to practice new skills. I am supportive of a math block that encourages children to explore and learn math concepts by using appropriate manipulatives and resources. 

 

science/social studies

Either science or social studies will be taught every day. Our kindergarten team works very hard to integrate both of these subjects into the literacy block! 

 

snacks

Your child is welcome to bring a reusable water bottle with their name clearly labeled on it each day! They can refill it at school. Your child needs to bring a healthy snack each day to school.  Healthy snacks include apple slices, carrots, popcorn, pretzels, graham crackers, granola bars, yogurt, Chex mix, cereal, etc. If there are parents who would like to donate some extra, healthy snacks for the occasion that a child forgets their snacks please contact me. 

 

Standards based grading

At Midway, we use Standards Based Grading. 
Please know that your child will receive grades based on a numbering system.  The following is the standards based grading system:

3 - Your child is consistently applying the skill

2 - Your child is inconsistently applying the skill

1 - Your child is not meeting grade level expectations; interventions and/or modified assignments needed

 

homework

Many parents ask, “What does my kindergartener have for homework?” Your 5 or 6 year old is just that…5 and 6. He/She has had a jam packed day full of information and new concepts. Developmentally, they need “down time” and time to be a 5 or 6 year old; run, climb, explore, build, play games, sports, etc. It is during this time that they are learning problem solving skills, relationships, and building background knowledge. However, reading to/with your child DAILY is very important and is encouraged. I will be sending home a book on Mondays (beginning a couple of weeks into school) that is on your child’s reading level. I will also send home some questions for you to ask your child. Please let your child read to you and answer the questions. This shows them that you value time spent with them and you are fostering a love of reading! They will be working very hard throughout the year learning how to read and will be excited on sharing that with you! Please be patient with your child. He/She will learn to read or improve his/her reading at their own pace. Celebrate the small steps! We all had to start somewhere!

 

 

Reading Logs

I will be sending home a reading log monthly. These logs stay in your child’s reading folder. Please read to/with your child every night and document it on the reading log. 

 

birthdays

On your child's birthday, they will receive a birthday crown, pencil, and sticker at school. You are welcome to bring in a treat for the whole class on your child's birthday, but it must be STORE BOUGHT, brought in AFTER lunch, and you must drop off the treat in the office. 

 

lunch

We have lunch from 10:50-11:15. You are always welcome to come eat lunch with your child. Sign in at the office and wait for us outside of the office! Please pack a healthy lunch for your child and set up a lunch account and send in money as needed. A lunch account is a good idea, even if you plan to always send a lunch. Accidents happen (sandwiches fall on the floor, etc.), and we would like them to be able to purchase something in a pinch. When packing their lunch, please put things that you want your child to eat first in containers that they can open independently.

 

safety

Keeping your children safe while they are at school is of primary importance to us. We have plans in place for emergencies that will affect the entire school and all staff have been trained in how to respond to emergency situations. There are several drills/practices that we will be doing with your children this year so that they will know what to do in the event of an emergency.