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
May
May 26th - DC Government Holiday Observance (Memorial Day) – No School
May 29th – HSA General Parent Meeting (6pm) For more information, please visit: https://www.johnfrancisec.org/
June (Details about the noted event can be found on the Weekly News section)
Thursday, June 5th- Kindergarten Class Celebration Party- "Sweet Treats & Memories"
Monday, June 9th – John Francis EC Move-Up Day (9:30am)
Wednesday, June 11th- John Francis Elementary Field Day
Thursday June 12th – Term 4 Awards Celebration (9:10am ES)
Thursday June 12th- Ms. Watson will be out of the building
Monday June 16th – Last Day for Wonders Afterschool Care Programming
Wednesday June 18th– Last Day of School for Students (3:15pm departure)
Learning Resources
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:
GoNoodle for Families is a website that engages kids in movement and mindfulness activities designed to promote physical wellness, academic success, and social-emotional health.
Conversation Starters for Families—Family conversations are a great way to make connections and check in with each other. They allow family members to develop perspectives, family culture, respect for each other, and problem-solving skills. Conversation Starters for Families lists questions to help get you and your family started on this activity.
Academic Resources:
Math:
Click here: Eureka Math Module 1_Parent Tips
Click here: Eureka Math Module 2 Parent Tips
Click here: Eureka Math Student Workbook_ Module 1
Click here: Eureka Math Student Workbook Module 2
Click here: Eureka Math_ Module 3_ Student Workbook
Click here: Eureka Math_ Module 3_ Parent Tips
Click here: Eureka Math Student Workbook_ Module 4
Click here: Eureka Math Parent Tips_ Module 4
Click here: PBS Online Math Game- Museum of Tens
Click here: Eureka Math Student Workbook_ Module 5
Click here: Eureka Math Module 5 Parent Tips
We have several 'Math Masters' in our class. I'm sharing the first and second grade (beginning of year) student math workbook to illustrate the progression of mathematical concepts taught from kindergarten to first grade. You can also use it as an enrichment tool.
Click here: First Grade Eureka Math_ Student Workbook
Click here: Second Grade Eureka Math_ Student Workbook
Literacy:
Click here for Kindergarten Literacy Tools to Support Reading Development.
Please click this video link to see what a Fundations warm-up looks like!
Raising a Reader, Raising a Writer!
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!
Read Daily and Ask Questions
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.
Click Here for At-Home Literacy Skills Practice Activities. These practice activities will be great to work on when your child is absent from school!
Helpful Websites and Other Information:
John R. Francis Education Campus- http://www.johnfrancisec.org
DC Public Schools Summer Learning Resource- https://dcpsstrong.com/es-summer-school/
JFEC Student/Family Handbook
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.
District of Columbia Public Schools- www.dcps.dc.gov. You can find information about the School Lunch Menus and more!
DCPS Volunteer Clearance:
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.