Welcome To Prep!
Where learning and fun are wrapped
up into one wonderful kindergarten
experience.
Brief Bio: This is my twenty-first year of teaching young children. I received a dual bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Psychology at Seton Hall University. I also hold certifications in Special Education, Early Childhood, and Psychology. The majority of my teaching career was spent at the James Caldwell School in Springfield, N.J., where I taught 2nd grade and OCR classes.
I am pleased to announce this is my 5th year in the district and I am honored to be a part of the kindergarten team. I am married and my husband and I have been blessed with two children.
To reach me: I can be reached at school by calling (908) 647-2313, ext. 2510, or by email at dschmitz at longhill.org.
Goals: Your children have embarked on a fantastic and exciting voyage of learning and fun in kindergarten. My goal is to create an environment in which children are allowed to grow and develop a love for learning and to reinforce a sense of respect for themselves and each other.
Expectations: I expect that all my students will try their best and come to school well rested and eager to learn.
Reading: We are currently working on the big book titled, School Rules. The students are busy identifying important rules within the school and making connections between the rules in the book to the school rules at the Gillette School. The letters that we have covered in class are M, S, and F. Your child has been identifying those words that begin with the M,S, or F sound. We currently were able to brainstorm a list of 31 words that began with the letter F. In Fundations, we are currently working on the sounds of C and A. We have been busy building words in the (at) family and learning to tap out our sounds. The students recently came home with their first high frequency book, titled Apple is Happy. Students should continue to practice reading that book in order to memorize the word (is).
Math: In math we are moving around the room identifying different positions such as: above, below, under, inside, outside, left, and right. We are also learning how to touch the numbers 1-5 in order to count within the Touch Math Program. Please continue to review the sequence of numbers from 0-20.
Handwriting: We are using the program Handwriting Without Tears and have learned how to form the letters E, F, B, D, and P.
Themed Projects: Apples, Apples, Everywhere is the perfect way to incorporate math and reading skills. We are currently working on an apple theme and have been learning about Johnny Appleseed, illustrating an apple tree in all four seasons, using our arms and hands to create an apple tree, graphing apples, sorting apples, and reading with our apple trackers.
If you click on the high frequency word, this will lead you to the book we created and read in class.
High Frequency Words
is
Reading Websites
starfall.com
Dates to Remember:
Oct. 13th Picture Day
Oct. 14th Disco Day
Homework:
Everyday your child will come home with two sheets of homework. They will also receive a new book on Monday to share with you on a daily basis. Please keep the book at home for the week and return on Friday. Please note: Your child may need assistance in reading their book. Feel free to take this reading time as a way to share a special moment with your child. Discuss the various types of punctuation or point out how each sentence begins with an uppercase letter. This is also a wonderful time to make predictions, change the ending of the story, or identify various clues that the pictures offer to the reader. But most of all, do not forget to have fun!
Please Note: Your child will need an a.m. and p.m. snack and a lunch on a daily basis. If you prefer to send in a large quantity of snacks for your child, please label them with your child's name. I will hold the snacks in my room and use them for your child only. Those who are attending kindergarten in the morning in different homerooms will still need to bring in a snack for the morning labeled with their name.
