Kindergarten

2024 - 2025 Academic Calendar

School Uniform Policy

Labeling-Placing your child’s name and the teacher’s name on any item will better your chances of it being returned rather than forever lost. We suggest you label anything you do not want to have to replace.  Jackets, sweatshirts, bottles, lunch boxes, hats, and gloves are a few items you may want to consider labeling.  You cannot depend on lost and found!

Classroom Supplies – The supply list was made specific items for the classroom. Name brand items are important as they ensure the students have quality materials to work with. Good quality headphones that fit are also important as we will be using the computers for testing as well as learning games. All headphones need to be wired. Some of the items on the list are wish list items used for rewards. Click on the picture below to see a PDF copy of the supply list. 

Lunch Delivery Program

CIS does not have a cafeteria. Thus, normally students bring their own lunches from home and eat either in their classroom or outside on picnic tables when weather permits. As an alternative, there are vendors who deliver meals to the school. CIS also provides for nut-free rooms for those students with allergies. ORDER HOT LUNCH

Snack- Please send in a nutritious snack daily.  We recommend carrots, an apple, orange slices, crackers, cheese, etc.  Please do not send in unhealthy snacks such as soft drinks, doughnuts, cupcakes, etc.  Also, a reusable water bottle labeled with your child’s name is essential as well as reusable cutlery as we are an environmental school.

Kindergarten students will receive monthly homework calendars. These calendars are in their communication folders. Each day (Monday-Thursday) will have one or two assignments for the students to complete. Some assignments are written while others are activities for your child to do orally or with materials at home. Please help your child complete the work each night. I am depending on you as the parent to make sure your child is getting the practice they need.  Homework will not be graded and does not need to be sent into school.  

Additionally, students should read or listen to an adult read at least one book every day. Please write down the books that you read with your child on the monthly book list which will be located in the back of the student planner. If you read a book more than one time, please write a number next to the title.

Assessment has two purposes: to measure a child’s progress in order to gauge how much has been learned and to inform the teacher on how to plan instruction and activities that are tailored to a student’s needs. While assessment has always played an important role in education, its significance has grown considerably during this era of increased accountability. Both formal and informal assessments are essential components of the education process.

Dolch Sight Word Assessment
Students are given a Dolch sight word assessment at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. We would like for students to know the pre-primer and primer sight words by the end of kindergarten. Students are given up to 4 seconds for each word. Attached you will find a Dolch sight word list for K-2.

Letter and Sound Identification

Having the ability to match letters and sounds helps children develop an understanding of words and
spelling patterns. In establishing instructional priorities in the use of words and conventional spelling
knowledge for each child in the early stages of literacy development, the teacher will use the letter/
sound identification assessment. This assessment identifies what individual children know specifically
about letter/sound identification. Letter/sound identification is recognizing upper and lower case letters and identifying appropriate sounds for each letter symbol.

One point for each correct letter name. Total possible 54

Score one point for any one letter sound that is acceptable for that letter. Total possible 26

Book and Print Awareness

Book and Print Awareness tasks assess the kindergartener’s concepts about print and how written language is used by readers and writers. These concepts are necessary foundational skills that facilitate learning to become an independent readers and writer. Most students learn these concepts before the end of the kindergarten year.

Assessment of Book and Print Awareness is done individually within the first days of school of the kindergarten year for early emergent, and/or emergent readers, and during the last month of the school year to provide documentation of the student’s achievement level and information which may be useful to the first-grade teacher.

Running Record

A running record is designed to be used alongside our language arts program to provide reading samples at each
level. This can provide a test reliability measurement to help ensure proper identification of the student’s reading level and a reliable assessment of the students’ abilities. These assessments can identify the following for each student:

• Instructional reading level;
• The ability to read for meaning;
• Integration of meaning, structural, and visual cues;
• The usage of self-monitoring systems;
• Knowledge of print conventions;
• Rate of learning; and
• Level of reading independence.

Your child will be tested several times a quarter informally and once a quarter formally. Reading levels are from 1 – 30, whereas level 1 is the lowest reading level and level 30 is the highest. Students must be able to read at or above a level 4 in order to be promoted to first grade.

Powerschool

Categories for grading: participation, homework, tests/quizzes, projects, class work.
All Categories are graded 1-3.
Each is weighted equally.

• 3:  Mastery- meets expectations
• 2:  Partial Mastery- demonstrates partial understanding or can perform with assistance
• 1:  Little or No Mastery- cannot demonstrate mastery, even with teacher assistance

By the end of kindergarten your student should be able to:

Oral Language and Vocabulary
1.     Follows verbal directions with an action or response.
2.    Speaks with adequate vocabulary to convey thoughts in complete sentences.
3.    Uses vocabulary that relates to a specific subject and/or objects.
4.    Use language to describe, predict and talk about the past.
5.    Uses two or more simple sentences in a row.
6.    Uses complex sentences.

Book Handling Knowledge
1.     Holds book appropriately.
2.    Knows where to find the title.
3.    Knows what an author does.
4.    Knows what an illustrator does.
5.    Knows a book is for reading.
6.    Identifies the front, back, top, and bottom of a book.
7.    Reads from front to back.
8.    Turns pages correctly.
9.    Knows the difference between the pictures and words.
10.  Identifies the beginning and end of the book.
11.  Starts reading at the beginning of the book.

Text Comprehension
1.     Recall and recite nursery rhymes, poems, etc.
2.    Retell stories.
3.    Answer focused learning questions about text.
4.    Answers open ended questions related to the text.
5.    Paraphrases text.
6.    Gives the main idea.
7.    Determines the cause and effect of the text.

Concepts of Print
1.     Reads environmental print.
2.    Touches each word as it is read.
3.    Reads from left to right and top to bottom.
4.    Identifies a letter, word, and a sentence.

Phonological Awareness
1.     Identifies and produces rhyming words.
2.    Identifies and produces words using alliteration (same sounds).
3.    Segments words in a sentence. (sounds out words)
4.    Segments and blends syllables in a word. (ap – ple = apple)

Phonemic Awareness
1.     Segments and blends onset and rime in a word. (/f/ - /un/ = fun)
2.    Segments and blends individual phonemes in a word. (/m/ - /o/ - /p/ = mop)

Phonics
1.     Recognizes and names the letters of the alphabet, both upper case and lower case.
2.    Recognizes and produces the sound(s) for each letter in the alphabet.
3.    Identifies consonants and their initial and final sounds.
4.    Recognizes, names and produces sounds of letter chunks.

Reading
1.     Knows print can be read.
2.    Recognizes and reads high frequency words: I, see, me, like, are ect..
3.    Recognizes and reads color and number words.
4.    Recognizes and reads aloud a simple phrase or sentence.
5.    Recognizes and reads aloud two or three lines of text.
6.    Reads aloud a level 4 book.

Writing
1.     Write first and last names using both upper and lower case letters.
2.    Forms upper and lower case letters acceptably.
3.    Write independently.
4.    Segment words into beginning, middle and end in order to write them.
5.    Attempt inventive spelling.
6.    Writes a sentence with spaces between words.
7.    Uses capital letters when necessary.
8.    Be able to use proper punctuation at the end of a sentence.
9.    Writes from left to right.
10.  Writes a complete sentence and is able to draw a picture to match their writing.

Number Operations
1.     Count forward and backward to 20.
2.    Recognize numbers to 100.
3.    Write numbers to 20.
4.    Represent the quantity 0-20.
5.    Count a set of objects to 20.
6.    Recognize instantly random arrangements to 10.
7.    Represent a number that is more than, less than or equal to a given number to 20.
8.    Add and subtract basic facts to 10 using objects or pictures.
9.    Read and work simple story problems.
10.  Identify coins and their value: penny, nickel, dime and quarter.

Algebraic Reasoning
1.     Recite numbers to 100.
2.    Identify simple patterns and continue patterns.
3.    Skip count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s.
4.    Understand odd/even.
5.    Understand estimation.

Geometry and Measurement

1. Identify two dimensional shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, rhombus.
2. Identify three dimensional shapes: sphere, cube, pyramid, cylinder, cone.
3. Identify components and attributes of shapes; face, vertices (corners), sides.
4. Classify and sort variety of two and three dimensional shapes.
5. Identify objects for measurement: clock, calendar, thermometer, ruler, and measuring cups and exposed to nonstandard measures.
6. Understand whole and half.

Data Analysis

1. Collect, sort, and organize data into two and three categories.
2. Use data to construct a picture graph.
3. Draw conclusions from a picture graph.

Personal Financial Literacy

1. ​​​​​​​Identify ways to earn income.
2. List simple skills required for jobs.
3. Distinguish between wants and needs.
4. Identify income as a source to meet wants and needs.

Study Habits

1. Does work neatly.
2. Follows two-step and three-step directions.
3. Work independently for short periods of time.
4. Completes task on time.
5. Takes proper care of materials.
6. Possess adequate attention span.
7. Demonstrates the ability to stay on topic orally.
8. Returns homework on time.

Soft Skills

1. Collaboration
2. Communication
3. Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving
4. Ethics and Responsibility
5. Creativity and Innovation