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Kindergarten
registration and readiness
Jody Harter, Principal
Woodland Heights Primary School
If your child turns 5 on or before August 1st, he or she is eligible
for kindergarten! Greenville City Schools is registering students
for kindergarten for the 2016-17 school year on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday, April 5th, 6th and 7th from 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at
Memorial Hall. You will need to bring an official birth
certificate, immunization records, proof of residency, and a photo
ID. Your child does not need to be with you for
registration. Once you have your child registered, you will be
given a day and time for kindergarten screening that will take place in
May. Your child will be screened by a speech therapist, a nurse,
and a teacher. Your child will be asked to identify letters,
count objects, write their name, demonstrate gross motor skills, and
have the opportunity to get on a bus.
We are excited for you and your child as you prepare for the transition
into kindergarten! This can be a very exciting and yet anxious
time for you and your child. We have nine wonderful kindergarten
teachers at Woodland Primary that will teach your child many
things. It is amazing how much your kindergartener will learn and
grow. By the end of their kindergarten year, your child is
expected to know all the letter sounds, read beginner leveled books,
read and write 35 sight words, write narratives, read informational and
how-to books, count to 100, decompose numbers, simple addition and
subtraction, and the list goes on.
Things your child should already know before entering kindergarten
include how to write their first name, talks in sentences, identify
some of the letters in the alphabet, count objects to 10, properly hold
a pencil and scissors, recognize their first name in print, and attend
to an activity for 10 minutes.
Preparing your child for school should be fun for the both of
you! Children will enjoy the interaction, attention and spending
time with you. The single most important thing you can do with
your child is READ! Reading to your child during this young
developmental stage is so very important and the time together in
conversation will be forever cherished by your child. Reading is
the foundation skill for all learning. Read, read, read and
read some more, and then talk about what you read. Have
conversations with your child. Listen to your child as he or she
retells stories and makes observations about the world.
Talking to your child, asking questions and listening to their answers
is a great way to develop their language skills. Developing
language skills will prepare your child for reading and writing.
Your child should be able to carry on a conversation, ask questions and
listen to answers, retell stories and talk about past experiences, and
recognize rhymes. To help your child develop these skills, talk,
talk and talk some more with your child; chat about your day, share
something funny, ask questions. Retelling nursery rhymes, finger
plays, and making up stories will help your child develop the necessary
language skills they need to be successful in school.
Playing games such as Uno, Candy Land, and Chutes and Ladders is a fun
and interactive way to learn about numbers and counting. Count
steps, jumps, M&M’s, how long it takes to run across the room, how
many steps from the car to the house etc. Make learning
fun! Drawing family portraits, writing family members names, and
playing games are great ways to interact with your child. This will
help them learn letters, numbers, and storytelling along the way.
Of course there is more than reading and arithmetic to being successful
in school. Physical development, fine-motor and gross motor
skills, self-help skill, social and emotional skills along with a
healthy diet and sleep patterns are very important as well. To do
well in school, children need to be supported and nurtured in all areas
of development. Establishing consistent routines of going to bed
and waking up at the same time every day and doing the same activities
before bed helps the child know what to expect and prepares them for
the kindergarten schedule. So, encouraging outdoor play, coloring
and drawing with your child, eating balanced meals and spending quality
time with your child will naturally prepare them for school.
Don’t worry if your child does not yet know all of their letters,
counts to 100, or ties their shoes etc., that is ok. That is
where we can help. We will teach them that and much, much more,
such as how to write letters and put letter sounds together to make
words. What we can’t provide for them is the foundation for literacy
that is developed long before a child enters school. You are your
child’s first teacher; you are also a partner in their education-both
in the classroom and at home. Parent involvement in a child’s
education is a major factor in determining success in school. We
look forward in being part of your child’s educational team. The
Wave starts here.
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