Be Safe
Be Kind
Be Productive
Do your best and help the rest.
Welcome to Kindergarten!
We’re so excited to spend the year with you! In our class we are safe, kind, and helpful. We are scientists experimenting with new ideas every day. We’ll learn to work and play in our learning community every day!
Upcoming Events:
- Picture Day September 16th
- Coffee with Principal Christy on Tuesday September 17th at 9:30 am
- Curriculum Night Wednesday September 25th from 7-7:45 pm
Quick Links:
Our First Few Days
What an exciting start! Everyone is settling into the classroom beautifully! We started out the week as a group of individuals and are becoming a learning community. These kids rock! Our Social and Emotional lessons started with an exploration about how to be a good...
Welcome to Kindergarten
Welcome to your first day of kindergarten! Thank you so much for sharing your children's day with me. Newsletters will be posted here, in case you want to check in and don't have your email available. Please refer to the handbook when anyquestions arise, and feel free...
Typical Days:
Have a morning meeting, then readers’ workshop, writers’ workshop then snack and recess, then math, followed by lunch and recess. After lunch we have a read aloud, math centers, social studies or science, health or scocial-emotional learning followed by specialists (PE/Music/Library), Learning Center, reflection and dismissal.
Equal Opportunity Notice
The Issaquah School District complies with all applicable federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities, or employment related matters, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees are designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Executive Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs, District Title IX Coordinator, Section 504/ADA Coordinator or Compliance Coordinator for 28A.540 and 28A.642 RCW, in writing at or by telephone at 425.837.7060. The Issaquah School District will also take steps to assure that national origin persons who lack English language skills can participate in all educational programs, services and activities. For information regarding translation services or transitional bilingual education programs, contact the Director of Student Interventions in writing at 565 NW Holly St., Issaquah, WA 98027 or by telephone at 425.837.7000.
Most teachers ask 10-30 minutes of reading a night as homework of students. This reading practice builds stamina and should be enjoyable. Reading with your child, or asking your child to read aloud to you, will help share the joy and build family time into each night. Take a moment to view this video from the Cult of Pedagogy on parent supported reading practices that will help your student get the most out of your time reading in the evenings.
Reading is one of the quiet pleasures our children experience, and we can help support our young readers. Research shows that reading increases later school success. Help your student find a book for themselves to read with the 5 Finger Rule. Each time a child comes across an unknown word, they hold up a finger.
- 0-1 words (counted on fingers) that are challenging/not understood on a page means this book might be an easy read for your child.
- 2 challenging words: this book is a good choice for fun reading.
- 3 challenging words: this book will be good for reading and will probably teach new vocabulary. It’s a thinking book.
- 4 words that are challenging on a page means this might be a hard book to read. Work together to read this one.
- 5 challenging words on a page tells us that this book may be a struggle and if left to read it alone, a child might feel uncomfortable with their reading ability or bad about their reading experience. This might be a book to read to your child. Take a moment to talk about the challenging words that are important to the story.
Visit the Book Love page for ideas to find the right book for your child or family reading.
How reading is assessed.
Hard working teachers keep track of every student’s reading and comprehension on a daily basis, but three times a year an in-class formal Fountas and Pinnell evaluation helps teachers determine if children are progressing in their reading. The evaluation includes the child reading one or more short selection and then talking with the teacher about that text with specific questions provided by the evaluation’s manufacturer while the child has the reading selection in hand. For any questions about this evaluation, contact your teacher or visit the Fountas and Pinnell parent message board. As these evaluations are only to track reading progress, the school library recommends choosing books based on children’s interests, and when appropriate, the “5 finger” method.
The second reading evaluation in our district is part of the Smarter Balanced tests. Students read a short article and answer questions with the text available to refer to while responding. For more information about this end-of-year assessment, talk to your teacher. The Smarter Balance assessment group has created a web page with information for parents here.
Looking for more research resources for a class project? Check under Home Work Help.
Fact Monster
For young student reserach, try Fact Monster, a kid-friendly information site. It’s curated, so you can trust information on this site.
King County Libraries
Along with research and reading support, King County Library System is one of the best sources to find parent support, language and citizenship classes. Get a library card online or in person by providing your King County or address. Ecards are immediately available for online and database access.
Community Resources
Looking for a day trip or a helping hand? Check out this list of community resources.
Find a Book
Many links to lists and ideas for looking for a book for your child. Check out our Book Love page.
Science Abounds!
Science work with children can be rewarding and part of every day life. Asking for observations and helping see the connection between every day occurrences and their underlying scientific priciples is my philosophy.
Community
When a classroom is a community we feel empowered to learn and express ourselves better. Children who feel loved and comforted will take risks and learn more.
Differentiation
Making all lessons assessable to every student is one of my primary goals. We all have ideas to add to the conversation, and differentiation will help each child realize their abilities.
Reading
Reading is one of the foundations of future learning and it builds empathy. By helping young children read and supporting them as they read for fun, we boost future achievement.
School Libraries Help Children Grow.
Many school library impact studies show the imporantce of having a well-funded, professionally staffed school library. School librarians motivate early learners to read and directly impact graduation rates (Coker, 2015; Getes 2013, p. 12).
School libraries increase student achievement both on standardized tests and in reading fluency (Getes, 2013, p. 15). By cooperating with teachers, the school librarian increases access to curriculum- related materials and gives students fun alternative routes to learn. Librarians provide resources and inservice training to teachers that directly affects students.
The New Jersey Association of School Librarians created this video to talk about the importance of school libraries for our children’s futures.
The American Library Association of School Librarians maintain standards that are upheld in my classes. Children should be empowered to explore, create, think, and share in the school library, and part of that is recieving instruction and guided experiences with the library materials and technology. Learning to research and to find quality sources as well as how to find and different ways to think about reading are all part of the curiculum. To learn more about the American Library Association’s standards and what that means for your child, visit their Parents Page.
