Shenandoah Elementary

Your child will learn and grow this year by participating in a variety of enrichment activities. Below is a list of some of those learning opportunities:
 

• Field Trips
• Art, Music, PE, Library
• Technology/innovation instruction
• Hands-on Learning Centers
• Holiday Celebrations
• Special Programs

When we think of being ready for kindergarten, the first thing that comes to mind is core academic skills, such as knowing your ABC's, numbers, colors, and shapes. While those skills are important, there are other important readiness skills that are equally, if not more, important. In the article "Ready for Kindergarten" by Ellen H. Parlapiano, kindergarten teachers identify a list of top readiness skills. The readiness skills include:
 
*Enthusiasm toward learning-Does the child approach learning enthusiastically? Is he/she eager to explore and discover?
 
*Solid oral-language skills-Research shows that one of the best predictors of later reading success is a well-developed oral vocabulary in kindergarten.
 
*The ability to listen-Children's literature is a rich resource for expanding language. Besides fostering vocabulary and comprehension, reading develops the attention skills necessary in a kindergarten classroom. Students must be able to concentrate on what the teacher is saying, listen carefully for directions, and tune in to the sounds in letters and words.
 
*The desire to be independent-Encouraging self-help skills is an important step to preparing your child for kindergarten. Teachers expect children to:
 

• Get coats on and off and hang them up
• Follow simple two-step instructions such as "take off your boots and put on your sneakers"
• Go to the bathroom and wash their hands
• Blow their nose and cover their mouth when they cough
• Fasten and unfasten simple buttons and snaps
• Eat neatly and pour into a cup
• Open up a juice box and get the straw in

 
*The ability to play well with others- By the time children reach kindergarten, they should be able to express their feelings in words and begin to understand that two people can use the same thing at the same time
 
*Strong fine-motor skills- Your child's hands must be strong enough to master coloring, cutting, pasting, and holding a pencil--fine motor tasks that kids use every day in kindergarten.
 
*Basic letter and number recognition- Incoming kindergarten students should be able to recognize most letters by sight. They also should be able to count to 10, identify numbers 1 to 5, and know some shapes and colors.
 
Ellen H. Parlapiano. Ready for Kindergarten. [Online] Available
 
http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article

Welcome to Kindergarten! This is an exciting year in the life of your child. It will be an exciting year of learning, sharing, and growing together.
 
Here are some ways you can help your child now to prepare for kindergarten:
 

• Count anything and everything
• Find numerals on signs, mailboxes, telephones, television channels, price tags, toys, etc
• Read environmental print, including store signs, restaurant signs, street signs, etc
• Practice patterns: ABAB, AABB, patterns on clothing, repeat clapping patterns
• Sort objects or pictures by size (ie. silverware by size)
• Talk about how things are alike and different (ie. How are milk and water alike/different)
• Sequence activities (ie. what comes first, next, last?)
• Practice reciting nursery rhymes and singing songs from memory
• Read to your child often and ask questions about the stories
• Visit the local Public Library
• Practice with your child his/her birthday, telephone number, address and zip code
• Help your child to tie their shoes, zip their clothing, use Kleenex, scissors, etc
• Work with your child to hold a pencil correctly
• Practice writing your child's first name with him/her
• Work on letter recognition from A to Z. They should be able to recognize upper and lowercase letters individually and in random order
• Look for different colors to identify and label
• Begin to associate a sound with each letter

When your child completes kindergarten year, they will at a minimum know to . . .
 

• Print full name independently and correctly use upper and lowercase letters
• Produce proficient reading and writing skills(3-4 sentences with correct capitalization and punctuation)
• Produce rhyming skills (verbal and picture)
• Identify and print all 26 upper case and lower case letters correctly.
• Follow words from left to right; top to bottom
• Identify title, cover, author, illustrator, characters, setting, and main idea of a story
• Use inventive spelling
• Recognize shapes: square, circle, triangle, rectangle, and cube
• Count to 100 by 1's, 2's. 5's and 10's
• Count objects to 20
• Recognize numbers to 20
• Write numbers 1 to 30
• Know concepts of measurement
• Know value of numbers. Understand the concept of more, less, and equal
• Model addition and subtraction with objects
• Use graphs to answer simple questions
• Identify and create patterns
• Retell stories
• Read the 50 word wall words
• Read simple sentences
• Tie shoes, button, snap & zip
• Know home address and phone number
• Follow school & classroom rules

• Volunteer to help or donate supplies in the classroom
• Discuss school activities with your child. Say, "Tell me/show me what you learned today." If the answer is "nothing", ask again!
• Check and review the contents of your child's folder each day
• Read classroom newsletter or visit the teacher's website on a weekly basis for updates and information
• Read the school newsletter and mark important dates on the calendar
• Attend Parent Night and Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Get involved with the PTO
• Attend book fairs, spring plays, and family movie nights
• Assist your child with homework
• Read and discuss a book with your child