Getting Ready for Day 1

When a child enters kindergarten, he or she begins an educational journey that will last many years. As your child's first teacher, you are understandably committed to ensuring that this very important journey continues to be the best possible.

Studies have shown that when parents are involved in their child's schooling, the child's achievement and sense of self-esteem is higher. His or her behavior and attendance in school improves, too. By expressing an interest in your child's education you are doing more than showing that you value education; you are saying to your child: "I love you, and I care about you."

The information offered here is intended to support your efforts in helping your child develop to her or his greatest potential. Frequently Asked Questions outlines the nuts and bolts of what you need to know as you register your child; Getting Ready offers some helpful hints as the big day approaches; Preparing for the First Day lets parents and students know just what to expect; Recipe for Success outlines ways that you can support your child once school begins; What Do They Learn provides a simple outline of the skills and knowledge that are typically taught during the kindergarten and first grade years (note that specific curriculum differs from school to school and district to district); and After September shares with parents what to expect after that important kindergarten year.

Frequently Asked Questions
Preparing to enter school is an exciting milestone for you and your child. If this will be your first time through the registration process, you probably have a long list of questions.

Q: When should I contact the school about registration?

You can call the school district office anytime to ask about the timelines for registering your child. Generally, districts begin the registration process in January. The district will let you know where to go for the registration forms and supplemental information.

Q: What information will the school need?

The district's registration form will ask for the name and age of the child, address of the child's primary residence, and whether the child has brothers or sisters currently enrolled in the district. The district will also need proof that the child's immunizations are current. (*NOTE: Parents who wish to waive the health screening or immunizations for their child need to obtain the proper forms from the school district office.) According to California law, all children aged six or older must attend school full time.(There are some exceptions for 16-and 17-year olds enrolled in regular high school programs.)

Q: Does my child have to go to kindergarten? At what age?

Kindergarten attendance is not required by law, but parents have the right to enroll their eligible children in public school kindergarten if they wish. For a child to enter kindergarten in September, his or her fifth birthday must fall on or before December 2 of the same year. For example: your child must be born on or before December 2, 2000 to be eligible for kindergarten in Fall 2005.

Q: What do I need to bring along?

When you do register your child for kindergarten, you will be asked to provide:

• proof of the child's birth date (i.e. birth certificate).
• proof of residency in that school district (i.e. utility bill, rent receipt, etc.).
• proof of health checkup, and a written, up-to-date, immunization record for the minimum requirements: 3 Polio; 4 Diphtheria-Tetanus; mumps-Measles-Rubella (given after 1st birthday); Mantoux TB skin test.

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Getting Ready
As your child's first teacher, you can begin preparing him or her for school at a very early age. The following are activities you can do at home with your child to help him or her prepare for a positive transition to kindergarten or first grade.

• Help your child become excited about going to a new school. Talk often about how much fun it will be to go to the "big school," and about the kinds of activities your child will do there.This will help your child want to make the transition.
• Tell your child often how proud you are that he/she is growing up, how pleased you are that the child is doing so many things by him/herself, and how well you know the child will do in the new school. This will help with handling the new experiences ahead.
• Help your child learn self care skills, such as independent toileting, hand washing, buttoning, zipping, and shoe tying. Teach your child to recognize his-her own name and the basic colors. Schools value these skills.
• Read books with your child everyday. Talk together about the pictures and the story. If your child doesn't like to sit still for long, read for a brief time each day; even if the book time is only two minutes long, make it a happy time. You will then notice how your child's attention span increases.
• Watch TV with your child, especially shows like Rainbow, Mr. Rogers, and Sesame Street. Talk together about what you are seeing. If you allow your child to watch cartoons, watch with him/her. Ask your child to tell you what happened in the cartoon story. Help the child reconstruct the sequence of events.
• Let your child help you sort the laundry, set the table, cook, bake, put away groceries, and organize his/her books and toys. All of these are classification tasks that relate to school skills.
• When you go places with your child, talk about what your are seeing. Point out characteristics (colors, size, shape) and names of objects you see. Try to be conversational, as you would with an adult, rather than always quizzing your child. Say, for example, "I like the BIG pumpkin best. Which do you like?".

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Preparing for the First Day of School
Children and adults adjust to changes easier if they have an idea, in advance, of what those changes might be. Before the first day of kindergarten arrives, there are some simple activities you can do with your child to prepare him or her for the big day.

• Talk everyday with your child about the new school and teacher.
• During vacation, remind your child everyday about the changes that are coming. For example, remind him/her that the way the room is set up may be different at school than it was at day care or preschool, but that many of the rules may be the same.
• Talk in a positive way with your child about making new friends.
• Visit kindergarten and meet the new teacher in advance.
• Tour the new school and point out the office, cafeteria, playground, and kindergarten classrooms.
• Have a picnic on a weekend in the school yard, and let the child play on the outdoor equipment.
• Help your child memorize the name of the new school.
• Buddy-up with neighbors or other preschool families who will have children attending the new school. It will help your child establish a friendship before school begins.
• If the child will be taking a bus to school, learn where the stops are and what route it will take. Then familiarize your child with the bus stop and general safety rules. Assure the child that the school staff will help him/her board the right bus to come home at the end of the day.

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Recipe for School Success: Common Sense + Creativity
Generally, parents want school to be a successful and happy experience for their children. With common sense and a lot of creativity, parents can help their children prepare for this important step. A combination of several qualities and skills is key: good health and physical well-being, social and emotional maturity, good language skills, an ability to solve problems and think creatively, and general knowledge about the world.

As you go about helping your child develop in each of these areas, remember that children develop at different rates, that most children are stronger in some areas than in others, and that being ready for school depends, in part, on what the school expects of the child.

Some districts publish curriculum guides which outline what a child will be studying in each grade level. While curriculum guides may vary from district to district, all public schools in California base their curriculum on California Department of Education's guidelines known as curriculum frameworks. Parents may review the state-approved frameworks in full by arranging an appointment at their local school district office.

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What Do They Learn
Following is a brief guide of the types of skills children will learn in kindergarten and first grade:

Student Profile for Kindergarten: English-Language Arts Students

• Reading
  • 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, Vocabulary Development

Concepts about Print

1.1	Identify book sections
1.2	Follow words from left to right
1.3	Know that words have meaning
1.4	Know that words make sentences
1.5	Distinguish letters from words
1.6	Know upper/lowercase letters

Phonemic Awareness

1.7	Note order of Phonemes
1.8	Note changes in sounds
1.9	Blend sounds to make words
1.10	Make rhyming words from prompt
1.11	Know beginning/ending sounds
1.12	Speak each syllable in a word
1.13	Count sounds in syllables

Decoding and Word Recognition

1.14	Match consonant/vowel sounds
1.15	Read one-syllable sight words
1.16	Know that letters/sounds change

Vocabulary and Concept Development

1.17	Identify/sort common words
1.18	Describe common objects/events

• 2.0 Reading Comprehension

Structural Features of Information Materials

2.1	Locate standard information in books

Comprehension and Analysis of Text

2.2	Make predictions about stories
2.3	Connect events in text to life
2.4	Retell familiar stories
2.5	Ask/answer questions about text

• 3.0 Literary Response and Analysis

Narrative Analysis of Text

3.1	Distinguish fantasy from reality
3.2	Identify types of print materials
3.3	Identify people/settings/events

• Writing

• 1.0 Writing Strategies

1.1	Write about experience/people/events
1.2	Write CVC words
1.3	Write from left to right

Penmanship

1.4	Write in standard form

• Written and Oral Language Conventions

• 1.0 Written and Oral Language Conventions

Sentence Structure

1.1	Speak in coherent sentences

Spelling

1.2	Spell using letter sounds

• Listening and Speaking

• 1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies

Comprehension

1.1	Follow oral directions
1.2	Share information and ideas

Student Profile for Kindergarten Mathematics Standards  

• Number Sense

• 1.0 Numbers and Quantities

1.1	Compare sets of objects to 10
1.2	Count, name, & order numbers to 30
1.3	Larger numbers = larger sets

• 2.0 Addition and Subtraction

2.0	Use concrete objects to add & subtract

• 3.0 Estimation

3.1	Recognize reasonable estimates

• Algebra and Functions

• 1.0 Sorting and Classifying Objects

1.1	Identify, sort, classify by attribute

• Measurement and Geometry

• 1.0 Measurement

1.1	Compare length, weight,....of objects
1.2	Know time (morning, yesterday, etc.)
1.3	Name days of the week
1.4	Identify time to nearest hour

•  2.0 Geometry

2.1	Identify/describe geometric objects
2.2	Compare plane/solid objects

• Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability

• 1.0 Collecting information

1.1	Record data using picture graphs
1.2	Describe, extend simple patterns

• Mathematical Reasoning

• 1.0 Make Decisions about a Problem

1.1	Determine strategies to be used
1.2	Use tools to model problems

•  2.0 Solve Problems/Justify Reasoning

2.1	Use concrete objects/pictorial representation
2.2	Make precise calculation/validity

Student Profile for First Grade: English-Language Arts Students

• Reading

• 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, Vocabulary, Development

Concepts about Print

1.1	Match oral words to printed words
1.2	Identify title and author
1.3	Identify letters/words/sentences

Phonemic Awareness

1.4	Identify beginning/middle/ending sounds
1.5	Identify long/short vowel sounds
1.6	Create a series of rhyming words
1.7	Change sounds to change words
1.8	Blend phonemes into words
1.9	Segment single syllable words

Decoding and Word Recognition

1.10	Blend sounds into words
1.11	Read sight words
1.12	Use letter/sound associations to read
1.13	Read compound words/contractions
1.14	Read inflectional forms/roots
1.15	Read common word families
1.16	Read aloud with fluency

Vocabulary and Concept Development

1.17	Classify categories of words

• 2.0 Reading Comprehension

Structural Features of Information Materials

2.1	Identify text using logical order

Comprehension and Analysis of Text

2.2	Who/what/when/where/how question
2.3	Follow one-step written directions
2.4	Use context to solve ambiguities
2.5	Confirm predictions
2.6	Relate knowledge to textual information
2.7	Retell central idea of passages

• 3.0 Literary Response and Analysis

Narrative Analysis of Text

3.1	Identify plot/setting/character(s)
3.2	Author's/illustrator's roots
3.3	Recollect/talk/write about books

• Writing

• 1.0 Writing Strategies

Organization and Focus

1.1	Select a focus when writing
1.2	Write using descriptive words

Penmanship

1.3	Print legibly with correct spacing

• 2.0 Writing Applications

Use Writing Strategies in 1.0

2.1	Write brief narratives
2.2	Write brief descriptions

• Written and Oral Language Conventions

• 1.0 Written and Oral Language Conventions

Sentence Structure

1.1	Write/speak in complete sentences

Grammar

1.2	Correctly use nouns
1.3	Correctly use contractions

Punctuation

1.4	Distinguish types of sentences
1.5	Use ending punctuation for sentences
1.6	Use basic rules of punctuation/capitalization

Capitalization

1.7	Capitalize correctly

Spelling

1.8	Spell grade appropriate words

• Listening and Speaking

• 1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies

Comprehension

1.1	Listen attentively
1.2	Ask questions for clarity
1.3	Give/restate/follow directions

Organization/Delivery of Oral Communication

1.4	Stay on topic when talking
1.5	Use descriptive words

• 2.0 Speaking Applications

Use speaking strategies from 1.0

2.1	Recite poems/rhymes/stories
2.2	Retell stories in sequence
2.3	Tell about life/personal event
2.4	Give descriptions with detail

• Number Sense

• 1.0 Place Value

1.1	Count/read/write numbers to 100
1.2	Compare/order numbers to 100
1.3	Equivalent forms of numbers to 100
1.4	Count/group object in ones and tens
1.5	Identify and know the values of coins

• 2.0 Addition and Subtraction

2.1	Know addition/subtraction facts to 20
2.2	Use the inverse relationship
2.3	Identify 1 more than/less, 10 more...
2.4	Count by 2s, 5s, and 10s to 100
2.5	Showing meaning of addition and subtraction
2.6	Solve addition and subtraction with 1 & 2 digits
2.7	Find sum of 3 one-digit numbers

• 3.0 Estimation

3.1	Make reasonable estimates with numbers

• Algebra and Functions

• 1.0 Number Sentences

1.1	Write/solve number sentences
1.2	Know meaning of symbols +, - , =
1.3	Create problem situations/# sentences

•  Measurement and Geometry

• 1.0 Measurement

1.1	Compare length.......2 or more objects
1.2	Tell time to nearest half hour

• 2.0 Geometry

2.1	Identify/describe/compare shapes
2.2	Classify plane and solid objects
2.3	Give and follow direction to location
2.4	Describe objects in space by position

•  Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability

• 1.0 Data

1.1	Sort objects/data by attributes
1.2	Represent data on bar graphs...

• 2.0 Patterning

2.1	Extend next element in patterns

•  Mathematical Reasoning

• 1.0 Make Decisions about a Problem

1.1	Determine approach to be used
1.2	Use tools to model problems

•  2.0 Solve Problems/Justify Reasoning

2.1	Explain the reasoning used
2.2	Make precise calculations/validity

•  3.0 Make Connections

3.1	Make connections between problems

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After September: It's Just Begun
Once school is well underway and you've begun to adjust to a new schedule, you and your child will both feel more relaxed. But the job of teaching your child the skills needed for continued success at school has just begun.

As your child's first teacher, you remain an important influence in his or her education. Here are some tips for supporting your school-age child through the next 12 years:

• Show your child that you value education:
  • Participate in school activities
  • Attend parent-teacher conferences
  • Volunteer as an aide
  • Visit the classroom
  • Attend school functions
  • Review your child's homework
    
• Provide a learning environment at home:
  • Set aside quiet time for homework, reading
  • Set clear rules
  • provide a variety of reading materials (library books, magazines, etc.)
  • Watch TV shows with your child and talk about what you see
  • Be generally aware of the lessons and schedule so you can connect home activities with school activities.
    
• Encourage your child:
  • Recognize when your child does something new or improves at something
  • Avoid negative statements, such as "you're not very good at math"
  • Talk about school and teachers in a positive way talk with your child. Ask questions, andlisten carefully to what he or she says
  • Talk with your child about what happened at school each day.

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