Friday, August 29, 2014

It was GREAT to meet you all!

I don't know about you, but after the Open House the other night I was both exhausted and super excited for the new school year! I think we are going to have a wonderful group. Here are a few snapshots of some of the families that I got to spend a little bit of time with on Wednesday. I hope you all are just as excited as I am about the upcoming school year. See you Tuesday!




Sunday, August 17, 2014

Open House

In order to provide each one of you some great one on one time at Riverview's Open House, I have decided to create a schedule. Our classroom (room 1) will be open from 4-7:00 p.m. on Wednesday August 27th. See the schedule as follows. 


Student Last Names Beginning With...              Time to Visit... 

A-D                                                                        4:00-4:30 
E-H                                                                        4:30-5:00      
I-P                                                                          5:00-5:30
Q-Z                                                                        5:30-6:00            

If you are available to attend during your scheduled time then I would encourage you to do so. I would love to get to know you and your child as best as possible before the school year begins.
If you cannot make your scheduled time, no worries! There is open time from 6:00-7:00. 
I am really looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you! 

Meet your teacher, Mrs. Scheible!

Hi! My name is Mrs. Scheible and I am going to be your Kindergarten teacher! This will be my 4th year teaching Kindergarten at Riverview but my 8th year teaching total. I love Kindergarten and all the exploring, learning and fun we get to have!
 
I am currently working on my Master's degree in Educational Technology and I am loving everything that I am learning. I can't wait to introduce all of the things I have learned to you and your families.
 
I grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada and I absolutely love to go home and visit. My three sisters, two nieces, two nephews, and parents still live there.
 
This summer I got to spend a lot of time with my 2 1/2 year old son Rowan, my 6 month old son Grady and my husband Nick. We played a lot outside, went swimming, and  went on a few long road trips.  

I am excited to spend the next year learning with you!


MY FAVORITES
Food: anything chocolate, but especially with nuts and carmel
Book: Love You Forever and all the other Robert Muncsh books 
Drink: Coffee and coke from a can 
Color: Green 
Season: Fall 
Hobbies: Golfing, blogging, concerts and watching sports live 

PTO

Riverview PTO does so much for our school, our kids, and our teachers. It would be a great group for you to get involved in. It's a wonderful way to meet new families and get involved in our school. They are always searching for volunteers and voices! If you are on Facebook please join the "Riverview PTO Big Rapids" page to get tons of information and updates. Otherwise you are welcome to contact the group by talking to Mrs. Horvath in the school office, she would be able to answer all of your questions or point you in the right direction. 

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Calendar Information

Although I have posted the BRPS 2014-2015 school year calendar, there are a few immediate dates that need to be brought to your attention. 

Wednesday August 27, Kindergarten Open House 4:00-7:00 p.m. You will be getting a letter in the mail that will indicate (according to your child's last name) what time your family should come specifically. This will eliminate a crowd in our Kindergarten room and will allow for me to answer any of your questions on a much more intimate level. It will also be VERY helpful if you are able to let me know at the open house how your child will be getting home from school both on the first day as well as on a typical day of school. 

Tuesday September 2, First Day of School (HALF DAY) dismissal is at 11:30 a.m.  
The first bell for the school day (every day) rings at 7:50 a.m. A typical school day ends at 3:20 p.m. 

Early Release Fridays (1:20 dismissal) 
These days have been put in place to help minimize the number of school days teachers are out on school business. The idea is that on the first Friday of every month, students will be released from school a few hours early so that teachers are able to attend meetings and work on the school business that is required. This will decrease the number of substitute teachers that need to be hired throughout the school year as well as the amount of time teachers are out of touch with their classroom and students.

A Few Skills Before Kindergarten

Here is a suggested list (icanteachmychild.com) of things that will help your child be prepared for kindergarten. Work away at them throughout the summer and your child will have a great head start! Have fun! 



Personal and Social Development
Independence
Ties own shoelaces 
Blows own nose 
Zips own coat 
Takes care of their own bathroom needs
Approach to learning
Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner
Persists in task and seeks help when encountering a problem
Is generally pleasant and cooperative
Self-Control
Follows rules and routines
Manages transitions (going from one activity to the next)
Demonstrates normal activity level
Interactions with Others
Interacts easily with one or more children
Interacts easily with familiar adults
Participates in group activities
Plays well with others
Takes turns and shares
Cleans up after play
Conflict Resolution
Seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts
Uses words to resolve conflicts.                                                                                                          
 Language and Literacy
Listening
Listens with understanding to directions and conversations
Follows one-step directions
Follows two-step directions
Speaking
Speaks clearly enough to be understood without contextual clues
Relates experiences with some understanding of sequences of events
Literature and Reading
Listens with interest to stories read aloud
Shows interest in reading-related activities
Retells information from a story
Sequences three pictures to tell a logical story
Writing
Uses pictures to communicate ideas
Uses scribbles, shapes, and letter-like symbols to write words or ideas
Alphabet Knowledge
Recites/sings alphabet
Matches upper-case letters
Matches lower-case letters
Identifies upper-case letters
Identifies lower-case letters
Mathematical Thinking
Patterns and Relationships
Sorts by color, shape, and size
Orders or seriates several objects on the basis of one attribute
Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them
Number concept and operations
Rote counts to 20
Counts objects with meaning to 10
Matches numerals
Identifies by naming, numerals 0-10
Geometry and spatial relations
Identifies 4 shapes- circle, square, rectangle, triangle
Demonstrates concepts of positional/directional concepts (up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, beside/between, top/bottom, inside/outside, above/below, high/low, right/left, off/on, first/last, far/near, go/stop).
Measurement
Shows understanding of and uses comparative words (big/little, large/small, short/long, tall/short, slow/fast, few/many, empty/full, less/more.
Physical Development
Gross-Motor Skills
Pedals and steers a tricycle
Jumps in place, landing on two feet
Jumps consecutively- 7 jumps
Balances on one foot for 5 seconds
Hops on one foot 2-3 hops
Hops on one foot- 6 ft.
Throws a ball with direction- 5 ft.
Catches a thrown ball with arms and body
Climbs a playground ladder
Skips smoothly for 20 feet
Fine-Motor Skills
Stacks 10, one-inch blocks
Strings 4 1/2″ beads in two minutes
Completes a seven piece interlocking puzzle
Makes a pancake, snake, and ball from play dough
Grasps pencil correctly
Copies: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, triangle
Copies first name
Prints first name without a model
Grasps scissors correctly
Cuts within 1/4″ of a 6″ straight line on construction paper
Cuts out a 3″ square on construction paper
Cuts out a 3″ triangle on construction paper
Cuts out a 3″ circle on construction paper
Uses a glue stick appropriately
Uses appropriate amount of glue for tasks
The Arts
Creative Arts
Identifies 10 colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, black, white, brown, pink
Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration
Music/Movement
Participates in group music experiences
Participates in creative movement/dance
Creative Dramatics
Makes believe with objects
Takes on pretend roles and situations