Troy Crossroads

Kindergarten Guidebook
Mrs. Carew
ccarew@troy30c.org
Mrs. Harrison
sharrison@troy30c.org
Mrs. Marczewski
mmarczewski@troy30c.org
Mrs. Tucker
ttucker@troy30c.org

(815) 577-7314

Welcome to Kindergarten!
Kindergarten is a time of new beginnings, of making new friends and of new opportunities
for learning and growing. The first week of the school year is usually a little hectic for
everyone as we all try to settle into a new routine. I hope the following information will
help ease some of your worries and answer some of the general questions you may have
regarding your childs kindergarten experience. If you have any additional questions,
please feel free to send a note in your childs folder or you may call me at school.

Troy Crossroads Phone Number: (815) 577-7314

School Hours-> 8:35-3:05
School Improvement Day-Early Release Hours 8:35-1:30

Take Home Folders

On your childs kindergarten supply list, you were asked to purchase folders. One of these
will be your childs Take Home folder. The Take Home folder is very important. Please
check it and send it back to school everyday with your child. This will be our best mode of
communication. I will send home classroom newsletters, office notes, and your childs work
in the folders. I will also check the folders upon arrival for any notes, homework, etc.

I will not be checking backpacks so if there is something

important for me, please put it in the Take Home folder to make
sure I get it.
from home.

Homework
Beginning in September, your child will be bringing home a monthly homework packet. This
packet will be sent home on the first day of the month and is due back on the last day.
The homework packet will include reading, phonics, and math activities that extend what
we are working on in class and will give your child an opportunity to practice and reinforce
the concepts and skills we are learning. It is not optional and should be viewed as a
meaningful learning experience. Kindergarten homework lays the foundation for good work
habits in later years. Homework establishes the home-school connection and involves
parents as partners in their childs daily learning experiences. It is also very rewarding
for you to see firsthand all the things your child is learning! Watch for more information
to come.

Changes in Transportation
but teacher, Im not riding the bus home today! Mommy is picking me up.
These words can cause disruption in our dismissal routine. You must notify your childs
teacher in writing or call the office prior to dismissal time if there is to be a change in
transportation. If this policy is not followed, your child will be sent home using their usual
method of transportation.

Classroom Rules and Behavior Chart

Just as you have rules at home, we have rules at school. Throughout the Troy School
District there are three main rules: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Peaceful. Those
translate into our more specific classroom rules. We will be discussing our rules in class,
but please take a moment to be certain that your child understands the classroom rules
before school begins.
Classroom Rules
1. Always do your best work!
2. Be nice to others
3. Quiet mouth
4. Quiet body
5. Eyes watching
6. Ears listening
7. Follow directions
Behavior Management System
Our classroom behavior charts have room for students to move up or down depending on
their actions. Each day the students will start on green. When students go above and
beyond following the directions they move their clip up to blue and then purple with
phrases such as good job! or awesome. When students need frequent reminders to
stay on task or are behaving inappropriately, they will be given a verbal warning. If the
behavior continues, they will be asked to move their clip down to yellow or red with
phrases such as think about it or stop! If they reach the red-stop! a note will be sent
home and, depending on the situation, they may need to visit the principal and/or serve a
detention during recess and lunch. In your childs folder, there will be a calendar. Each
day on the calendar, the teacher will place a smiley face or sad face as a reference to your
childs behavior and movement on the chart.

Curriculum Overview
Language Arts (Reading, Phonemic Awareness, and Phonics)
Our reading program will be organized into monthly themes that will integrate science and
social studies topics. Some of the themes include: Welcome to School, Apples, Pumpkins,
Holidays, Seasons, Community Helpers, the State of Illinois, and Weather, just to name a
few! The children will have leveled emergent reading materials that will be introduced in
class to help them strengthen their reading skills. We will also practice rhyming, word
decoding skills, and comprehension.
We will start the year using the Jolly Phonics program to help with letter sound
associations and blending. This program features a song and motion for each letter sound.
Please practice these brief but fun motions with your child frequently!
We will be using the Fry sight word list. Starting the second week of September we will
be learning two words a week. The expectation for the end of kindergarten is for your
child to be able to read and write 63 high frequency words.
It wont be long until you hear your child start talking about Daily 5. The Daily 5 is a way
of structuring the reading block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful
literacy tasks. Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given
independent practice time to work independently while the teacher provides focused,
intense instruction to individuals and small groups of students. When it is up and running
smoothly, students will be engaged in the Daily 5 which consists of: Read to Self, Read to
Someone, Work on Writing, Listen to Reading, Word Work.
There are very specific behavior expectations that go with each Daily 5 component. We
will spend our first weeks working on building our reading and writing stamina, learning
independent behaviors, and fostering our classroom community. Your child will be taught
to select Good Fit Books or books they can read, understand, and are interested in. They
will be spending most of their time actually reading instead of doing paper and pencil tasks.
Writing
We will be using the Common Core State Standards for writing along with the ZanerBloser Handwriting style. Your child will be encouraged and praised for all
accomplishments in writing. Writing is a developmental process. In the beginning stages
you may see the child do scribble writing or label pictures with one or two letters.
Eventually they may write many letters to represent sounds in words and move toward
conventional spelling.
The expectation with the Common Core State Standards is that kindergarten students will
be able to write using the three styles of writing-narrative, persuasive, and informational.

By the end of kindergarten, the students should be able to write multiple sentences on one
topic. We will write every day to work up to this goal!
Math
This subject is taught utilizing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
Students will explore the following topics in class this year: number sense (includes
identifying numbers, counting, matching number to quantity, comparing number groups,
etc.), adding, subtracting, describing and comparing shapes, and using data to make graphs.
These concepts will be studied using the guided math approach. We will start each day
with a large group warm-up and mini-lesson. The students will then move to a hands-on
learning center where they can practice and apply the skills that have been introduced.
Social Studies and Science
These subjects will be integrated throughout the kindergarten curriculum. Through
hands-on learning experiences, the children will have an opportunity to explore, compare,
and experiment with the world around them.
Specials
The kindergarten students will have 60 minutes a week of the following specials: library,
music, art, and gym. The students will also be visiting the computer lab once a week for 30
minutes. Please dress in comfortable clothing and gym shoes on gym days. Help your child
be responsible for returning their library book on time. Check the enclosed specials
schedule to help your child be prepared.
Book Orders
Scholastic Book Club order forms will be sent home at the beginning of each month. There
is absolutely no obligation to buy, but it is a great way to build your home library. You can
either place your order online or send the form back to your childs teacher by the due
date. The books usually take one to two weeks to arrive in the classroom.
Sending Money
If you send money to school for any reason, be sure that it is sent in a sealed envelope or
Ziploc bag and has your childs name, teachers name, and purpose for the money clearly
written.

Birthdays
A birthday is a special time for young children to share with their friends. If a student
wishes to celebrate their birthday at school, they may bring a take home treat such as
prepackaged healthy snacks, pencils, stickers, or they may donate a book to the classroom
library in honor of their special day.
Student of the Week
Each week a student will be selected to be the Student of the Week. Prior to your
childs special week, I will send home a packet with a daily schedule of suggestions to help
celebrate your childs unique and special qualities. Some ideas of what could be shared
include a poster with pictures, hobbies, collections, a favorite book, toy, or CD. Please
watch your childs take-home folder for more information.
Home-School Connection
Each month a newsletter will be sent home with your child. The newsletter will summarize
what we have been working on in class as well as upcoming events and important dates
including early release, popcorn days, holidays, and field trips. Each teacher also has a
classroom webpage where assignments are listed and important classroom information can
be found.