Dear Grizzly Kindergarten Families,

Please welcome Grayson, Isaac, Gabby, Cash, August, Dylan, Madison, and Leelanee to the Grizzly Kindergarten Class of 2021!!

Your teachers in Grizzly Kindergarten are Ms. Guoli and Mr. James.  Both teachers have an extensive background in early childhood education and are eager to learn more about your child. Mr. James is in the class during the morning recess for PE and helps to teach robotics.

Sunset Kindergarten will follow the curriculum of St. Vrain Valley School District. The academic learning areas that are covered in our class are language Art, Math, Science, and Social Studies. We also teach students Mandarin Chinese every day. Our class day begins at 8:20 AM with Music and Movement. Circle Time starts at 8:30 AM. If possible please have your student at school by that time; it is difficult for children to transition into the classroom once our routine has begun. 

Our classroom is filled with learning and fun, and we want our parents to be very involved in the process. Please note that we do not have daily notes in Grizzly Kindergarten, but can provide them upon request. We also offer other daily communication tools in the classroom. Our dry erase board located in the room is full of information about the daily, weekly, and monthly units of learning. They may be shown in photos to be sent home. Also, please check your student’s Wednesday Folder for notes, newsletters, messages, homework, and art projects. We will also create a Parent Gmail List and share information and/or class photos through Google Drive.

In Grizzly Kindergarten,  we have many show and tell opportunities. One exciting Show and Tell opportunity includes Grizzly Book Bag. The bag will go home with a different child every Friday and is brought back next Monday,  with 1 or 2 books inside for the child to share with the class. Grizzly Pail will go home with a different child every Friday and is brought back next Monday, with a few items related to our unit/theme. 

Here at Sunset, children’s birthdays are recognized within the classroom. If you would like to bring any cupcakes, snacks or other items in on your child’s birthday, please remember our school is a nut free center. 

Students use a program called Starfall to promote computer skills, Language Art, Science, and Mathematics. The children are also exposed to the arts through the computer with drawing games.

Please provide your child extra clothes to keep at school. This includes weather appropriate bottoms and tops, as well as underwear and socks. Extra shoes are always welcome as well, just in case.  In the wintertime, children need to be properly dressed in order to participate in outside activities. If there is snow on the ground, this includes snow pants, winter coat, mittens, winter hat, and snow boots. It is perfectly acceptable to bring these items in and leave them in your child’s cubby so you don’t have to transport them back and forth. In the summertime, we do require the children to wear closed toe shoes for their safety. Hats, sunglasses, and water bottles are welcome to be kept in the classroom. The water bottles need to be brought home to wash every day. Please make sure everything is labeled with your child’s name. 

We do ask that no toys be brought from home. Our classroom is full of wonderful age appropriate toys for them to play with daily. Kids get really sad if their special toys are lost or misplaced. A soft stuffed animal, a pillow, and/or blanket are ok to bring in for them to use at rest time. Please make sure everything is labeled with your child’s name. We do not take a rest/nap in cots in the kindergarten classroom after lunch. 

We are very excited for the milestone that this transition is for your child, and are happy to be a part of it. We look forward to getting to know you and your child throughout the school year!!

August Focus: We are going to spend two weeks to get the kids ready for Kindergarten. The focus topics are:

    1. Review what we learned last school year;
    2. Learn about the rules/manners, the daily routines, and the learning centers;
    3. Get to know each other;
    4. How is kindergarten like preschool, how is it different?
    5. How do we feel about going to kindergarten?
    6. How do we make and keep friends in kindergarten?
    7. What names do we need to know at school?
    8. What should we do if we get sad or scared at school?
    9. How to keep Social Distance at school and how to wash hands;
    10. and more. 

Best,

— Ms. Guoli and Mr. James