Welcome Parents

Kim Shearer Blastic1st GradeRoom 109

• Married. • Have a 10 year old son, named

Brett, 5 year old daughter, named Caitlyn, & 22 month old, named Ross.

• Parents were both teachers.• Grew up in Livingston County.• Community Volunteer

A Little About Myself

The Birmingham Public Schools’ kindergarten program is committed

to fostering life-long learners by developing and nurturing the whole child through the use of challenging

curriculum, offering age-appropriate, differentiated instruction within a caring

classroom and school community.

BPS Kindergarten PhilosophyBPS Kindergarten Philosophy

A “Day in the Life” of a Kindergarten Classroom

• Morning Meeting

• Language Arts (120 minutes)– Reading & Writing Workshop

• Morning Recess

• Lunch/Recess (40 minutes)

• Quiet Time (20 minutes)

• Math (60 minutes)

• Unified Arts (45 minutes)

• Science

• Purposeful Play (90 minutes)

• Social Studies

Reading Instruction

Writing InstructionWriting Instruction

• Teacher directed “mini-lesson”

• Problem-solving and inquiry

• Individual group practice

• Hands-on

• Facts practice

• Strategy games

MathematicsMathematics

Science Hands-on kits Exploration with live animals and plants Science experiments Science journals Integrated into other subjects Science for Life and Living• Personal Space• 5 Senses• Weather• Taking care of ourselves• Birds • Fish• Worms

• Scientific Observation

• Physical Science - Push and Pull (Forces)

• Life Science: Living & Non-Living Things

• Live Animals

• Bowers Farm

Science Units

Social Studies• Integrated into other subjects• Role-playing, games, discussions, projects, books• Social Studies themes:

– Who am I?– What is a family?– How to get along with others and make friends?– My neighborhood– How do people live around the world?– How can I take care of the world?

Unified Arts

•Art•Physical Education (twice)•Vocal Music•Media Center

Unified Arts

• Two kinds of play in kindergarten:• Free play initiated by children

• Teacher-guided learning experiences

• Characteristics of purposeful play:• Includes physical & mental activity

• Enjoyable

• Flexible and changing

• Focused on process, not product

Learning through Play

...More About Myself

• Sports• Cooking • Reading• Music

• Worked 3 years in a Montessori school.

• 2 summers at the Midvale Center.• 15th year teaching.• Certification in Group Science &

Language Arts (K-8)• Z.A. endorsed (Birth-2 grade)• Completed my Master’s in Reading.

My Professional Side

Why I Become A Teacher

• To make a difference in the world.• Inspire young minds• To surround myself with loving children.

My Teaching Beliefs• I believe that all children have the

potential to succeed.• I teach by the individual child in order to

help expand and broaden different areas of success per each child.

• I build upon each of their successes in order to discover what is unique about each one of them.

• I show children that school is exciting and that learning is fun.

Our Daily Schedule Free Choice & Handwriting Calendar, Daily Routine, Oral Language Lesson Music & Movement Teacher Directed Whole Group Lesson Snack & Recess Centers Clean up Story Time Dismissal

Home Links

• Brought back weekly (completed and/or signed) in their Going Home folder.

• Short activities that show parents what we’ve been doing in Math!

Kindergarten Corner News

Sent home periodically– A letter to let you know what your Kindergartner is doing

at school – May also contain weekly

reminders, school information, upcoming class or school wide events

Volunteers• Field Trips (vary per trip) • Reading Parents• Computers• Parties (per room mother)• And many, many more!• We would love to have you! Room mothers:

EmailEmail

Parent Homework: Please e-mail me with your name

and child’s nameMy email address is:

ks02bps@birmingham.k12.mi.usks02bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us

The End

Thank you all for coming! I look forward

to seeing you in our classroom again!