1 Kindergarten Handbook HELLO, KINDERGARTEN PARENTS! As your child’s teacher, I am looking forward to getting to know you… and thought you might want to know a little bit about me. Welcome to Kindergarten at Chapel Hill Academy! I grew up in Cambridge, Minnesota with my family and attended Cambridge-Isanti Schools. When I was eleven years old, my best friend led me to Christ. As I grew in my faith, it was no surprise to my family that I would attend the University of Northwestern, St. Paul as I was pursuing a Christ centered education experience. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and Bible with a focus on Pre- Primary Education. During my time at Northwestern, I met my husband Dan and was married during my senior year of college. Right after college, I received my first teaching job with Eden Prairie School District as a preschool teacher. After teaching for seven years, God was knocking on my heart. He wanted me to be teaching his children both academically and spiritually. Entering my eighth year of teaching, I am very excited to have this opportunity at Chapel Hill Academy to share my love for Christ within the classroom while teaching core subjects. Coming alongside parents in pursuit of a Christian education is such a blessing. Kindergarten is a very special year and I look forward to working together during this exciting year. I welcome your prayers and look forward to getting to know you and your family! 2015-2016 Mrs. Thompson 2015-2016
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Kindergarten Handbook
H E L L O, K I N D E R G A R T E N PA R E N T S ! As your child’s teacher, I am looking forward to getting to know you… and thought you might want to know a little bit about me.
Welcome to Kindergarten at Chapel Hill Academy!
I grew up in Cambridge, Minnesota with my family and attended Cambridge-Isanti Schools. When I was eleven years old, my best friend led me to Christ. As I grew in my faith, it was no surprise to my family that I would attend the University of Northwestern, St. Paul as I was pursuing a Christ centered education experience. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and Bible with a focus on Pre-Primary Education. During my time at Northwestern, I met my husband Dan and was married during my senior year of college. Right after college, I received my first teaching job with Eden Prairie School District as a preschool teacher. After teaching for seven years, God was knocking on my heart. He wanted me to be teaching his children both academically and
spiritually. Entering my eighth year of teaching, I am very excited to have this opportunity at Chapel Hill Academy to share my love for Christ within the classroom while teaching core subjects. Coming alongside parents in pursuit of a Christian education is such a blessing. Kindergarten is a very special year and I look forward to working together during this exciting year. I welcome your prayers and look forward to getting to know you and your family!
2015-2016
Mrs. Thompson 2015-2016
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September October November December January February March April May
Language Arts
Reading
Writing
Listening
Aa - Zz Identification and Sounds
Aa - Zz D’Nealian Letter Formation
Dictation—Letters, CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant words) and Silent e Words
High Frequency Word Identification and Memorization
Short and Long Vowel Word Reading
Read and Write Sentences
Social Studies
Science
Off to School
Patterns Finding Friends
By the Sea
Stick to It! My Shadow
Team Work
Ready, Set, Grow
Red, White and
Blue
Windy Days
Bible God is Almighty, Bountiful
God is Creator, Deliverer
God is Everlasting, Faithful, Good
God is Holy, Incompre-hensible
God is Jealous, The King, Loving
God is Merciful, Never-Tiring, Omniscient, Patient
God is Quick, Righteous, Sovereign, Trustworthy
God’s Plan for Salvation
God is Unchanging, Victorious, Worthy, Exalted
God is Yahweh, Zealous
Math Classify and Sort Data
Represent, Count and Write Numbers 0-5
Compare Numbers to 5
Represent, Count and Write Numbers 6-9
Represent and Compare Numbers to 10
Addition
Subtraction
Represent, Count and Write Numbers 11—19
Represent, Count and Write 20 and Beyond
Identify and Describe Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Shapes
Clocks to the Hour
Identification and Value of Money
Measurement
Scripture Memory
A and B
Scripture Memory
C and D
Scripture Memory
E, F and G
Scripture Memory
H and I
Scripture Memory
J, K and L
Scripture Memory
M, N, O and P
Scripture Memory
Q, R, S and T
Scripture Memory
U, V, W and X
Scripture Memory
Y, Z and Review
Skills Assessed:
Colors, Shapes, Birthday, Days of the Week, Months of the Year
Skills Assessed:
Address, Area Code plus Phone Num-ber, Count by 10’s to 100, Count by 5’s to 100, Left and Right Hands, Count 20 Objects, Identify Numbers 0—20, Read Color Words
Skills Assessed:
Count by 1’s to 100, Tells Time to the Hour, Money Identification and Value
Yearly Overview
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Skills to Know
Red Orange
Colors to Identify
Yellow Green
Blue Purple
Black Brown
White Gray
Pink
Square Circle
Shapes to Identify
Rhombus Oval
Rectangle Triangle
Heart Hexagon
Trapezoid Cube
Cylinder Sphere
Money to Identify
Penny = 1 Cent
Nickel = 5 Cents
Dime = 10 Cents
Quarter = 25 Cents
Dollar Bill = 100 Cents
List 1 List 2 List 3 List 4 List 5
a we can look some
the of his with there
and in him her boy
go am on what out
had at did was do
he to girl were little
I as for said when
see have but that then
has is up down be
you it all they she
High Frequency Word Lists
The high frequency words are an important part of our reading curriculum. These are words that occur frequently in reading materials and many cannot be decoded phonetically. Recognizing these words helps strengthen reading skills and reduce frustration. Children will not be graded on their ability to read sight words, but they are expected to memorize them in order to improve reading fluency and confidence.
Skills do not receive a letter grade, but mastery of each item is expected. The date each skill is mastered will be recorded.
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Handwriting practice in kindergarten helps develop visual perception and motor skills.
Handwriting helps develop bilateral coordination.
Confident and fluid handwriting skills enable your child to concentrate on the task at hand and not on mechanics.
D’Nealian Handwriting can help eliminate the b-d reversal problem.
D’Nealian helps develop the rhythm necessary for the flow of cursive writing.
D’Nealian Handwriting Alphabet
Handwriting
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A: Almighty
Their Redeemer is strong: the Lord Almighty is His name.
Jeremiah 50:34
B: Bountiful
My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
C: Creator
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
D: Deliverer
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.
Psalm 18:2
E: Everlasting
The LORD is the everlasting God.
Isaiah 4:28
F: Faithful
For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.
Psalm 33:4
G: Good
The LORD is good to all. He has compassion on all He has made.
Psalm 145:9
H: Holy
Be holy because I am holy.
1 Peter 1:16
I: Incomprehensible
Who has known the mind of the LORD? Who has been His counselor?
Romans 11:34
J: Jealous
I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols.
Isaiah 42:8
K: King
The LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King.
Jeremiah 10:10
L: Loving
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
M: Merciful
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:10
N: Never-Tiring
He will not grow tired or weary.
Isaiah 40:28
Scripture Memory
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Q: Quick
The LORD is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness.
2 Peter 3:9a
R: Righteous
A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.
Deuteronomy 32:4
S: Sovereign
What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.
Isaiah 46:11
T: Trustworthy
Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us.
Isaiah 25:9
U: Unchanging
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
V: Victorious
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57
W: Worthy
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.
Revelation 4:11
X: Exalted
You are exalted far above all gods.
Psalm 97:9
Y: Yahweh
I am the Lord; that is My name.
Isaiah 42:8
Z: Zealous
Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end; the zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:7
God’s Plan For Salvation The black page represents sin. Sin is disobeying God. We are all sinners.
The red page represents Jesus’ blood. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. If we repent, God will forgive our sins.
The white page represents a clean heart. God forgives our sins and remembers them no more.
The green page represents growing in Christ. What is one way to grow in Christ? Read the Bible. We can also talk to God, listen to Him, serve Him, and obey Him.
The yellow page represents heaven, where we can have eternal life in the presence of God.
O: Omniscient
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
Hebrews 4:13
P: Patient
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9b
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Sign Language
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Peacemakers
We will be introducing the Young Peacemakers conflict resolution curriculum by Corlette Sande. This
curriculum is about teaching students to respond to conflict God’s way. Through this program your child will
learn that repentance, confession and forgiveness are the heartbeat of conflict resolution. Your child will also
discover Biblical answers to questions like:
What is at the heart of conflict?
Is it possible to honor God by my response to conflict?
How can I take responsibility for my contribution to a conflict?
How can I go and talk to someone if we are in a fight?
How can we become friends again if there is a wall between us?
At the Kindergarten level we introduce the 5 A’s of conflict resolution.
5 A’s of Conflict Resolution
1. Admit
2. Apologize
3. Accept
4. Ask
5. Alter
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Social Skills
We will be spending time focusing on building relationships and social skills throughout the school year. These social skills will be integrated into our Biblical truths and character building topics.
Social Skills Building
Unit 1: Skills for Learning Learning to Listen
Focusing Attention
Following Directions
Self-Talk for staying on Task
Being Assertive
Unit 2: Empathy Feelings
More Feelings
Identifying Anger
Same or Different?
Accidents
Caring and Helping
Unit 3: Emotion Management We Feel Feelings in Our Bodies
Managing Frustration
Calming Down Strong Feelings
Handling Waiting
Managing Anger
Managing Disappointment
Handling Being Knocked Down
Unit 4: Problem Solving Solving Problems
Inviting to Play
Fair Ways to Play
Having Fun With Our Friends
Handling Having Things Taken Away
Handling Name Calling
Review
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Policies
Discipleship Policies “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~ John 13:35
God’s Word lays the foundation for the behavioral expectations in our classroom. Children will be taught:
Love and respect for God
Love and respect for Others
Respect for Property
Students will be instructed about classroom expectations and appropriate behaviors through discussion and modeling. Words of praise and encouragement, and redirection will be the primary components of the discipleship plan. We will provide many opportunities for your child to make good choices and assess their own behavior, and we will celebrate their growth.
For additional information refer to the Parent Handbook on Discipleship plan.
Arrival/Dismissal Children who arrive before 8:05 should go directly to the lunchroom where they will be supervised by a CHA staff member. Children who arrive between 8:05 and 8:15 should go to their locker first to drop off coats if necessary, and then come directly to the classroom. The start bell will ring at 8:15 a.m.
The classroom door will be open from 8:05-8:15. Any students who arrive after 8:15 will be counted tardy. Parents are welcome to bring their children into the building rather than dropping them off outside, if desired. However, we encourage you to say good-bye at the classroom door in order to allow your child to attain independence in making preparations for the day.
There are four options for full-day dismissal:
Pick up your child in the classroom at 3:20.
Cougar Care
Use the White/Gold pick up lines
Bus
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Policies
Arrival/Dismissal (continued) Please inform me of your dismissal plan BEFORE the first day of school if you have not done so already.
Written permission is always required when children will be leaving school with anyone other than their parents or regular carpool family. If someone else (such as a grandparent) will be frequently picking up your child, you may write one note for the entire year.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
Field Trip We will visit the Chanhassen Fire Station in October. The trip to the fire station doesn’t require parent participation, but we will ask for chaperones for other trips. However, due to the age of the kindergartners and the need for careful supervision, we are unable to take younger siblings. Look for more details regarding field trips in the near future.
Chapel All kindergartners will attend the K-4 chapel service each Wednesday morning. All students are required to follow the CHA dress code policy.
Children may bring an offering at any time and place it in the “Chapel Offering” container in the classroom. It will then be taken to chapel each Wednesday morning.
Library Children will be allowed to check out a book each time they visit the school library when the account is balanced. These materials should be returned to the “Library Books” bin in our classroom, on or before the next trip to the library. We will see that the books are returned to the library that same day.
Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. Winters will send home notices for books that are past due. Please contact them directly if you have any questions or concerns.
Physical Education Kindergarten children will attend P.E. class twice each week. In order to keep our gym floor in good condition, all CHA students are required to keep a pair of tennis shoes at school to be worn only during gym class.
These shoes do not need to be new, but should be clean and have non-marking soles. Children should be able to take them on and off independently….no lace-up shoes until your child has mastered this skill, please.
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Policies
Recess All students will have recess every day, except for days when weather prohibits them from going outside or days with special events. Children are encouraged to wear tennis shoes every day as they provide good support and are less likely to cause injuries than sandals, clogs or slip-on shoes. Tennis shoes ARE acceptable on chapel days.
Girls should ALWAYS wear shorts (or tights) under dresses or skirts. When purchasing outer clothing for the winter months, please try to select items that the children can put on and remove independently, especially boots and mittens.
Birthdays We love to celebrate birthdays in our classroom! This year we are requesting each child to bring a new or slightly used book to donate to our classroom library on his or her birthday in place of food items or party favors. Please help us build our classroom library in this special way. You may come into our classroom to read the story to the class, or I can read it if you prefer. I will place a sticker in the front of the book recording your child’s name and the date the book was given.
Lockers Kindergarten students should bring their backpacks into the classroom each day and hang them on their backpack hooks. However, all outer wear should be kept in lockers. This keeps our classroom floor clean and dry during the winter months when students wear boots to school and to recess. ONLY magnets may be used to adhere pictures or other items to the inside of lockers. Please do not use tape or other sticky substances. Please do not send shelving for the bottom of the locker.
Restrooms Please be sure your child uses the restroom just before you come to school each day. Children will be instructed to raise their hand and ask for permission to use the restroom whenever they need to along with having regular restroom breaks. Students will also be encouraged to use the restroom either before or after recess each day.
Please send a plastic bag including an extra pair of underwear, pants, socks, and shirt to be kept in the child’s locker in case of an accident.
Make-Up Work Your child’s written work from the day(s) of his/her absence will be saved in their Friday folder. The work should be completed at home and returned to school according to the number of days the child was absent. Ex: If a child is absent for two days, the work should be completed two days after his/her return to school.
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Policies
Parent Volunteers Help from parents is always welcome! I will meet with the “room parents” early in the year to discuss some of the needs we will have on a regular basis. They will then inform you of the opportunities that are available. You may also look for occasional requests in your child’s Friday Folder or in the weekly newsletter.
If you have younger children with you, please plan to do the projects outside of the classroom. The teacher’s lounge/workroom is usually available.
Communication Cornerstone is an online program that we use to keep parents informed of what is happening in our classroom as well as throughout the school. It is essential that you sign up for Cornerstone and check it frequently, as I usually will not be sending information on paper.
I will also use Cornerstone to send occasional e-mail reminders when there is a change in schedule, when an item is due or to communicate with you about any issues concerning your child.
Please register an e-mail address that is checked frequently by one or both parents. Each week you will receive an email with the classroom newsletter.
Absence From School Parents should call the CHA office at 952-949-9014 by 8:30 a.m. on the day their child is absent and should leave a message stating the reason for the absence.
If the absence is foreseeable, a Planned Absence Form (available in the Parent Center in school or on the CHA website) must be filled out and submitted to the school office at least 3 days in advance of the absence. If a form is not available, a signed note from the parent is also acceptable.
Homework Kindergarten homework will consist of:
Practicing Bible memory verses Practicing the skill of the week found on assessment schedule Reading Take-Home Readers Memorizing high-frequency words Participating in monthly homework calendar
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Policies
Grades Kindergartners do not receive grades on their daily work. I look at each paper, and often put a star or sticker at the top if the work was completed correctly. If there is not a star on the paper, however, it does not necessarily mean that the work was done incorrectly. Some papers are simply not corrected, such as a coloring sheet or a paper that was done for exposure purposes or practice rather than for assessment. If a mistake was made that requires your attention, I will mark it with a marker so that you will notice it. If no marks are on a paper, the work done was acceptable.
Scripture Memory verses will be graded as follows:
S = Child is able to say the verse independently N = Child requires much assistance or does not attempt the verse
Report card grades will be given for:
Academic Development, Small Motor Development, Spiritual Development, Social Development, Work Habits, Physical Education, Creative Development-Art, and Creative Development-Music
S= Shows Strength P= Progress Being Shown N= Needs Further Development
Kindergarten students receive two report cards each year; midyear and end of the year.
Assessment While it is necessary to do one-on-one assessment with the children in order to be certain of their progress, it is never our intention to pressure them for perfection or to pass the test on the first try. Some students are comfortable with this process and others may be hesitant. Please help your child prepare for the skills and Bible verse they will be tested on each week and encourage them to do their best with the understanding that they will have an opportunity to try again if necessary.
Video Use Videos may be used in the classroom occasionally. They are usually 30 minutes in length and educational in content. Bible videos are used to reinforce the Bible stories we have read and discussed in class. We may also watch videos that introduce or support social studies or science lessons. Disney videos are not used in the classroom, but we may occasionally watch a story–related video such as “ The Little Engine That Could.” While not the main focus or method of learning in our classroom, videos can be a very effective tool for visual learners.
