Mrs. Miller & Mrs. O'Toole's Kindergarten Class

We are so happy to be your child's teacher. This kindergarten year will be a year of new beginnings, a year filled with large and small accomplishments, a year of trying new things and making new friends. Kindergarten is an important year in your child's education. It sets the foundation for future years.We are honored to be on this very memorable and special journey with you and your child! We will be updating this website weekly with our K1 Newsletter, class photos, important dates and information.

We look forward to working with you this year! 

Important Dates:

August 11-21 - Kindergarten Gentle Beginnings - 8:15-11:45

August 24 - Early Friends / Late Friends Schedule begins  Early Friends 8:15-12:45 Late Friends 9:30-2:00

September 7 - No School Labor Day

September 18 - Fall Picnic

Hello K1 Families!   

We are off to an amazing start of kindergarten!  We have such a wonderful group of students and we are looking forward to a special year with your child! 

 We want to thank you all for joining us at Back to School Night. I know we presented a TON of information (quickly) so please feel free to refer to the powerpoint that is located on our class website.  Also, do not hesitate to email us if you have any questions or concerns. 

A big thanks to Irene Lee, Kaia'a mom who kindly volunteered to be our class room parent! We appreciate her willingness to help our children and the teachers! We know that everyone will pitch in this year where they can and help make her job run smoothly.

The transition to kindergarten can be a stressful and emotional time for students and families. For some, the start of kindergarten is the beginning of formal schooling. This transition may look different in each child. Depending on what experiences they may have had during the past years will affect each learner differently. In our classroom, we will be working daily on feelings and emotions. We will be navigating friendships and social interactions. We will spend time on yoga and breathing exercises, and gratitude practices. It will take time for some to feel comfortable and secure, but as we have told the children, “Our class is a family, and families support and care for each other. Families accept you and appreciate your unique gifts.” 

As you may have heard by now, we found the Gingerbread Man that we had made in class!  He was hiding in Mrs. Churchill’s 4th grade class! The Gingerbread Man asked if he could stay in kindergarten and be our new friend. We all agreed and did not “nibble” on him. The children were not too disappointed because we enjoyed a cold popsicle instead!

Mrs. Churchill’s class will be our buddy class. Throughout the year we will meet with the 4th graders to do different activities.This wonderful social opportunity allows the Kinders to interact with older students and work collaboratively with them.  

We were busy all week focusing on our theme of getting to know Springhill School. Looking for the runaway cookie, gave us lots of opportunities to explore and learn about our school community. Some of the places and people we met included; the office and office managers, our school nurse, our Principal, science lab, garden, library, and the Springhill Peaceful Place.

The gingerbread theme was woven through our learning this week. We read multiple versions of the story, The Gingerbread Man, and compared the different characters that were in each book. The Ninjabread Man seemed to be a class favorite! We sang songs, read poems and also decorated our very own “Gingerbread Man”. We also made a book that worked with the math concept of positional words. 

Each day we talked about kindness. One way to focus on our kind intentions is to be mindful. We learned that we each have a super power. That super power is breathing! By taking time to pause and breath, we can calm our wiggly bodies, thinking minds, and racing breath. Ask your child about it! 

Today, your child is bringing home their  Friday bag. Please take time to look through their work and read any fliers that come home in it each week. On Monday, please have your child return their bag to K1. We will use these bags for the remainder of the year, so please try to not misplace them! In the bag this week you will find information about Picture Day, August reading homework, Scholastic book orders and a very special K1 Friendship bracelet for your child to wear. 

I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun weekend. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday morning. Please remember, we will continue our Gentle Beginnings schedule next week. All students will attend kindergarten from 8:15-11:45. 

We can tell we are going to have an amazing year together! Thanks for a memorable first week!

–Kathy & Stephanie