Here is what you have been waiting for

The Kindergarten Handbook!

In these pages are the answers to many of the
questions you may have about what we do in
kindergarten every day.
Please read and refer to this information and my
website on a regular basis. You will find them a valuable
resource of helpful tips on how to help your child as
well as descriptions of our curriculum, assessments,
grading and report cards, behavior management,
conferences and daily routines.
If you have any questions or if something is not clear,
please do not hesitate to let me know:
Jennifer_L_Ashcraft@dekalbschoolsga.org
http://msjlashcraft.weebly.com/

Parent
Conferences

Kindergarten assessment reports will go home every 4.5

weeks. The assessments will be the GKIDS (Georgia
Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills) and will be sent
home each of these report periods except for December and
May when a formal standards-based report card will be sent in
its place.
We will provide opportunities for 2 conference
afternoons during the school year. The conference afternoons
usually coincide with the issuance of the assessment reports.
We will send a notice the week before each conference day to
give you the opportunity to sign up for a meeting. These
conferences will run 15 minutes and we will be available from
3:00-5:00 that afternoon.
If you feel the need for a conference at any other time,
you are welcome to request one.

KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM
Language Arts
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Story Town
Leveled Readers, Orton Gillingham
We use a combination of Whole Language and Phonics to expose the children
to a variety of literature and the names/sound relationship of letters. Some
themes are related to the Science, Math, and Social Studies curriculums and
provide cross-curricular reinforcement as the themes are explored through a
multimodal approach which incorporates the oral, written, spoken, physical,
and hands-on approaches to learning.

Science
Harcourt School Publishers
In this science series, children learn through active participation in the science
process and inquiry science. The units of study include; Observing with my
Senses, Rocks and Soil, Day and Night Sky, How Things Move,
Living/Nonliving, Plants, Animals, Animal Babies.

Social Studies
Houghton Mifflin My World
This program focuses on the child and then proceeds to explore cooperation
within the family and the community. Units of study include Families & Friends, A
Big Wide World, Long Ago & Today, Our Country--Its a Great Place.

Math
McGraw-Hill My Math CCSS
McGraw-Hill My Math focuses on inquiry & fluency. They balance deep
understanding with essential skills & problem solving through discovery. They
are designed to incorporate the best of both traditional and reform mathematics
curriculum. The programs strike a balance by promoting childrens natural
solution methods and introducing effective procedures. The children are
encouraged to be reflective and resourceful problem solvers.

Homework
Your child will receive a weekly homework packet every
Monday. Students will have the entire week to complete
the packet and turn it in on Friday mornings. Each child is
also expected to complete 20minutes of daily reading
homework. Reading can look like many things at the
beginning of the year depending on each childs reading
ability. If your child is currently capable of reading to you,
please spend the 20 minutes having him/her read to you.
If your child is in the early stages of reading, you may
read to your child. As you see fit, please point to words
your child knows and have her/him read them. Please
refer to the Parent Tip and Tricks for more suggestions.
If possible, we encourage you to provide your child with
time to play on the educational websites that are linked
to our class website. These sites serve to reinforce the
skills we are working on at school. Please also ensure that
your child gets lots of physical play outside, weather
permitting, each day afterschool.

Kindergarten Assessments
1. Kindergarten assessment/portfolio
shows growth from the beginning to the end of the year
assesses basic skills
your child can visually track his/her learning
2. Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Testing
district standardized test for kindergarten children
administered 4 times a year
assessing for curriculum mastery
the test is given by Ms. Ashcraft one on one
3. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment
MAP is an assessment to help identify each childs starting point as
early as possible and track their growth over time on a reliable scale
It will help to inform and drive instruction
administered by the teacher in the computer lab
MAP will be administrated two times a year (September and May)
MAPS Subject areas Math and LA
4. Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS)
Administered by the teacher
The teacher chooses from and creates assessments to check for mastery
in each content standard
please visit this website for detailed information about GKIDS...
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/Curriculum-Instruction-andAssessment/Assessment/Pages/GKIDS.aspx

You will receive a progress report with the information gathered from
this assessment
Indicators will not all be marked at the beginning of the year. They are
added gradually because it is too much to assess at once. Teachers are
given a schedule of standards to enter at certain "Progress Report"
dates. This schedule does not align with the plan for instruction given
by our county. We assess and mark the progress of each skill, but this
skill may or may not have been covered in class.
Not to worry, your child has the entire year to "master" a content
standard. Only the final report will be placed in his/her permanent
record at the end of the year.

Snacks

We have a small healthy working snack every day from 1:201:30pm.

IDEAS FOR NUTRITIOUS SNACKS

Snacks should be nutritious, filling and attractive. They should encourage
children to try new foods and should present a variety of colors, textures and
tastes. In selecting snack foods, avoid high levels of sugar, fat and salt. Below
are some suggestions for kid friendly snacks. Please no foods that require a
spoon, knife or fork.

Raw fruits and vegetables in sticks, cubes, slices or sections

Raisins/Berries
Rice cakes
Popcorn plain or flavored
Graham crackers/Saltine crackers
Muffins
Cheese, slices or cubes
Goldfish crackers, Cheese-Its, pretzels

Birthdays
I are extremely grateful that your child was born! We will celebrate
your childs birth in our classroom by singing Happy Birthday, giving
her/him a crown and a sticker. We are not allowed to have cupcakes or
other treats for birthday celebrations. You may celebrate your childs
birthday with us at school by donating a book to our classroom library
in honor of your child. If your child has a summer birthday, please
calculate their half-birthday and we will honor him/her at that time. For
example, my birthday is June 9; therefore, we will celebrate it on
January 9. We also have a day where we will celebrate all summer
birthdays in May!

Arrival and Dismissal

Arrival:

We welcome you to walk with your child down to the classroom

during the first 3 days of school. After that time, we would greatly
appreciate having your child learn to walk down the hall alone. We work
very hard to encourage independence during the kindergarten year.
Dismissal:
It is our intent to have all kindergarten children in the cafeteria each
afternoon. We will dismiss the children from there to ensure their
safety with as little confusion as possible. If you need to make a
permanent change to your childs dismissal procedure you need to
complete a dismissal form and return it back to school. (Please request
form from you teacher.) All dismissal agreements must be turned into
the front office. If you need to permanently change your childs
dismissal procedure, please request a dismissal change form, fill it out,
and submit it to the front office (via your childs binder.) In the event
that your childs dismissal route is changing just for the day, please
submit a dated, signed note to me (via the front inside pocket in your
childs binder is the BEST way, but emailing also is a good back up plan
to make sure I receive it). In the event of a last-minute emergency
change, please call the front office, 678-874-9002.

DCSS Absence Policy

Based on Vanderlyn policy, after six days of unexcused absences, you will receive a
letter from the county. There are five instances that your child is excused from
missing school. They are: illness, death in the family, religious events, severe
weather, and acting as a PAGE in the legislator. Teachers have no discretion in
determining if an absence is excused or unexcused. When your child is absent,
please send or email a note explaining why they were out.

Clothing
There are no uniforms, but we do have a dress code at Vanderlyn. We have high
expectations that our students look appropriate. Bare midriffs, halter tops/tank

tops, low-cut tops/blouses, short shorts, and net or see-through garments are
prohibited. Please make sure that girls shorts, skirts, and dresses are an
appropriate length. It is helpful to have girls wear shorts under their skirts or
dresses (this is required for dance and P.E.). Please also ensure the boys and girls
pants fit at the waist; if they need to wear a belt, please make sure they can
unbuckle/buckle it independently. Your child must wear closed-toe sneakers every
day to be safe on the playground at Fresh Air time.
In addition, please send an extra set of clothes to keep in your childs backpack.
Unfortunately, we do have space in the classroom to store these items at school.
Young children have accidents and spill drinks/food on their clothing quite often.
Please make sure your child has access to an additional pair of pants, a shirt, socks
and underwear. In the event that I send home soiled clothes, please send a new set
the next day. Remember to update this pair of clothes as the weather changes.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Specials and Recess

The children will have art, music, PE, dance, computer technology
and STEM every 6 days. We also have a daily recess time for the
children to explore nature, make-up new games and practice the social
skills taught throughout the day.

LUNCH
Parents are welcome to eat lunch with their child after Labor Day. No fast-food is
permitted at Vanderlyn. Our lunch time is 10:34-11:04 a.m. We sit at table 7 and
have a number of extra seats to accommodate visiting parents or relatives.
Lunch/milk money should be sent via your childs binder in a sealed envelope or a
Ziploc bag with your childs name written on it. Student lunch is $2.00 and includes
and milk or water; milk only is $.65. Adult lunch is $3.00.
**www.mylunchmoney.com is a great way to make sure your child always has
money for lunch; you do not need to send money in you do it all online! All you
need is your childs DCSS student number.

Behavior

It is my philosophy that your childs success depends on their development of making responsible
choices. We have learned exactly what it means to be responsible, respectful, ready to learn, and safe!
I use a color-changing system to help manage behavior in our classroom. Each child begins the day on
green. Depending on the childs behavior they can move up to the blue, purple, and then to pink or
down to the yellow, orange, and then on red. The goal is to move to the blue, purple, or pink, A student
is never stuck on a color, they will move throughout the day as they make their individual choices. If
your childs choice(s) during the day causes them to move down to yellow, orange, or red, I will use the
following number codes to indicate the reason.
Rewards and consequences are as follows:

Color Code Reminder

Pink-Captain of the Ship!

Purple- Smooth Sailing
Blue- Above Board
Green- Ready to Sail (Everyone begins here)
Yellow- Choppy Waters (One warning)
Orange-Get back on Course (Two or more warnings)
Red- Ship Wrecked (Continuous warnings)

Behavior Choice Codes

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Not following directions

Not attentive during instruction
Excessive Talking
Incomplete Classwork
Not showing consideration for others
Not showing respect to adults
Not demonstrating self-control
I did not keep my hands/feet to myself
I misbehaved in the hallway or restroom
I misbehaved in the cafeteria
I misbehaved during Activity

BRAGGING ABOUT BRAG TAGS

A brag tag is a behavior/academic/character award given to a

student who has mastered that goal. On the first day of school
each students was given a 2 round hoop to hold all their brag
tags. These brag tags are to be kept on the back of their book
bags to brag to friends and family about the achievements they
have made in my classroom.
I use brag tags to recognize my students' behavior, their
character and their academic goal achieved.
This year, my students started their brag tag collection with the
tag below that reads "My first day of school!"
I distribute brag tags using a random system. I hand out the tags
whenever I see that a student has earned one. Sometimes a
student really stands out because they are working especially
hard, or being super helpful or kind, and the brag tag is a quick
and easy way to recognize that stand out behavior. When I see
these kinds of behaviors, I make a big deal about awarding the
brag tag, which makes it even more special to the student. It gets
the attention of others and motivates them to work a bit harder.
Whenever my students earn a new tag, they get to place their tag
on their necklace and brag on Fridays. Unfortunately I cannot
replace brag tags

Vanderlyn Rules & Management Plan

The school-wide Vanderlyn Expectations for student behavior are
Follow directions the first time given.
Maintain silence in the hallways and near classrooms.
Keep hands, feet, and objects to self.
Demonstrate respect for self, others, and school property.
Our classroom rules are

The
The
The
The
The
The

golden rule says be kind to others.

red rule says hands to ourselves.
orange rule says eyes looking forward.
yellow rule says
green rule says use walking feet.
blue rule says use our inside voice.

The purple rule says to listen well.

The pink rule says be your own boss.

The lunchroom rules are...

Remain seated with your feet under the table in front of you.
Raise your hand for assistance.
Use an inside voice and talk only to the friends seated near you.
Eat your healthy foods first.
Eat your own food. No sharing or trading.
The playground rules are...

Students MUST wear tennis shoes in order to participate in any

physical activity including recess

No digging in, throwing, or kicking wood chips

No touching rocks

No jumping from high equipment

Climb up the steps and down the slides, feet first

Run in the open grassy spaces and not near the play equipment

Thursday V.I.P Folders

Each Thursday we send home a yellow folder which

contains a work samples, notices from the PTA or principal,
information about school clubs and activities, homework or
special projects and reminders. Please be sure you check this
folder every week for important information. Please initial at
the bottom of the column to let us know you reviewed the
report. The folder should be returned to school on Friday.

Daily Binders/Anchor Books

Please check your childs binder on a daily basis and initial the behavior
sheet. Anything I send home to you will be in the front, inside pocket. If you
have any notes for me or the school, please also put them in the front, inside
pocket. Please encourage your child to take ownership of her/his binder by
showing it to you each day. It is also the students responsibility to return the
binder to school every day. It is part of your childs morning routine to check
for and remove any notes or lunch money from the binder each morning and
put them on my table. Thank you for your cooperation!

Scholastic Book Orders

Book orders will go home one time per month in the Thursday VIP. We will have a
classroom book order setup online; this will allow you to make all payments on the
internet, rather than sending money to school. Ordering books is optional, but it is a
great way to encourage reading and a love for books. Bonus: our class earns points
with your book order, which will help us to acquire free books for the classroom
library.

Parent Reader
Every Thursday (See schedule on sign up genius) from 8:15am-8:45am we
ask that a parent/ grandparents sign up to read 2-3 books to the class.
Please bring the books from home and arrive on time.