PS/IS 686 | Brooklyn, NY

Curriculum Night Highlights

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It was wonderful meeting with many of you last week at curriculum night. Below are some highlights that were discussed during our meeting.

  • A little about me: This is is my 11th year teaching Kindergarten and my third year teaching here at BSI.  I have taught in general education, special education and gifted classroom settings.  I have my Master’s Degree in early childhood education with an extension in Gifted Education.
  • In the classroom I teach reading, writing, math, science and social studies.  We often work with small groups of students who have similar needs.  These groups are flexible and change throughout the year.  We have choice time every day where students choose from different centers such as art, blocks, dramatic play or puzzles, as play is the work of children.  
  • Every day students have a special 45 minute class taught by a different teacher.
      • Monday:  Art
      • Tuesday:  Tribes  
      • Wednesday:  Dance
      • Thursday:  Art
      • Friday:  Chess and PE (Gym) 
  • We focus on community and cooperation, not competitiveness.  Students can be gifted and talented in many different ways.  We don’t want kids to compare themselves to each other but to celebrate their own unique gifts.   
  • How to Help At Home
    • No homework but…
    • Read to your child every day.   Stop during the book and ask “What do you notice?”  Let your child tell you what s/he is thinking.  
    • Encourage your child to draw and tell about the drawing. Encourage your child to add details to the drawing.
    • When students are first learning to write spelling mistakes are okay.  We want kindergarteners to write the best they can without worrying about being perfect. We say stretch out the words and write the sounds you hear.
    • Find fun ways to practicing counting.  For example, count a group of toys or how many blocks in a tower or count how many steps from one place to another.
    • Ask your child to help setting the table, sorting the laundry or writing a grocery list.
    • Talk with your child about his/her day.  Have conversations with your child. Teach him/her to ask/answer questions.
    • Help foster independence by teaching your child how to put on and zip up coats.  Your child can pack his/her own backpack.  Kindergarteners are old enough to do simple chores around the house.
  • Lunch/Snack
    • We eat snack every day around 10:30am.
    • Please pack snack separately from your child’s lunch and let him/her know where it is. We store lunch and snack in different places in the classroom.
    • Please pack a healthy snack.  Here are some ideas:
      • Fruit, raw veggies, crackers, pretzels, cheese sticks, granola bars, yogurt
    • Students have 25 minutes to play outside at recess and 25 minutes to eat lunch.  Recess is at 12:30 and lunch is at 12:55.
    • Students are responsible for carrying down their lunches (4 flights of stairs) and carrying them back up so please pack lunch in a box/bag that is easy to carry.
  • We have one monthly birthday celebration for all the birthdays in that month. I will be sending out more information this week.
  • Other Reminders:
    • Toys, candy and gum are not allowed at school.
    • Students should wear closed-toe shoes every day that are comfortable for recess and gym.
    • Take-Home Folder should be sent in to school every day to help maintain routines in the classroom.

Click here for a link to the powerpoint presentation. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me directly at ryoussef@bsi686.org.