Goodbye Kindergarten

It's official... we have a 1st grader now.

L-R: First Day of School, Last Day of School

The final weeks of school were absolutely crazy!  Open House where Drew showed off his artwork in class and at the Y.  Here is the art he did in Art Class - We had the option of purchasing it to help support the art department.

Award ceremony where Drew got the "scientist" award in his K class.  He really took to the "animal" studies of worms, snails, and rolly pollys.  

I helped out with Field Day (next to last day of school)... his class was in charge of a water relay.  Kids fill up water from a bucket and pass it down cup by cup into another bucket.

After my shift was over I ventured down to where Drew was playing tug-of-war with his classmates.

He had a blast!

And it's so sad to say goodbye to a fantastic teacher Mrs. B!  We've had very good luck with teachers our first two years of public school (Drew was in TK last year).

Drew's final report card was perfect marks all across the board (except for the items they no longer assess).  We're so proud of our now 1st grader!

Kindergarten Report Card - 2nd Trimester

We had Drew's second and final Parent/Teacher conference today for Kindergarten - marking the end of the second trimester.  Overall nothing really new was covered, so most of our time was spent on how we should transition him into 1st grade and what to expect.  She continues to work on challenging him, but she said he will be grouped with similar peers next year and will likely have various reading/math classes in other rooms for the additional challenge.

She said his DRA level is still at a 16 (where he was at the first trimester) but she knows he can read well  above that. His issue is retelling the story - you have to really pry things out of him to get to respond to the question.  We spent a bit of time chatting about how much of it is that Drew likes to just get things done quickly and take the road with the least amount of work/effort.  I being the kind parent I am referred to it as laziness, his teacher called it maturity.  She said she really only can go by the assessment in front of her, but she suspects that laziness/maturity may very well be a part of it.

OK so the grades.... we still aren't receiving letter grades, but rather:

•  √ (checkmark) = Meets/Exceeds Standard
• O = Working Toward Standard
• AC = Area of Concern
• X - Not Taught yet/Assessed

* Some X items are no longer graded in Kindergarten under the Common Core Standard taught at our schools
* I will put first trimester reports in the ( )

Language Arts
Word Analysis, Fluency, Systematic Vocabulary Development
Identifies Concepts of print (left to right, spacing words, top to bottom - √ (√)
Names uppercase letters (26) -26 (26)
Names uppercase letters (26) - 26 (26)
Names & identifies all letter sounds - consonants- √ (√)
Names & identifies all letter sounds - vowels - √ (√)
Phonemic Awareness (oral) - Blends sounds - √ (√)
Phonemic Awareness (oral) - Substitutes sounds -  O (X)
     * She noted he missed 1 question.  She asked if you have the word B-I-G and you replace the G with a T, what is the word (no writing it down).  He said tib instead of bit.
Phonemic Awareness (oral) - Segments Sounds - √ (√)
Identifies/produces rhyming words - identify - √ (√)
Identifies/produces rhyming words - Produce - √ (O)
Distinguishes beginning and ending sounds - Beginning - √ (√)
Distinguishes beginning and ending sounds -Ending - √ (√)
Reads sight words and CVC words - Sight words - √ (√)
Reads sight words and CVC words -CVC - √ (√)
Identifies the number of words in sentences and syllables in words - √ (X)

Reading Comprehension/Literary Response
Uses pictures and context to make predictions about story content - √ (√)
Retells familiar stories including character, setting and important events - O (X)
    *again the note here was that you sometimes have to pull teeth to get the information out of him.   
       We all know he knows it, he's just not being forthcoming with the information
Asks and answers questions about story elements - √ (√)

Writing Strategies, Applications, Conventions
Writes name correctly, First - √ (√)
Writes name correctly, Last - X (X) (they don't assess this in K)
Writes upper and lower case letters independently - √ (√)
Writes consonant - vowel - consonant words - √ (√)
Writes from left to right and top to bottom with proper spacing - √ (√)
Writes words and brief sentences that are legible - √ (√)
Uses letter and phonetically spelled words to write about a specific topic - √ (√)

Listening and Speaking
Shares ideas using complete sentences - √ (√)
Recites short poems, rhymes and songs - X (X) - not done in K anymore
Narrates personal experiences - √ (√)

Mathematcis
Number Sense
Counts objects accurately to 30 - √ (√)
Represents 10 or less by grouping objects - √ (√)
Understands more than/less than/equal - √ (√)
Counts by 1 - √ (√)
Counts by 2 - X (X)
Counts by 5 - X (X)
Counts by 10 - √  (X)
   * she stated he can go well beyond the 100 she wanted him to do.
Recognizes numbers to 30 - √ (√)
Writes numbers to 30 - √ (√)
Uses estimation strategies - X (X)
Demonstrates the concept of +/- with objects - √ (X)
   * she mentioned he can do beyond what she was asking (she knew he can do multiplication too)

Algebra and Function
Identifies, sorts and classifies objects by attribute - √ (√)

Measurement and Geometry
Compares length, weight, and volume - √ (X)
Understands time concepts -  √ (O)
Names the days of the week - √ (√)
Identifies geometric shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle) - √ (√)
Describes common geometric shapes - √ (√)
Identifies 3-dimensional shapes (sphere, cone, cube, cylinder) - √ (X)

Statistics/Data Analysis/Probability
Understands and uses pictographs - X (X) Not done in K
Recognizes/describes/extends patterns - X (X) Not Done in K

Mathematical reasoning
Models and explains problems/solutions - √  (X)

Science - Earth Life Physical
Observes and compares - O (O)
Communicates findings and observations - O (O)

Social Studies
Geographic, Historical and community concepts - O (O)

Creative Arts
Participates in music, art drama - √ (O)

Social Development
Exhibits self control - O (O)
    *she's seeing progress with his "perfectionism" and his ability to manage difficult situations or
       things out of his comfort zone.
Follows Classroom rules - √ (√)
Follows Playground rules - √ (√)
Respects others and their property - √ (O)
Takes responsibility for own actions - O (O)
Cooperative with adults - O (O)
Resolves conflicts verbally - √ (√)
Participates in classroom activities - √ (√)

Work Habits
Follows Directions - √ (√)
Completes tasks in a timely manner - √ (√)
Works neatly and carefully - √ (√)
Maintains appropriate attention span - √ (√)
Works independently - √ (√)
Works well with others - √ (√)
Follows classroom routines - √ (√)
Exhibits organizational skills - √ (√)
Returns notes and homework - √ (√)

Physical Development
Gross Motor skills (i.e. hop, balance, ball skills etc.) -  √ (O)
Fine motor skills - (i.e. cut, copy, pencil, control etc.) - √ (√)

Teacher Comments: 
Drew shows growth in participation and respecting others.  We'll continue to support Drew to branch out and take more risks in areas he's less comfortable in as well as support him in coping with frustration.  He has often shown support for others in class when they make a breakthrough in learning!  We'll set a goal for Drew to work towards in this last trimester.

Bottom line it was a great report and great feedback. 

The Gingerbread Man Musical

Last Tuesday Drew's Kindergarten class put on a Musical for the parents...

Here is the program

Yes our son was the fox.  While we learned what his part was a few days before the show (because he had to be dressed a certain way) we didn't realize what this meant.  So Dave and I walked him to school and I saw him starting to get into his costume - a red turtleneck made to look like the body of a fox.  We were told to have black pants on underneath.

So when he arrived on stage we were shocked he wasn't wearing the costume rather the sweat pants and shirt we sent him in.  We'd have dressed him a little nicer if we knew he was going to refuse to wear the costume (he said the turtleneck was choking him).

So here's the class before the performance... Drew is off to the right between the stands and his teacher.

Here's a close-up of our little fox.

Low and behold our child had a solo!

Here is part 1 (our video camera lost it's charge so I was grabbing them on our point and shoot)



And here is part 2



My camera's battery died at this point - oops.

Here are a few final photos from my phone.


And Drew's wanted poster for the Gingerbread Man....


It was really cute - and we were so proud of Drew for having a big part in the show!

Kindergarten - Report Card

The first trimester is complete for Kindergarten and we had Drew's parent teacher conference as well as received his first report card of the year.  I'll get to the "grades" in a moment, but first the highlighted notes.

She said Drew was very smart, off the chart for everything and her biggest challenge is to make sure he stays challenged and feels so.  She commented that he's lacking modesty (my paraphrasing) and being a bit of a know it all (again my paraphrasing).  So we'll work on him with that... I think its a bit of maturity.

She also mentioned that Drew has some work to do in the social development area - things that all of his teachers have said since day one and the sole reason we did Transitional Kindergarten last year instead of pushing him into Kindergarten.  She said he's short tempered at times and I added the "disrespectful" comment when he's mad... and while she was polite about it she agreed.  It's one of the things we're constantly working with Drew on.

OK so the grades.... we still aren't receiving letter grades, but rather:

•  √ (checkmark) = Meets/Exceeds Standard
• O = Working Toward Standard
• AC = Area of Concern
• X - Not Taught yet/Assessed

* Some X items are no longer graded in Kindergarten under the Common Core Standard taught at our schools

Language Arts
Word Analysis, Fluency, Systematic Vocabulary Development
Identifies Concepts of print (left to right, spacing words, top to bottom - √
Names uppercase letters (26) -26
Names uppercase letters (26) - 26
Names & identifies all letter sounds - consonants- √
Names & identifies all letter sounds - vowels - √
Phonemic Awareness (oral) - Blends sounds - √
Phonemic Awareness (oral) - Substitutes sounds - X
Phonemic Awareness (oral) - Segments Sounds - √
Identifies/produces rhyming words - identify - √
Identifies/produces rhyming words - Produce -O
     (she commented that he was stumped trying to rhyme for "sun")
Distinguishes beginning and ending sounds - Beginning - √
Distinguishes beginning and ending sounds -Ending - √
Reads sight words and CVC words - Sight words - √
Reads sight words and CVC words -CVC - √
Identifies the number of words in sentences and syllables in words - X

Reading Comprehension/Literary Response
Uses pictures and context to make predictions about story content - √
Retells familiar stories including character, setting and important events - X
Asks and answers questions about story elements - √

Writing Strategies, Applications, Conventions
Writes name correctly, First - √
Writes name correctly, Last - X
Writes upper and lower case letters independently - √
Writes consonant - vowel - consonant words - √
Writes from left to right and top to bottom with proper spacing - √
Writes words and brief sentences that are legible - √
Uses letter and phonetically spelled words to write about a specific topic - √

Listening and Speaking
Shares ideas using complete sentences - √
Recites short poems, rhymes and songs - X
Narrates personal experiences - √

Mathematcis
Number Sense
Counts objects accurately to 30 - √
Represents 10 or less by grouping objects - √
Understands more than/less than/equal - √
Counts by 1 - √
Counts by 2 - X
Counts by 5 - X
Counts by 10 - X
Recognizes numbers to 30 - √
Writes numbers to 30 - √
Uses estimation strategies -X
Demonstrates the concept of +/- with objects - X

Algebra and Function
Identifies, sorts and classifies objects by attribute - √

Measurement and Geometry
Compares length, weight, and volume - X
Understands time concepts - O
    *she said his struggle was confirming what day yesterday was, today and tomorrow
Names the days of the week - √
Identifies geometric shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle) - √
Describes common geometric shapes - √
Identifies 3-dimensional shapes (sphere, cone, cube, cylinder) - √

Statistics/Data Analysis/Probability
Understands and uses pictographs - X
Recognizes/describes/extends patterns - X

Mathematical reasoning
Models and explains problems/solutions - X

Science - Earth Life Physical
Observes and compares - O
Communicates findings and observations - O

Social Studies
Geographic, Historical and community concepts - O

Creative Arts
Participates in music, art drama - O

Social Development
Exhibits self control - O
Follows Classroom rules - √
Follows Playground rules - √
Respects others and their property - O
Takes responsibility for own actions - O
Cooperative with adults - O
Resolves conflicts verbally - √
Participates in classroom activities - √

Work Habits
Follows Directions - √
Completes tasks in a timely manner - √
Works neatly and carefully - √
Maintains appropriate attention span - √
Works independently - √
Works well with others - √
Follows classroom routines - √
Exhibits organizational skills - √
Returns notes and homework - √

Physical Development
Gross Motor skills (i.e. hop, balance, ball skills etc.) - O
   * mostly because she doesn't really monitor/grade this
Fine motor skills - (i.e. cut, copy, pencil, control etc.) - √

NOTES: Drew is a bright student who often gets right to any task at hand.  His rich prior knowledge base adds to our class discussions.  We'll set a goal for Drew to work towards in the coming trimester at conference time.

Other fun stories - 
She mentioned there is a new student who doesn't speak much English and is shy.  Drew has taken to him and is working on teaching him how to write or do whatever task is at hand.  One day he was so excited and shouted across the room "He's getting it! He's actually doing it!"  Apparently he was quite the teacher, proud of his "student".

She also mentioned she wants Drew to do some extra projects STEM to create things at home/homework and then come to school to discuss them further.

We have the online reading program - Raz-Kids - that Drew will read books online and take quizzes to progress and challenge him.  She wants to encourage him to do this during computer time at school.  Currently he's reluctant to do so because other kids are doing something else.

First Day of Kindergarten

The long awaited first day of school is here!  Drew started Kindergarten on August 27th, and parents were required to be there for the first 45 minutes.  We met up with our neighbor and did something for the first time since Drew started Preschool at 2 1/2... we walked to school!  That's a major accomplishment for us.  We had to drive Drew about 4 miles to Preschool, and then another 4 miles to his Transitional Kindergarten (which was in the same district, just not available at our home school).

Drew has been anxiously awaiting starting Kindergarten.  No nerves whatsoever.  I think we got all of them out last year with TK, he knew the drill now (as did Mom and Dad).  He even tried to convince us to let him skip Kindergarten and go straight to first grade - because all of his Preschool friends were going into first.  Poor kid.

We're going to take pictures in front of the school sign (it's the one out back) just so we can see how much Drew grows over the year(s)!

Drew and Christopher (our neighbor) winding their way through the campus to the Kindergarten rooms.

Daddy and Drew waiting for the teacher.

And Mommy wanted in on that action...

And once we were inside, they had a "scavenger hunt" for the kids.  They had activities to do and complete, here Drew is writing his name, height and drawing a picture of himself.

Here's the scavenger hunt...

Some of it was to find the bathroom, take pictures, read a book...

Then after 45 minutes the kids were called over for their "meeting" otherwise known as carpet time.

For the first two weeks of school they do Kindergarten assessments, to set benchmarks for the kids.  During this time all kids were to attend school for the same time, they weren't assigned a time slot (early/late) until yesterday.  So now we know what time Drew starts class on Monday!   So far he's really enjoying school, let's hope this lasts!  He would  often tell me School is boring last year in TK and that he never learned anything.  He doesn't realize that he does learn things through more interactive activities rather than just doing worksheets and pop-quizzes.

Oh and just for fun, here is a comparison of his first day of school last year for TK and this year.