Kindergarten At Hampton Oaks Elementary School
We Are So Happy You Are Here!
This is an exciting time for 5 year olds to learn and grow! Kindergarten is all about nurturing social and emotional development, fostering independence, and creating a life-long love of learning.
Kindergarten students learn best by active, hands-on exploration and discovery. We have many exciting experiences planned this year from graphing our favorite apple, picking a pumpkin during our field trip to the pumpkin patch to watching caterpillars grow and change into butterflies!
You Belong Here
We practice a Responsive Classroom approach to teaching within Kindergarten to promote strong academics along with social and emotional growth in an inclusive, welcoming school community.
We meet every morning to start our day on a positive and welcoming note. We establish rules together so everyone understands our expectations. Instead of punitive measures when mistakes are made, we practice logical consequences.
It is important for us to create positive classroom environment where everyone is included, feels comfortable to learn and do their best every day.
Learning and Curriculum
Our language arts, math, social studies and science curriculum programs are developmentally appropriate for our Kindergarteners. Kindergarteners have daily read aloud experiences. We read a variety of poems, fiction and non-fiction books every day to enrich vocabulary and comprehension skills. We have phonics and writing instruction as well as guided reading groups daily! Students also work on a variety of independent and cooperative learning stations.
Our mathematics is hands-on and interactive. Understanding concept of number is the basis of learning advanced math in the future. In Kindergarten, we develop strong number sense by working on these core skills: counting, number recognition, one to one correspondence, counting on, and recognizing patterns.
In social studies, students learn about important national holidays and people who display qualities of good citizenship. We incorporate the qualities of good citizenship in our classrooms all year long.
Kindergarteners get to be scientists! Once again, we understand that our students learn best by discovery and hands on work at this developmental age. Science instruction focuses on science skills such as observing, sorting, and communicating to explore everyday materials, objects and living things.
A Great Year!
Kindergarteners will be working hard this year to increase social development, make friends and problem-solve, interact with different activities, make decisions and grow more and more independent.
One of the most important parts of Kindergarten is to learn how to explain their thinking and discuss out loud together. You can foster this skill by asking your child specific questions about what they did that day.
With all the demands of a full day of school it’s important to remember the basic needs of a 5 year old at home. If your child is ill, please let them stay home and get well. Let your child eat healthy meals, run and play outside, cuddle up with a night time story book, go to bed early and get a full night’s sleep.
The Hampton Oaks Kindergarten Team
Read more about Responsive Classroom here: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about/principles-practices/
Read more about logical consequences here: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/punishment-vs-logical-consequences/
Read more about number sense here: http://www.schoolsparks.com/early-childhood-development/math-number-awareness
Read more about learning in Kindergarten here: http://www.parents.com/kids/education/elementary-school/what-kids-learn-in-kindergarten/