Kindergarten

In kindergarten, students learn the basic concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition. The kinders refine their ability to recognize and write all 26 upper- and lower-case letters. They also continue to learn each individual sound and use this knowledge to blend sounds and create words. The kinders are introduced to 100-plus sight words and start decodable reading. Students begin using the Accelerated Reader program, in which they will read and test their reading-comprehension skills weekly. The kinders focus on sequencing events in a story, and they also learn how to write complete sentences with proper punctuation.

Kindergarteners learn counting, basic subtraction and addition, and measurement skills, and they also identify and describe shapes. The students learn how to count and write numbers up to 100 and skip-count by ones, fives and tens. They also learn the concepts of addition and subtraction up to 20 and greater than, less than and equal to. By the end of the school year, the kinders can determine longer and shorter, heavier and lighter, and full and empty when comparing objects.

In kindergarten, students learn about the Catholic faith and God’s love for them. They also learn how to pray and behave appropriately in church, and they study the liturgical calendar. Kindergarteners learn about God, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Holy Spirit and their importance to the Catholic Church. They attend Mass weekly with their buddies, learning and growing closer in their faith.

Students learn what it means to be good rule followers, leaders, and citizens of their classroom and community. They learn to recognize national symbols and holidays and their importance in U.S. history. The kinders begin exploring the concepts of each state through “Patch” the traveling bear, who sends them postcards weekly teaching them about a new state.

The kinders explore different plants and animals and how they can help them survive. They also learn about the four seasons as well as the various weather patterns. Students learn about Earth and the solar system. In addition, they study rainbows and flowers and observe the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Students learn how to properly use art materials such as glue, scissors, pencils, crayons, paint, etc. They learn how to hold their pencils and scissors in the correct way as well as how to neatly color in the lines. Kindergarteners experiment with paint, watercolors, tissue paper and tear art to create wonderful projects to take home.

Kindergarteners learn important character traits, establish relationships and develop social skills. They learn how to share with others, take turns, use polite words and show good sportsmanship. They develop the character traits of honesty, trustworthiness, respect, kindness and love for all people.

Please label these items:

• Backpack (no wheels)
• Spare clothes (underwear, socks, daily uniform shirt/pants — labeled)
• Lunchbox (label snack)
• Standard-size water bottle
• Headphones 
• Emergency kit

Please DO NOT label these items:

• 2 packs unscented baby wipes
• 1 clear, plain standard-size pencil box (available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/fcgcLVH) 
• 2 packs Crayola twistable crayons (24-pack)
• 2 packs Crayola crayons (24-pack)
• Scissors (1)
• 2 spiral notebooks
• 1 four-pack black dry-erase markers
• 3 packs Ticonderoga My First Pencil (4-count)
• 1 three-pack jumbo glue sticks
• 10 regular glue sticks
• 2 boxes Kleenex tissues
• 2 rolls paper towels
• 2 plastic pocket folders (BLACK)
• 1 box gallon-size plastic bags
• 1 sandwich-size plastic bags

Optional Gift Cards: Target, Walmart, Amazon, Hobby Lobby, Michaels (These help with expensive class projects like Mother’s Day/Father’s Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.)

We are always accepting contributions to our class treasure chest! If you would like to contribute, we ask that the toy or trinket is medium to small in size and is age-appropriate. Thank you!

Each student should bring one or more reams of 500 sheets or more of white copy paper for the school office labeled with his or her name.