Partners in Learning } The parent is, and remains, the first and most important teacher that the child will have. ~ Rabbi Kassel Abelson A Parent’s Guide As partners in your child’s learning, we want to keep the lines of communication open TO UNDERSTANDING THE between home and school. As you know your child best, please make contact through a phone call or note to the teacher whenever you feel there is information that is important to share. We will communicate with you about your child in an ongoing process through formal and informal opportunities. Kindergarten Program Formal communication includes: Informal communication includes: 3 schools will use the Kindergarten 3 notes progress report card between 3 telephone calls Have the student use this space to draw the things they like about school. Oct. 20 and Nov. 20 of the school 3 informal conversations year 3 websites or blogs 3 the first Kindergarten report card 3 newsletters will be sent home between Jan. 3 parent/teacher conferences 20 and Feb. 20 of the school year, and the second will be sent home towards the end of June

Homework Highlights Routine homework assignments are not considered appropriate for the early primary grades. Parents may support their child’s program by encouraging reading for pleasure. Reading, writing and math games may be an effective way for parents to support student learning.

Learning CoreThe Greater French Essex County Districtand SchoolFrench Board is proud Immersion to offer Core French is NOW French and French Immersion programs across Windsor and Essex easier than County. We encourage all parents to support the learning of French as a ever! second language and to become familiar with the supports available to them. Please access the following sites to help your child with French.

Homework Help Tip Sheets INSIDE YOU WILL FIND: Visit the supports provided by Canadian Parents for French @ http://on.cpf.ca/resources/for-parents/homework-help-tip-sheets 3 Overall expectations from the Ministry of Education FSL Homework Toolbox 3 What the expectations may look like in the classroom Parents and students can access homework help in all subjects taught in French @ 3 www.FSLHomeworkToolbox.ca How you can support your child at home Groupe Média TFO 3 Links to resources Visit the supports provided by Canadian Parents for French @ www..org Zone des petits de Radio-Canada Watch popular TV shows and play educational games in French with your child @ GREATER ESSEX COUNTY www.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse/petits DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD FSL Policies & Curriculum Documents Telephone: 519-255-3200 Become familiar with the program, policies and curriculum @ K www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/amenagement/FLS.html publicboard.ca Kindergarten Kindergarten Play-based Learning Resources Learning Through Inquiry Websites

Young children learn best through playing, experimenting, doing things, taking on different roles, imagining 2 0 1 0 - 1 1 The Full-Day and pretending. These are all important learning techniques. Early Learning – The Ontario Curriculum: Kindergarten Program Document Kindergarten Program http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten.html For this reason, play is an important part of the Kindergarten program. Through play, children learn academ- Draft Version ics such as reading, writing, math and science skills. They develop large and small muscle control, practice social skills, and expand their problem-solving and creative thinking abilities. Play continues to be important in the early grades and through school and life.

Most children are naturally curious about their surroundings. They have an interest in exploring and investigating to see how things work and why things happen. Children have Ontario ecoschools an innate sense of wonder and awe and a natural desire for inquiry. The Full Day Early Years/ http://www.ontarioecoschools.org/ Kindergarten program capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity and their desire to make sense of their environment. As children move naturally from noticing and wondering about the objects and events around them to exploring, observing and questioning in a more focused way, the Ontario Science Centre Full Day Early Years/Kindergarten helps them develop and extend their inquiry process. www.ontariosciencecentre.ca The Full-Day Early Learning – Kindergarten Program (2010)

The Early Years classroom is a vibrant and busy environment. Teachers plan for whole group, small group and individual instruction and learning opportunities at centres. At learning centres children are provided time and space to practice and apply the knowledge and skills they are acquiring, independently and collaboratively. www.sciencenorth.ca While at learning centres children learn through play, independent problem solving, and inquiry. They are also learning to manage time, make choices, and demonstrate responsibility. In your child’s classroom, students are learning to follow rules and routines. They are accessing materials, TVO Parents resources and equipment. www.tvo.org/tvoparents

Discovery Education http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/Parent-Resources.html

Illuminations: Resources for Teaching Math http://illuminations.nctm.org

Tumblebooks www.tumblebooks.com more Arts Kindergarten Visual Arts By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations Personal and Social Development / demonstrate an awareness of themselves as artists through engaging in activities in visual arts Social Development / demonstrate basic knowledge and skills gained through exposure to visual arts and activities in visual arts By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations / use problem-solving strategies when experimenting with the skills, materials, processes / identify and use social skills in play and other contexts and techniques used in visual arts both individually and with others / demonstrate an ability to use problem-solving skills in a variety of social contexts / express responses to a variety of visual art forms including those from other cultures / demonstrate a beginning understanding of the diversity in individuals, families, schools / communicate their ideas through various visual art forms and the wider community

In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action / listen to a piece of music and / take turns when playing create art works to show how / talk about possible solutions to problems such as water getting all over the floor at the the music made them feel water table / use found materials to create / role play emotions with dolls or puppets a collage of buildings they have seen Emotional Development / explore different lines, colours and textures using By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations fabric and paper / demonstrate a sense of identity and a positive self-image / create a sculpture from clay / demonstrate independence, self-regulation, and a willingness to take responsibility in or play dough learning and other activities / demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings

In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action Opportunities to continue the learning at home / make a sign for the block centre that says, “Please Tidy Up The Blocks.” / try new activities and adapt to new situations • Take your child to the library or bookstore to look / recognize people in their community and talk about what they do at all the different illustrators in children’s books. Eric Carle, Ezra Jack Keats and Lois Ehlert have Opportunities to continue distinct artistic styles that even young children will the learning at home learn to recognize and appreciate. • Encourage your child to experiment with art • materials. Have blank paper, scissors, paint, Talk to your child about their interests and markers, glue and a variety of junk materials preferences. After a trip to the park, ask what available at home for children to use. their favourite activity was. • • Listen to a variety of music with your child. Share your heritage and cultural background such as traditions, birthdays, cultural events and holidays with your child. • Plan a special dinner with your child’s favourite foods to celebrate a memorable occasion. • Encourage your child to attempt a task that is challenging for them like zipping their zipper, setting the table or tidying their room. Kindergarten Kindergarten Language The Arts Drama and Dance Language By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations / demonstrate an awareness of themselves as dramatic artists and dancers through / communicate by talking and by listening and speaking to others for a variety of purposes engaging in activities in drama and dance and in a variety of contexts / demonstrate basic knowledge and skills gained through exposure to drama and dance / demonstrate an understanding and critical awareness of a variety of written materials / use problem solving strategies when experimenting with the skills, materials, processes that are read by and with the educators and techniques used in drama and dance both individually and with others / use reading strategies that are appropriate for beginning readers in order to make sense of / express responses to a variety of forms of drama and dance including those from other a variety of written materials cultures / communicate in writing, using strategies that are appropriate for beginners / demonstrate a beginning understanding and critical awareness of media texts In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action / use a flashlight and puppets to perform a / write letters at a post office that they have created shadow play in an area they have set up / predict what will happen when snow is taken inside / use scarves to show how the wind blows / find words in the classroom or stories that begin / use props to create a dramatic play with specific letters environment (grocery store, restaurant) / ask questions about books that are read / choose books from the classroom library on a variety of topics Music By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations / demonstrate an awareness of themselves as musicians through engaging in music activities / demonstrate basic knowledge and skills gained through exposure to music and music activities Opportunities to continue / use problem-solving strategies when experimenting with the skills, materials, processes the learning at home and techniques used in music both individually and with others / • Set aside time each day when you can give express responses to a variety of forms of music including those from other cultures your full attention to reading with your child. / communicate their ideas through music • Reread favourite stories and poems again and again with your child. In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action • Read stories that have repetitive parts and encourage your child to join in. / use shakers that they have made at a learning centre to • Play word games with your child – find rhyming keep the beat of a familiar song words, words that start with the same sound, / use computer software to add sound effects to a story they and so on. • Give your child real opportunities to write – are writing grocery lists, sign cards, invitations and notes. Kindergarten Kindergarten Health and Physical Education Mathematics Health and Physical Education Number Sense and Numeration By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations / / demonstrate an awareness of health and safety practices for themselves and others and a demonstrate an understanding of numbers using concrete materials to explore and investigate counting, quantity and number relationships basic awareness of their own well-being / participate willingly in a variety of activities that require the use of both large and small In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action muscles / develop control of large muscles (gross-motor control) in a variety of contexts / compare two sets of objects to / develop control of small muscles (fine-motor control) in a variety of contexts explore more, less, the same / listen to stories with mathematics In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action problems / estimate the number of scoops to / draw pictures for the shelves of the store they create illustrating healthy food items fill a container at the sand table / create games where they have to get bean bags inside a hoop / use their bodies to move along a / complete lacing cards and string beads on a lace to develop fine motor skills number line / kick a ball towards a target pointed on the wall / create a sequence of digital photographs showing the steps for washing hands to place by the sink / balance on one foot, hop, skip and jump / throw and catch a ball

Measurement Opportunities to continue the learning at home By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations

• Encourage your child to climb, swing and play at / measure and compare length, mass, capacity, area and temperature of objects/materials the local park. and the passage of time using non-standard and standard units through exploration and • Instead of using a stroller, encourage your child to guided activity walk part of the way. • If it is too wet or cold outside, turn on the music and have a dance party with your child. In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action • Have your child pretend to slither like a snake / and roll like a rolling pin down a small, grassy use footsteps to measure the classroom slope. / compare the weight of objects using a balance • Organize neighbourhood games to encourage / measure how much their plant has grown using active choices for your child. snail blocks • Encourage active, free play. more Mathematics Kindergarten Geometry By the end of the Full Day Early Years/Kindergarten program, children will: Overall Expectations Science and Technology / describe, sort, classify, build and compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects through investigation Science and Technology By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action / demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on / sort found materials using sorting hoops investigations, observations, questions and representations of their findings / use words like on top, beside and behind while playing at the block centre / conduct simple investigations through exploration, and guided activity using inquiry skills Patterning (questioning, planning, predicting, observing, communicating) / demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations the environment / explore, recognize, describe and create patterns using a variety of materials in different / use technological problem-solving skills (questioning, planning, predicting, constructing, contexts observing, communicating) in exploration, and guided activity

In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action

/ examine different patterns to decide what / highlight patterns seen during a neighbourhood or school walk comes next / test boats they have created and observe how many objects the boats will hold before / recognize patterns that are part of daily life they sink such as stripes on a t-shirt / make a bird house out of recycled materials / hear rhyming patterns in stories, poems / choose materials that they think will preserve an ice cube from melting and songs / ask questions to make a plan for their experiments

Opportunities to continue the learning at home Data Management • Let your child help you follow a recipe to cook something. By the end of Kindergarten, children will: Overall Expectations Measuring is math, cooking or baking is chemistry, and eating the end product is nutritious. / sort, classify and display a variety of concrete objects, collect data, begin to read and • Give your child a magnifying glass to inspect things such describe displays of data, and begin to explore the concept of probability in everyday as bugs, leaves or fabric. Your child can draw pictures of what they see and keep them in a “science journal.” contexts • Let your child become a bathtub scientist. Give him/her different objects; ask your child to predict which will float In the classroom, children may: Overall Expectations In Action and which will sink, then test the predictions. A plastic container and measuring cups will allow your child to / sort books based on Opportunities to continue practice measuring. Your child can learn about suction the type of picture on from eye droppers and plastic syringes. the learning at home the front cover / create graphs and • Point numbers out to your child wherever you see them such as on surveys price tags, addresses, traffic signs, phone numbers and so on. • Sort and count socks, buttons, shells and other odds and ends. • Look for patterns and shapes at home and in your neighbourhood. • Play bingo, dominoes, card games and counting games. • When your child is playing with blocks, use words like long, short, cylinder, cube, more, less, tall and short.