Welcome to DK in the

Dragonfly Class!
 Dragonfly Class Schedule 2017
8:45 Assembly (M,F) OR Table Top Activities (Tu, W, Th)
9:00 Morning Meeting
9:15 Reading Instruction (whole group instruction, small group
instruction, centers with reading to self, listening on the iPad,
and hands on skill practice activities)
10:15 Snack and Read Aloud
10:30 Choice Time
11:15 Recess and Lunch
12:05 Bathroom and drinks / Emergent Storybook
12:30 Math instruction (whole group and math tub- hands on
practice of skills)
1:00 Writing Mini-Lesson, Writing Time at Tables, Writing Wrap Up
1:30 Special Area (art, music, gym)
2:15 Recess
2:35 Choice Time
3:20 Get Ready to go Home
3:33 Dismissal
Special Area Classes

Students at Donley are able to attend Physical

Education Class, Art Class, and Music Class. One of
these special classes occur each day from 1:30
2:15pm. They are not assigned to days of the week but
instead are attended on a three day rotation. This
makes it difficult to know when we need gym shoes. It
is best if they keep a pair in their locker unless they
wear gym shoes to school every day! Students also
attend Library every Monday from 2:35 3:00pm.
Computers are used in the classroom periodically
throughout when needed for our learning.
 How To Drop Off

When dropping off your child

DK will line up and enter the building at the doors
next to the gym on the west side of the building
by the student drop off lane and parent parking
lot. Please bring your child to school at 8:40am
and say goodbye to her or him at the arrival door.
Your dragonfly will be able to start his or her day
more easily if goodbyes are brief and done
before they enter the building. Parents are
always welcome at school by appointment but
must fill out the appropriate paperwork for a
background check and always check in at the
office before coming to the classroom.
How To Pick Up Your Child

Parents are asked to wait at the doors on the west side of the
building next to the gym and the parent parking lot (same door
as for arrival). Please wait at these doors in line behind the sign
that says Dragonfly Class Pick Up Line" (posted on the window
of the door). Students and teachers are waiting in the hallway
inside these doors and students will be dismissed and brought
to you at these doors when the 3:33pm bell rings. If you arrive
after 3:40pm your child will be waiting for you at the office.
Parents are not allowed into the building during dismissal time
unless they have checked in at the office and are wearing a
visitor pass. When the bell rings at 3:33pm I will call your child
and bring them to you at the door. Please plan to arrive after
3:30pm to reduce your wait time. We are usually able to dismiss
students within three or four minutes if all parents are present by
3:33. If your child rides the bus or goes to our after school
program, our fifth grade safeties will escort them to their lines for
boarding the buses or to the cafeteria for the after school
program.
Attendance and Tardies

* Morning drop off is at 8:40am (door #11) or 8:25am if

eating breakfast at school (enter and exit through the
front door).
* Attendance is taken each morning by 8:50am. If your
child is late (tardy), they must check in at the office and
collect a tardy slip before coming to class. If you know
your child is going to be absent or tardy please call the
attendance line at 517-333-7370 as soon as you can
* Lunch orders are taken by 9:00 am every morning in the
classroom. If your child is going to be late they will need a
lunch from home or they will receive choice 3 on our lunch
menu.
* School ends each day at 3:33pm. Please be sure your
child is picked up on time. If they are not picked up by
3:40pm they will be in the office. If you know you are
going to be late, please contact the office.
Donley School Rules

Be Safe

Be Respectful

Be a Learner
Behavior Expectations
Be kind all day every day to everyone!
Be the best you can be!
Be on our team!
Advocate for yourself!
Advocate for your friends!
Let adults help you!
Always try!
Work hard!
Learn!

LOVE SCHOOL!!!
Homework

Book Bags

Special Projects

Play outside every day

Limit your TV/video game time
Get to bed by 8:30 or 9:00p.
Eat breakfast every day!
Conferences

Parents will be sent an online sign up to schedule a

Parent-Teacher Conference. Please look for it in your
email soon!

Conference Dates:
October 17th and 19th
March 14th, 20th, and 22nd
Grading and Report Cards

Our report card shows your childs progress on the skills

being taught in the classroom. We have a continuum
of levels to show your child's progress. Students who
are "on grade level" will typically score a 2 or 3 on their
report card. By the end of the school year your child
should be scoring a 3 or higher in all areas. If your child
scores a 1 in any area, interventions will be in place to
increase your child's performance and parents will be
informed.

1=Area of concern
2=Developing towards expectations
3=Meets Expectations (met the goal)
4=Exceeds Expectations (above and beyond the
goal)
Possible Fieldtrips /
Presentations
Andy T's Pumpkin Patch (pumpkin lifecycle + farm)
Warton Center Presentation (art enrichment)
Impression V Museum (science exploration)
Potter Park Zoo (living things)
Police Officers/ Mail Carriers (community helpers and personal safety)
Volunteer Opportunities

Party Coordinator: Please email if you are interested in

being our Party Coordinator!
Literacy Station Volunteer: Please email me if you are
interested in volunteering on a weekly (and consistent)
basis in the classroom working with a small group of
students!
WDSA Our Parent Group for Donley needs you!
March is reading month door decorator needed.
Birthdays

We love to celebrate Birthdays! Please feel free to

send a treat on (or near) your child's birthday. No Nuts
please! If your child is lactose intolerant, please
provide an alternative treat for us to keep at school
and give to your child on these days. Please let me
know in advance if you are planning to bring a treat!

In addition to treats, if you are able we also encourage

a birthday book donation the class so your childs book
and be revisited and their birthday can be celebrated
throughout the year!
Common Core Standards
Michigan public schools use the Common Core State
Standards to guide our instruction. They are a set of
standards stating what children should know and be
exposed to at each grade level. These standards were
developed at the national level and then adopted by our
state legislators. There are both literacy and math
standards. Science and Social Studies standards are not
finalized, but are in draft form and are being used to guide
our instruction in those areas as well. The standards can be
read on www.corestandards.org./ Because there are not
standards for DK, the goal is kindergarten readiness with
exposure to the Common Core standards.
Developmental Kindergarten
Curriculum
Reading: OWLS : Reading Street

Writing: Adapted Lessons from the Teachers

College and Lucy Calkins Writers Workshop

Math: Everyday Math Preschool Edition

Science: Battle Creek Units

Social Studies: Battle Creek Units

Social Emotional: Second Step

DK Topics for Learning
Civics and Government
(School rules and procedures, fairness)
Self Awareness, Friends, and Feelings
(cooperation and conflict resolution)
Economics
(needs, wants, goods, services, trading)
Personal Safety
(fire safety, stranger danger, 911, dangerous objects)
Community Helpers
(who they are, what they do, how they help us)
Living and Non-Living Things
(plants and animals)
Various others
(sink and float, shadows, magnets, 5 senses)
Reading
The Reading Street curriculum is used to teach our reading standards.
Reading instruction in DK includes the following activities:

Group lessons - focus on targeted reading skills (phonics, sight words,

vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness, or comprehension).
Shared Reading - experiences in which students practice reading stories,
poems, songs, and rhymes all together to increase their sight word
vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills.
Reading groups - a teacher works with students at their individual reading
levels to demonstrate reading strategies to improve fluency (i.e. what to
do when you come to a word you dont know).
Read Alouds (story time) - the teacher reads to the children to model
fluency and work on reading comprehension strategies and vocabulary
development.
Reading Stations - focus on all areas of reading development. These
stations include: ABC work (letter names and sounds), word work (learning
to spell commonly used words), fluency work (reading with ease),
phonemic awareness work (hearing sounds in words), and
comprehension work (understanding what we read).
Writing

Lessons from the Teachers College (out of

Columbia University) are used in conjunction with
the Lucy Calkins Writing program, to teach our
writing standards. Each writing period begins with a
group lesson targeting a skill. Students are then
given independent writing time and are asked to
practice that skill while teachers work with students
individually. Our writing time ends with the sharing
of student work to reinforce the learning target of
the days lesson. This is called a Writers Workshop
model. Students will learn to write pattern books,
narrative stories, and non-fiction.
Mathematics
Everyday Math will be used to teach the math
standards. This is a new program this year. Everyday
math is very play based and interactive teaching
children a variety of math skills in a developmentally
appropriate way. They will explore concepts of
counting, measurement, operations, graphing, sorting,
shapes, and patterning. It is also aligned to the
Common. All other grades use Math Expressions,
which is not available at the DK level, so we
supplement with additional math talks where students
verbally explain their thinking and solution process to
prepare them for the curriculum they will use in the
future.
Science

Units developed by educators in Battle Creek are used to teach

science. Literacy and Math are often integrated into these lessons.
Science units include: 5 Senses, Living Things, and various other
concepts including sink vs float, weather, shadows, and magnetism.
Social Studies / Health
The Michigan Citizenship Collaborative program is used to teach
social studies. Social Studies is typically integrated into our literacy
and math lessons. Social Studies learning targets include: Civics and
Government (rules, fairness, and friends), Economics (goods/services,
needs/wants), Public Discourse/ Decision Making/ and Citizen
Involvement (class project on a public issue).
Communication from
School
Dragonfly News will come to you electronically every
week on our website: dkdragonflies.weebly.com
Emails will come from me to the Dragonfly Class as
needed
Paper copies will come in your childs folder as needed
Conferences are held in October and March
Phone Calls and emails will happen as needed for
injuries and/or information about student progress
E-Blasts will come from Ms. Barton periodically
WDSA will send reminders about school events (if you
sign up through the Remind app)
Text@WDSA to
81010
For Donley
Notifications
and Reminders!
 Contact Me!

Email: rachel.monica@elps.us

School Phone #: 333-730

Classroom Phone#: 333-7380

(for use during school hours only if it is an
emergency because instruction is interrupted)

Take Home Folders

Thank you for coming to Curriculum
Night and thank you for sharing your
child with me!