East Montpelier Elementary School’s Kindergarten Kindergarten Registration
Registration for Kindergarten is in the spring around mid March.If your child will be five before September 1 please call 223-7936 and press 0 and speak to the secretary. At that time you will be mailed an invitation to a Kindergarten Parent Night and a date for your child to visit.
About Kindergarten: Kindergarten, which literally means “child’s garden”, is truly a magical setting to grow and learn. Your child will have an opportunity to be part of a community of learners in a non-competitive environment. Each day starts with a morning meeting which gives us a chance to greet one another and plan our day. We warm up by doing some yoga or “brain gym” activities, some team building. We also get in some great mathematics and literacy during the calendar portion of the day and respond to the morning message. Your child will have a chance to share something on a weekly basis and ask for comments or questions from his/her classmates. Each day we also have snack time in the midmorning. A snack calendar goes home at the beginning of each month and your child gets to be the snack “king” or “queen” and serve something brought from home. We emphasize healthy snacks and indicate if there are any allergies among classmates. Other regular activities include literacy which involves response to literature, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and beginning reading. We also have a chance to write and draw everyday. Check out the Trophies website. Our math program is called Investigations. The curriculum is designed to engage students in making sense of mathematical ideas. It is very hands-on and interactive. Your child will get a chance to have a math workshop time where he/she will explore materials, play games, and explain his/her thinking. Check out the Investigations website. In science, we get a chance to explore our world as young naturalists and focus of areas of interest to us. We also participate in a monthly “4 Winds Nature Study” presented by parent volunteers.
Kindergarten Teachers: Jamie O’Hare and Beth Parker are the East Montpelier School’s Kindergarten Teachers. They work and plan together to create inviting child-centered environments. Mandy Powers is our teacher assistant and we feel fortunate to have her as part of the team.More specific information about Mrs. O’Hare’s class can be found on her Webpage. More specific information about Mrs. Parker’s class can be found on her Webpage.
Newsletters: Each Friday, Kindergarten Newsletters go home highlighting events of the week and giving parents an update about future activities.
How to prepare your child for Kindergarten: A typical day in Kindergarten:
8:45-9:05: Settle-in time: Put away back-pack, coat, and folder. Quiet games and puzzles are available to play with classmates.
9:05-9:50: Morning meeting: Play greeting games, warn up exercises, morning message, sharing, and calendar activities.
9:50-10:15: Snack.
10:15-11:00: Literacy - story time and projects.
11:00-11:45: Choice time or special activities are designed to allow children to learn through play (art, dramatic play, blocks, listening area, puzzles, etc.).
12:00-1:00: Recess and lunch.
1:00-1:30: Quiet time (read, write, or rest).
1:30-2:00: Special (Art, Music, P.E., etc.)
2:00-2:30: Math workshop
2:30-3:15: Choice time
3:35: Dismissal
