Ms. Lowe-Watson's Kindergarten Class

Greetings! 

Welcome to kindergarten, new and returning families! Kindergarten is an exciting time of new beginnings, where your children will make new friends and learn many new things each day. Our days and weeks will be filled with numerous wonderful experiences and learning opportunities. I appreciate your continuous support in your child's learning journey at home. Please enjoy our weekly newsletters, which will highlight our kindergarteners' growth and joyful experiences throughout the school year.


Warmly,

Ms. Watson, Classroom Teacher

Ms. Moore, Classroom Assistant



John R. Francis Education Campus

 COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY 


At School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens, we believe in our hearts that developing global citizens, with a clear and purposeful focus on social justice and equity, is part of who we are and must be. We also believe in the power of education. We must continue educating ourselves, our children, and each other about our shared history, no matter how uncomfortable and difficult it may be. 


 



  

Upcoming Dates  

April- Autism Awareness Month and Spring Break! 



Learning Resources

Math and English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA)

To achieve the Common Core State Standards, DCPS adopted the Eureka math curriculum and developed its own curriculum for ELA. DCPS provides families with curriculum guides to help them understand the thematic literacy units used throughout the District. You can find them here.

For additional resources on the Eureka Math curriculum used in all DCPS K-5 classrooms, these Common Core-aligned Roadmaps below will help you support your child with math-related content. 

Click here: Kindergarten Math Roadmap  

Click here: Kindergarten ELA Roadmap


Kindergarten Assessments:

Kindergarten students will take the Dibels and iReady Math and Reading Diagnostic Assessment three times a year.

DIBELS measures students’ foundational reading skills. This formative assessment is taken at the beginning of the year (BOY), middle of the year (MOY), and end of the year (EOY). DIBELS uses one-minute fluency measures to assess students’ development in certain key sub-skills closely correlated to fluent grade-level reading. The assessment uses seven indicators to accurately measure the acquisition of early literacy and early reading skills.  Different measures are given at different grade levels. 


The i-Ready Diagnostic is a computer-adaptive test that matches the difficulty of test questions to each student's ability. As students answer questions correctly, the test becomes more difficult. As students answer questions incorrectly, the test becomes easier. In both scenarios, the test adapts to find each student's precise ability in the quickest, most efficient way possible. Math domains include Numbers and Operations, Algebra and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement and Data, and Geometry. English Language Arts (ELA) domains include Phonological awareness: Understanding that a spoken word has distinct sounds, Phonics: Understanding the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the letters of written language, High-frequency words, Vocabulary and Comprehension.

Click here: i-Ready Family Center  

Click here: DCPS Assessment Guide for Families 


Social-Emotional Learning Resources:


Academic Resources:

Math:


Click here: First Grade Eureka Math_ Student Workbook  

Click here: Second Grade Eureka Math_ Student Workbook 


Literacy:

It's important to remember these steps to promote reading and writing habits in children: 

1. Set a regular time every day to read together and make it a predictable part of your daily routine. 

2. Look for books with engaging text and eye-catching illustrations about topics your child is interested in. This will ignite their imagination. It's also important to look for books related to what's happening in your child's life, such as getting a new pet or starting school for the first time. 

3. Surround your child with reading materials and writing tools so that they can easily access them. 

4. Foster your child's awareness of print and how we use it. Children love seeing their names in print. Try to encourage them to write their first and last names on drawings, holiday cards, labels to attach to their belongings, and more. Also, remind your child to write their name on homework!

Ask your child questions about the story while reading a book to your child. Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the problem? What is the solution? What do you think will happen next? What is this book mostly about? Encourage your child to respond to questions in complete sentences. 

Ask your child about one thing that happened during the day (at school or home). Encourage your child to tell you many interesting details about a short period of a single event rather than a general list representing an entire day. This is an excellent activity to do in the car. 

It's important to motivate your child to write every day. You can find many beautiful notepads and blank books to choose from, and your child can add their own illustrations, photos, or cut-out pictures from magazines and newspapers. Alternatively, your child can dictate to you.



Helpful Websites and Other Information:


 

Our 2024-2025 community handbook can be found here and on our school's website at swwfs.org. Important school information and expectations are found in this convenient digital book for your access.



If you are interested in supporting our class through volunteering or field trip chaperoning this school year, please complete the requirements. Please complete the Volunteer Fingerprinting Application.