Welcome to the St. John Vianney Kindergarten family!
I am very excited to meet all of you and can't wait to work with all of these special kindergartners. I look forward to working with you, in order to reach the common goals we share for the children -- a happy, productive year filled with learning in a comfortable, loving, and motivating atmosphere. Please feel free to contact me if any questions arise as we progress through the school year. The kindergarten door is always open. I will also be sending home weekly newsletters to keep you informed on all that is going on in Kindergarten. Best of luck with everything and thank you for sharing your special child with me this year!

Classroom Expectations

• We will arrive rested and ready to learn every day.
• We will listen when the teacher is talking. 
• We will follow directions the first time they are given.
• We will treat others with kindness and compassion.
• We will keep our hands, feet, and bodies to ourselves.
• We will raise our hands to speak to the class.
• We will use inside voices and walking feet when we are in the building.
• We will share.
• We will take turns.
• We will apologize.
• We will HAVE FUN!

• Religion
  • Discusses that God is our loving parent who made every person special and watches over us and all creation.
  • Learns Prayers: The Sign of the Cross, The Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and prayers before meals.
  • Understands that God loves us and wants us to love others.
  • Understands that God created the universe.
  • Understands that God gave us Jesus.
  • Participates in weekly all-school Mass with our church buddies.
  • Participates in various service projects throughout the year.

• Reading
  • Identifies all upper and lower case letters.
  • Distinguishes letter sounds.
  • Recognizes and produces rhyming words.
  • Understands that print represents spoken language.
  • Recognizes sentences and begins to understand that sentences begin with capital letters and end with some type of punctuation.
  • Demonstrates basic understanding of the sound-print code: words contain sounds that are represented by letters, and letters combine to make words.
  • Identifies sight words.

• Writing
  • Writes and names all upper and lower case letters.
  • Writes own name (first and last) and the names of family members and friends.
  • Uses drawings, letters, and words to express oneself in journaling.
  • Shows awareness that writing has conventions, directionality, spacing, capitals, and periods.
  • Write in our journals weekly
  • Use the Step Up to Writing program for opinion and informational writing
  • Put two pieces of completed writing in our school portfolio for 1st grade.

• Listening/Speaking
  • Participates in classroom discussion.
  • Participates in shared reading/writing of poems, songs, and stories.
  • Sustains their attention for an age-appropriate length of time while reading or listening to books (reading circle, BEAR time, parent reader, reading buddies).
  • Follows directions during classroom routines.
  • Listens attentively and respectfully to others.
  • Expresses ideas in complete sentences when speaking.

• Mathematics
  • Participates in daily number corner.
  • Recognizes and names basic geometric shapes.
  • Participates in daily calendar activities to learn the days of the week and months of the year.
  • Identifies, extends, and creates patterns.
  • Counts, compares, describes, and sorts objects.
  • Connects numerals to the quantities they represent.
  • Identifies, writes, and orders numbers 0-30.
  • Models problem solving involving simple addition and subtraction.
  • Uses manipulatives to master number bonds for 1-10.
  • Uses manipulatives to improve mental math/number sense.
  • Explores objects in terms of their measurements.
  • Identifies coins by names and values.
  • Understands comparatives and positional terms: more than, less than, equal to, above, below, left, right, top, middle, and bottom.
  • Understands and interprets simple graphs.

• Science/Health
  • Identifies and describes the seasons.
  • Makes daily weather observations.
  • Learn about force and motion/  push and pull concepts
  • Learn about plants, animals and their relationships with their environment
  • Lists characteristics and life cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly.
  • Learns and demonstrates age appropriate hygiene.
  • Learns about personal safety through the "Talking About Touching" and Virtus diocesan programs.

• Social Studies
  • Recognizes all people have needs and wants.
  • Describes how each person is special and unique.
  • Learns how they belong and work in their community setting.
  • Explores leading historical figures and their achievements.
  • Recognizes and follows family and school rules.
  • Recognizes national symbols and recites the Pledge of Allegiance.
  • Learns about local, state, and national holidays and the symbols that identify them.
  • Describes resources in the community (fire fighter, police officer, library, hospital, etc.).
  • Develops responsibility by completing weekly assigned helper jobs.

• Spanish
  • Count to 30 in Spanish in number corner.
  • Use puppet to practice questions and responses like "How are you today?"
  • Learn the Sign of the Cross in Spanish.
  • Learn songs in Spanish.

• Physical Education
  • Participate once a week with Miss Lafferty the P.E. Specialist.

• Music
  • Participate once a week with Ms. Vanegas the Music Specialist.

• Art
  • Once a week plus integrated across the curriculum.

• Teddy Bear Day
• Leaf Day
• Gingerbread Day
• Dr. Seuss Unit
• Butterfly Unit
• Holiday Parties
  • Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day
• Celebrate each child's birthday
• Reading buddies with 3rd and 4th Grade
• Mass buddies with 3rd and 4th Grades
• Handwriting buddies with 7th grade
• Fun Run
• Christmas and Spring Music Programs
• Service Projects
  • Food Drive, Penny Drive, Rice Bowls for Lent, Clothing Drive, etc.
• Field trips to Evergreen Fountains to sing to the elderly at Halloween & Christmas
• Cultural Art Fair Participation