Welcome to
K I N D E R G A R T E N The following booklet has been created for parents with children preparing to enter kindergarten. This guide is intended to provide basic information and practical suggestions for parents/guardians as they help their children prepare.
Milford Board of Education Susan Glennon, Board Chair Scott Firmender, Minority Leader Jennifer Federico, Majority Leader Ray Arnold Claire Casey Adam DeYoung Rita Hennessey Warren Pawlowski Una Petroske
Statement of Compliance In compliance with Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Milford Public School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability in establishing and implementing hiring and employment practices and establishing and providing school activities and educational programs.
The Title VI and Title IX Coordinator and Compliance Officer is Wendy Kopazna. The Section 504 Compliance Officer is Carole Swift. They may be contacted by mail at the Milford Public Schools, 70 West River Street, Milford, CT 06460 or by phone at (203) 783-3400. Questions, concerns or comments regarding possible discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should be made in person or in writing to the following:
Regarding Facilities: James L. Richetelli, Jr./Chief Operations Officer Regarding Employment: Wendy Kopazna/Director of Human Resources Regarding Programs: Carole Swift/Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Last revision: Feb. 1, 2019 Preparing for Kindergarten
Identify the school your child will attend. In Milford, school assignments are made based on your home address. If you are not sure which school is assigned to your street, please visit the district website, www.milforded.org/District Info or contact the Milford Public Schools offices at 203-783-3422.
Visit the school. Bring your child to the school so he/she knows what it looks like and where it is in relation to your home.
Begin connecting with other families. Find other parents with children who will enter Kindergarten at the same school next year. Provide opportunities for your child to become acquainted with other children so that he/she will see familiar faces on the first day of school.
Familiarize yourself with the calendar and hours of operation. Both are available at www.milforded.org.
Attend Kindergarten Orientation (August). Each of our elementary schools conducts an excellent Kindergarten Orientation. At the orientation, parents and incoming students will have the opportunity to learn more about the staff, the course of study, the cafeteria, bus safety and much, much more. You will receive a letter from your school over the summer with details about the Orientation.
Become involved in the school. Each school community has a wide variety of needs and welcomes parent involvement. Whether it’s through the school’s PTA/O or volunteering in a classroom, your participation is vital to your child’s and your school’s success. You will meet the parent leaders at your school’s Orientation and learn more about the various activities and projects that are planned for the fall and how you may become involved.
-1- Reading & Writing
Take your child to the library to select books. Read with your child and discuss things that your child likes about the books. Read books that your child likes over and over.
Read books often with your child so he or she learns how to hold a book. Allow your child to pretend to “read” favorite stories to you.
Have your child point out and say some of the letters in his or her name; put magnet letters of the alphabet on the refrigerator for your child to use. Help your child to point out letters on cereal boxes, street signs and stories.
Introduce your child to some of the sounds of letters by helping your child to say the sound of the first letter in his or her name. Have your child find or say things that begin with the same letter sound of his or her name. Have your child say the sounds of the first letters of the names of his or her brothers and sisters, and sounds of letters found in common items.
Print your child’s name whenever possible, such as on his or her drawings or below his or her photograph. Provide pencils, crayons or markers and paper for your child to scribble or write his or her first name. Help your child recognize shapes in letters that form his or her name.
Let your child see you writing for various reasons, such as making a shopping list or writing a birthday card. Provide pencils, crayons or markers and paper for your child to make marks, scribble or write his or her name.
-2- Word Identification Rhyme spoken words (cat, hat, mat, sat). Identify spoken words with same beginning or ending sound (sun/sat, hot/fit). Hear letter sounds and put the sounds together to say a word (/b/ /a/ /t/ =bat). Point to the written word that matches the spoken word when reading a familiar phrase or story. Recognize and name all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet in order (Aa, Bb, CC) and when out of order (Kk, Xx, Ee). Know that books are read from left to right, top to bottom and words are separated by spaces. Recognize that printed words are made up of letters having meaning. Know the sounds the consonants make (b, d, t, r, etc.). Know the letters in printed words stand for sounds in spoken words. Recognize some words by sight (stop, milk, the, is, my, of, in, like, and, girl, boy, mom). Recognize that pictures help words tell a story.
Things you can do Use magazines to help your child find pictures beginning with the same sound (/m/ = milk, man). Draw pictures of words that rhyme (bat, cat, hat). Use magnetic letters to practice making words. Play or sing children’s songs. Play “odd object out” (Place several objects in a row. Name each of the objects. Ask your child to find the one that does not have the same beginning sound – (book, bag, towel, ball). Search for items that begin with a specific sound (/t/ = toothbrush, toaster, television).
-3- Tips for Reading With Your Child
1. When reading aloud, read in a soft, clear voice, using appropriate tones and expressions to portray the mood of the story.
2. Re-read your child’s favorite books. His/her high interest and repetition will be good for your child. Some children hear a book so often that they memorize it and can “read” it all by themselves.
3. Before reading the book or a page in the book, ask your child to describe what he/she sees.
4. Use descriptions of the pictures as a basis for asking your child what will happen next. Picture descriptions can also be used as a basis for discussing different colors and shapes.
5. Have your child draw a picture about the story that you read. You can then discuss the content of the picture.
6. Have your child read any words on a page that he/she can identify.
7. Discuss what has happened up to a certain point in the book. Try to -4- gear your questions so that your child does most of the talking. It is important that you do not pressure your child to answer questions which he/she does not want to answer.
8. Discuss the feelings and emotions that the characters in the book experience. This is a very important activity.
9. Ask your child to close his/her eyes and imagine that he/she is a character in the book. Have him/her describe what feelings, activities, etc., the characters are having at any given moment.
-5- Using Numbers
Turn meal times into counting fun by having your child count objects as he or she helps set the table. Count objects whenever you are driving or walking to school or on errands. Check out the local library for counting books, (children love to read and re-read these books)!
Play “I Spy” with numbers as you travel; find numbers in books; count, measure and estimate while making dinner. Look for number symbols in magazines, cut out all the 2’s, 3’s, etc. and glue onto a piece of paper. Put magnetic numbers on the refrigerator for your child to use.
Use a favorite story or picture book; describe objects according to color, shape, size. Play games with dancing or moving to a pattern: hop, wiggle, spin. Play guessing games, “Can you find something that is red and round?” Color and draw patterns together.
Play games where your child has to find the matching sock, shoe or mitten. Set the table by matching every plate with a napkin, cup and fork. Look for picture games, playing cards or dominoes for matching.
Use your morning routine for “first we get up, second we wash our face.” Use a familiar tune to create a moving song: “put your hands on your head; stand on top of the box.” Use words in directions: “put your sneakers under the bed.”
Gather a variety of toys and line them up shortest to tallest. Organize food boxes or cans tallest to shortest. Sort objects from heaviest to lightest.
-6- Fun with Math!
Math is a part of our everyday lives! Here are some activities that help young children build a strong math foundation. Everyone can model a positive math attitude by letting children see and hear you do math.
Games, Shapes, and Patterns
Fingerplays: “Pat-a-cake” (rhythms, patterns, motor skills).
Counting: “One, two, buckle my shoe.”
Board Games: counting spaces, dots on dice, one-to-one correspondence, in order from first to last.
Puzzles: problem solving, spatial sense.
Blocks: spatial sense, informal measuring, sorting.
Play Dough: motor skills, shapes, changes.
Card Games: organizing cards, number recognition.
Activities Around the House
Setting the Table: one-to-one correspondence, counting, more and less, problem solving.
Putting Away Groceries: sorting, matching, classifying, comparisons of more and less.
Cooking: measuring, mixing, spreading, deciding if you have enough or if leftovers will fit in a particular container.
-7- Laundry: sorting clothes, putting away clothes, matching clothes, measuring detergent.
Gardening: changes, growth, use of calendar, motor skills using tools, benchmarks for planting distances and depths.
Number Searches: in particular rooms, on food containers.
Out and About
Geometry of Road Signs: identify shapes, count shapes.
How long is a stop light?
How many stop signs, red cars, trucks, etc. did we see?
What is heavier or lighter than a sack of potatoes?
Shape Scavenger Hunt: in the car, in the supermarket, two-dimensional shapes (squares, triangles, etc.), three-dimensional shapes (cylinders, rectangular solids, cones, etc.).
Using the Language of Math
Make Direct Comparisons: which is longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, more, less, bigger, smaller, taller or shorter?
Use “Position” Words: near, far, behind, above, below to develop important understanding.
Use Specific Math Words: triangle, square, cylinder, rectangular solid, interchanged with more common “words.” You are not teaching math vocabulary. You are providing a mathematical term for concepts your child already understands.
-8- Participating & Cooperating
Set a good example for your child by listening to his or her stories. Encourage your child to tell you about what he or she did during the day.
Help your child learn to stay with an activity to completion by sharing and working on the activity with him or her. Use positive words of encouragement such as, “You are doing a good job picking up your socks.”
Be clear when giving directions to your child. Have your child repeat the directions in his or her own words so you can be sure that he or she understands. Play games with your child such as, “First find the red truck, and then the yellow block. Put them both under the blue box.” Children may need help in remembering, so remind them by going over the directions.
Provide lots of opportunities for your child to play and participate in groups with other children. Praise your child’s efforts and accomplishments. Help your child in solving problems by helping him or her to look at other ways to do something or by giving him or her the words to resolve a conflict.
-9- Developing Fine Motor Skills
Play with jacks and marbles. These games will help your child learn how to control his/her motor movements.
Use spring-type clothes pins to clip things together. Make index cards with numbers written on them and have your child clip the correct number of clothespins to the numbered index card.
Play with clay and playdough. Use plastic forks and other utensils to cut the clay into pieces. Using a garlic press, whisk, rolling pin, cookie cutters, or a rolling pizza slicer can make the activity even more fun.
Sort small objects (such as nails, screws, bolts, paper clips and rubber bands) into groups.
Use a water mister to mist plants or grass.
Cut small shapes out of cardboard and poke holes through them. Stringing beads, tube macaroni, Cheerios or Fruit Loops are fun ways to help refine your child’s motor coordination.
Put coins into a bank, play with wind-up toys and twist bottle caps on and off.
Use clothes fasteners such as buttons, zippers, snaps and shoe strings.
Manipulating the fasteners requires fine hand control. Dress up and doll activities provide a good context for using fastening skills.
Play with games and toys such as blocks, puzzles, Lite- Brite, LEGOs, pickup sticks and easy-to-assemble models. Working with these games and toys uses the small muscles of the hands to develop fine motor skills.
-10-
Screw nuts onto matching bolts. Start with the largest size first and then move to the next size down.
Use a hole-puncher to make confetti out of scrap paper.
Cut, color, fold and paste paper. Working with paper is a great way to develop your child’s fine motor skills. Use child-size scissors that have a small opening for the thumb and a larger opening for the ring and middle fingers. The pointer and pinky fingers do not go into the scissor openings; they help the hand open and close the scissors.
Practicing How to Cut Paper
Here are some guidelines 1. Cut snips into paper. to use when teaching your 2. Cut paper in two. child how to use scissors. 3. Cut on thick straight This is one way to develop lines. fine motor skills in your 4. Cut on thick curved child. lines. 5. Cut shapes.
-11- Pencil Holding Practice
There are many different ways to hold a pencil. The tripod grasp is considered the best way to hold a pencil because your hand gets less tired and your movements are more precise.
To Begin 1. Helping children develop the best way to hold their pencil or pen takes practice. Try finding time each day to practice with your child. 2. Children should be in their best writing/learning position. 3. Every child should have writing paper and a pencil or pen. Short pencils can be used, too, as they promote the tripod grasp. 4. There are many pencil grips available. See which one works for your child.
Pencil Holding Instructions 1. For the tripod grasp, have your child grasp the pencil between the tips of his/her thumb and pointer finger and support it against the side of his/her middle finger.
2. As an alternative, have your child make an “OK” sign with his/her writing hand. Drop the middle, ring and pinky fingers to be in line with the index finger. Open the index finger and thumb and insert the pencil.
Warm-Ups
Mickey Mouse Ears: Place fists next to ears, squeeze, fingers open and close, 10-15 times.
Desk Push-Ups: Hands flat on desk, thumbs and pointer tips facing each other (creating a triangle), bend elbows, nose into triangle created between hands, then up 10-15 times.
Shoulder Shrugs: Also called the “I Don’t Knows.” Palms up shoulders shrug towards ears, release, 10-15 times.
-12- Zaner Bloser Handwriting Method
-13- Speaking & Listening Skills
Use new words daily as you play together and go about everyday activities. For example, “I am going to a mechanic to have my car fixed.”
Be a model for your child by speaking in complete sentences with five or more words per sentence. Help your child to add words to complete his or his sentences.
Listen carefully to your child’s questions, and together spend time to find out the answers.
Say and sing nursery rhymes, rap and poetry, and play rhyming games. Help him or her to repeat the words that rhyme. Help your child make up his or her own funny rhyming words.
Listen with interest to your child’s stories, make comments and ask questions. Share your own stories. Show your own childhood photographs and tell stories about them.
-14- Great Beginner Stories
The following list of authors and titles provides a good starting point for sharing literature with your child. The children’s librarians at the public library will gladly assist you in locating these titles and in recommending other titles and authors. Many titles listed are from series so you can follow your favorite characters through more adventures. If you find an author you enjoy, look for other titles by the same author. There is an abundance of children’s books to interest and inspire our youngest readers.
Titles to Enjoy Together
Barnyard Lullaby; Happy Birthday Moon ...... Frank Asch The Gingerbread Baby; The Mitten ...... Jan Brett Finger Rhymes ...... Marc Brown The Little House; Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel ...... V. Burton Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? ...... Nancy Carlstrom Freight Train ...... Donald Crews The Art Lesson; Strega Nona ...... Tomie DePaola Color Farm; Color Zoo ...... Lois Ehlert Olivia ...... Ian Falconer Koala Lu ...... Mem Fox Corduroy ...... Don Freeman Where’s Spot? ...... Eric Hill Bread and Jam for Frances; Bedtime for Frances ...... Russell Hoban A, B, See!; Push, Pull, Empty, Full ...... Tana Hoban The Doorbell Rang; Rosie’s Walk ...... Pat Hutchins Whistle for Willie ...... Ezra Jack Keats Pinkerton ...... Steven Kellogg Leo the Late Bloomer ...... Robert Kraus Little Blue and Little Yellow; Swimmy ...... Leo Lionni Frog and Toad...... Arnold Lobel George and Martha ...... James Marshall Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? ...... Bill Martin Blueberries for Sal; Make Way for Ducklings ...... Robert McCloskey Martha Speaks ...... Susan Meddaugh The Farm Alphabet Book...... Jane Miller ABC T-Rex ...... Bernard Most If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...... Laura Numeroff My Very First Mother Goose ...... Iona Opie The Rainbow Fish ...... Marcus Phister Thundercake ...... Patricia Polacco Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young ...... Jack Prelutsky
-15- A Box Can Be Many Things ...... Dana M. Rau Curious George ...... H. A. Rey Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs ...... Carol Roth The Cat in the Hat; Green Eggs and Ham ...... Dr. Seuss Day by Day a Week Goes Round ...... Carol Shields Don’t Fidget a Feather ...... Erica Silverman Sylvester and the Magic Pebble ...... William Steig Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes ...... Stephen Swinburne Have You Seen My Duckling?; Snowy Flowy, Blowy ...... Nancy Tafuri Night and Day ...... Herve Tullet Mouse Count; Mouse Paint ...... Ellen Stoll Walsh Shy Charles; Timothy Goes to School ...... Rosemary Wells Harry the Dirty Dog ...... Gene Zion
Titles About Going to School for the First Time
Reading books about starting school is one way to help young children prepare for the transition to Kindergarten or a new school. Below is a listing of suggested books on making the transition.
Arthur’s Back to School Surprise ...... Marc Brown Barbara Bunny Goes to Kindergarten ...... L.E. Baptist The Berenstain Bears Go to School ...... Jan and Stan Berenstain Boomer Goes to School ...... Mary Whyte and Constance W. McGeorge Barnaby Goes to School ...... Wendy Whitcomb Rouillard Busy Bear Goes to Kindergarten ...... Hartmut Bieber Chrysanthemum ...... Kevin Henkes Countdown to Kindergarten ...... Alison McGhee Countdown to the First Day of School ...... Annmarie Harris Don’t Eat the Teacher ...... Nick Ward Enrico Starts School ...... Charlotte Middleton First Day ...... Dandi Daley Mackall and Tiphanie Beeke First Day Fright ...... Bonnie Bader First Day, Hooray! ...... Nancy Poydar Froggy Goes to School ...... Jonathan London How Did You Grow So Big, So Soon? ...... Anne Bowen I Am Too Absolutely Small for School ...... Lauren Child The Kissing Hand ...... Audrey Penn Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! ...... Nancy L. Carlson Molly Rides the School Bus ...... Julie Brillhart The Night Before Kindergarten ...... Natasha Wing Off to School, Baby Duck! ...... Amy Hest Pete and Polo’s Big School Adventure ...... Adrian Reynolds Rosie’s First Day at School ...... Rosemary Stones School Mouse ...... Dick King-Smith
-16- Wanda’s First Day ...... Mark Sperring We Share Everything! ...... Robert N. Munsch What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School ...... Toby Forward When You Go to Kindergarten ...... James Howe Who’s Going to Take Care of Me? ...... Michelle Magorian Will You Come Back for Me? ...... Ann Tompert Will I Have a Friend? ...... Miriam Cohen
The Milford Public Library Located in the heart of downtown Milford, our Public Library has a wonderful variety of books, tapes, CDs, and many other materials -- ready and waiting for you! The Children’s Library also conducts a full slate of children-specific events and programs. Please check the city website at www.ci.milford.ct.us for more.
Library Hours. Monday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Friday: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday: Closed
Contact Info: Milford Public Library, 57 New Haven Avenue, Milford, CT 06460; Children’s Department: (203) 783-3312.
-17- Elementary School Office Listings
Calf Pen Meadow School (203) 783-3521 395 Welch’s Point Road (06460) Fax: (203) 783-3680 Dr. Ginger Vail, Interim Principal Jane Smyth, Secretary
John F. Kennedy School (203) 783-3568 404 West Avenue (06461) Fax: (203) 783-3688 Carol Scaramella, Interim Principal Cindy DeCarlo, Interim Principal Lisa Kirby, Secretary
Live Oaks School (203) 783-3564 575 Merwin Avenue (06460) Fax: (203) 783-3616 Rosemarie Marzinotto, Principal Kathy Clark, Secretary
Mathewson School (203) 783-3527 466 West River Street (06461) Fax: (203) 783-3563 Melissa Currier, Principal Marcy Gonski, Secretary
Meadowside School (203) 783-3555 80 Seeman’s Lane (06460) Fax: (203) 783-4826 Gail Krois, Principal Jennifer Stebbins, Secretary
Orange Avenue School (203) 783-3537 260 Orange Avenue (06461) Fax: (203) 783-3619 Joseph Apicella, Principal Maggie Germanese, Secretary
Orchard Hills School (203) 783-3566 185 Marino Drive (06460) Fax: (203) 783-3716 Dr. Clifford Dudley, Principal Doreen Mullin, Secretary
Pumpkin Delight School (203) 783-3531 24 Art Street (06460) Fax: (203) 783-3696 Carrie Keramis, Principal Robin Green, Secretary