Welcome to Kindergarten!

     In the story Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten the kindergarten teacher and students anxiously prepare for the first day of kindergarten.  We feel like Miss Bindergarten must have felt as we have also been very busy the last few days getting ready to begin a new school year.  Cubbies have been labeled, lessons planned, copies made, and the scent of new school supplies fills the air.  Our classroom is ready for a new group of students.  We are eager to begin; it is an exciting and promising time of year!  Like the story, we are certain that our students feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness as they wonder what awaits them in the days ahead.  They are both eager to begin school and worried that they may not be ready at the same time.  They wonder who will be their friend, will their teachers be nice, and how will they find their way?  Give your child the assurance that we will help them make friends, we will be nice, and OES teachers will always help them find their way.  Parents also have mixed emotions as they begin a new journey with their child, entrusting us to care for, teach, and protect their most precious gift. We both remember that nervous feeling as we left our children in kindergarten on the first day.  It is a bittersweet moment as you watch your child grow up and gain independence while you cling to precious memories of their preschool days.  Rest assured we will love your children, take care of them, and teach them what they need to learn to be successful in first grade.  We want to partner with you to be sure your child has a GREAT first year of school!  

     We will be sending a newsletter home this week but I wanted to give you a sneak peek into our week.  We will jump right in this week, learning the words: I, am, & can.  Please help your child learn these words throughout the week.  These sight words can be found on a chart in their binder, along with words we learn in the future. We will be learning about the letters in our names, learning our friends' names, and learning about what we can write.  In math, we will begin learning what numbers are and how they are different from letters.  We will be discussing what makes a "good" classroom, what rules we will follow, and class expectations.  Ask your child what rules they think will be important to establish a "good" classroom environment.  Remember, we want to create a safe environment with caring friends.  We look forward to seeing you Monday to see what ideas your child has to share!

Don't miss out on the fun!  Our Back to School Bash will be Thursday night from 5-8!  See you there!