KINDERGARTEN 3

WELCOME PACKET
Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Brazill Givens
Dear K3 Parents,

Welcome to Kindergarten! I am delighted to welcome you to our

Woodland World! My name is Mrs. Brazill Givens, and I cannot wait to
guide our team to a year full of fun and learning.

Please, let me take a moment to introduce myself. First and foremost, I

have always been dedicated, hard-working, and enthusiastic about
helping others. When it came time for me to choose my career the only
thing that stuck in my mind was helping people. There are so many
ways to help people, but I chose to help children; help them build and
learn the fundamentals they will need to help themselves and others.
Thinking back to my elementary school days I vaguely remembered all
my teachers except my kindergarten teacher. She was loving and
caring about her passion, for me to remember flash back and
remember that I said that needed to be me. Now, here I am ready to
lead my class to a successful year.

When I am not in my classroom, I spend my free time with my family

and friends, going to the gym, cooking or running my business. I love
cooking, I am a huge foodie! This will be my tenth school year with
Monticello Academy and my sixth year as a core teacher. I truly believe
this is an excellent learning environment for students that will allow
them to strive and thrive! I have been working hard to prepare a fun
and educational Kindergarten curriculum and cohesive program for our
students. I cannot wait to get started!

I hope that throughout your child’s Kindergarten year we can

communicate and work with one another so that, together, as parents
and teacher, we can give your child the fantastic educational
experience they deserve. Attached to this packet you will find all the
information you will need to have a successful year in K3. Please be
sure to read all the information CLOSELY so that you are aware of what
is required.

I have great confidence that your son or daughter will join me in my

love of learning as we embark on a journey of learning and fun! Always
tell your children how much you love them. Compliment their
strengths. Hug them often. Be a positive role model. Teach them at
home and learn from them in return. Love them for who they are. I
know I will!

Warmly,

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Mrs. Brazill Givens

WELCOME TO OUR K3 WOODLAND

WORLD
Attendance
Our kindergarten class begins at 8:30am and runs until 3:30pm (with
the exception of minimum days). While there is no grace period for
tardy children, it Is highly recommend your child arrive 10 minutes
prior to the bell ringing to prepare themselves for a successful learning
day. Tardiness will reflect on your child’s report card. Parents and
students should be aware that major papers and projects are due on
the original date set by the teacher. Students who are going to be
absent should plan to get their important papers and projects handed
in on time. Children absent over three consecutive days will require a
doctor’s note.

Please refer to Monticello Academy Parent handbook – Attendance

and Absence Policy.

Kindergarten Transition
It is important to keep in mind that transitioning from Pre-K to
kindergarten is an important step in your child’s life. This transition
affects (especially emotionally) your child, you (the parent), and me
(the teacher). It is important for us to be aware and work together to
overcome any difficulties in a positive way.
It is normal for your child to exhibits the following behavior especially
in the beginning of the school year:
 Tiredness’
 Stress
 Anxiety
 Symptoms of illness
These symptoms will subside as the students become familiar with the
routine, expectations, teacher, and setting.

*All basic school supplies will be provided by the school

(pencils, crayons, glue, erasers, scissors etc.)

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 Determining Final Grade

The grading for each academic subject is based

on the following guidelines:
 35% - Classwork / Homework
 65% - Projects (Assessments, Group discussions or
individual projects)

Assessments
The following subjects will be assessed:

Math:
 Conducted after mastering each concept, mid-chapter and end of
chapter.

Phonics:
 Conducted after mastering the new concept.

Spelling:
 Weekly test will begin on week seven of school. (Monday, 9/23)
 All phonetic concepts that are learned that week.

Reading:
 Our kindergarten program uses the MCP (Modern
Curriculum Press) books as part of the reading
assessment to evaluate their reading level.
 MCP books introduced during week six (9/16)

Science, Social Studies:

 All subjects without homework and assessments.
 Subjects without weekly Homework
 All assignment graded out of 100%
 Projects are done within class.

Grading begins on the week of September 6th, which is week 6

of school

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 Homework Expectations
Homework Procedures
Homework is a review/reinforcement of concepts taught in class.
Students are expected to do their homework independently and should
not take more than 30 minutes to complete. However, the parents
should assist the child in making sure that the work is done properly.

Each student will have a blue homework folder, which they will be
responsible for taking home and returning daily. Corrected homework
will be sent home for your keep, it will give you the opportunity to see
how your child is doing.

Homework includes:
 Please except for your child to have mathematics and phonics
every night.
 Language arts will vary depending on what is covered in class.
 Homework will vary between 2 – 3 pages depending on the
lessons covered.

Expectations
 Homework is a mandatory assignment (except Fridays)
 All children are responsible for submitting their homework on
time.
 Children with excused absences will be given a chance for full
credit.
on their homework and classwork.
 Makeup work is only graded for excused absences.
 At the kindergarten level, we will allow the students to get used
to the routine.
for the first month before we start taking off points for
punctuality.

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Homework Rubric
 Homework will be graded based on the following guidelines:
 Parents are required to always check their child’s
work, if more than 3 problems are missed points will
be deducted.
o 2 points – Punctuality/work turned in on time
o 2 points – Understanding of the concept
o 1 point - Neatness
o Total = 5 points

Classwork is all independent or group work done in class. Students will

be given the appropriate amount of time to complete all classwork.
I will guide the students and provide any additional help they may
need to complete their work. However, classwork is to be completed in
class during the allocated time.

If the classwork is not completed due to lack of effort of the child on a

continuous basis, the child will lose points for completeness. I will allow
time for a child to finish their work during recess time, however they
will not receive full credit.

Class work Rubric: (Phonics, Math, Social Studies, Science)

 Classwork will be graded according to the following guidelines:
o 2 points - Following directions written on page or givens.
o 2 points – Completeness of task during allocated time
o 1 point - Neatness
Total: 5 points
*Full credit will be given for make-up work done because of an
excused absence.

Classwork Rubric – Writing: (first semester)

 1 point - Letter formation/letters touch the lines properly.
 1 point – Spacing
 1 point – Capitalization
 1 point – Completion / Punctuation
 1 point – Name / Date on paper
Total: 5 points

Classwork Rubric – Writing: (second semester)

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  1 point – Name / Date
 1 point – Capitalization
 1 point – Punctuation
 1 point – Spacing
 1 point – Neatness / Spelling
Total: 5 points

Rubric: Spelling
 1 point – Name / Date
 1 point – for each word
Total: points depending on the number of words

*If you feel that your child has missed any assignments, please
notify me.

Student Code of Conduct

At Monticello, there is a student code of conduct that is expected to be
followed by each student in every classroom:

1. We will always listen and follow directions.

2. We will always use good manners.
3. We will raise our hand to speak.
4. We will work quietly and without disturbing others.
5. We will be friendly, truthful, and positive.
6. Always try your best.

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Behavior
Your child will be expected to act in a manner that will ensure safety,
consideration, and respect for the feelings of others. Behaviors that are
disruptive to the learning environment will not be tolerated.
The child will be given warnings and chances but if she/he still chooses
to not follow the class rules and routine then she/he will lose privileges
but will have the chance to earn them back. If the behavior continues
with the child, the child and I will come up with an action chart for
better behavior. Ultimately if further assistance is needed with their
behavior, I will ask for a parent meeting to discuss further.

Behavior Management Chart

A behavior chart should be fun yet interactive, so I have decided to use
a sticker reward system. Your child will have a chart located in their
blue folder. They will have a chance to earn a sticker each day. Each
sticker is worth 5 cents, when the chart is full, they will possibly have 1
dollar worth of stickers or less. On the last Friday of each month, we
will visit the class store, this is where they will have a chance to
purchase fun items with their reward stickers(money). There will be a
variety of items that they can choose from, ranging from 10 cents to 1
dollar.
If you would like to donate to our classroom store, please do contact
me so we can further discuss.

Team Incentives
Positive marble drops: As a team, the class will work together to
reach a good behavior goal and earn a prize. The jar will be visually
seen on my desk to give them motivation to not only learn how to
achieve goals but to work in group settings. If our monthly goal is met,
we will receive whatever prize we vote for that month, if we do not
meet our goal we will start over the following month. This will keep the
kids working together. Every time the class displays good behavior in
class, supplemental classes, or around the school a marble will be
dropped into the jar.

*Behavior management plans are subject to change

throughout the year.

Class Centers:
Class centers will be used to reinforce concepts taught in class.
Centers will also be fun activities that are considered a reward for
students who complete their classwork on time.

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Share Day
Friday is Share Day. Each student is permitted to bring in one item that
relates to our phonetic lesson of the week. They will be given a 030-
minute allotted time in the morning to write a short story about the
item they brought in.

Parent Information
Parent Expectations
 Please have your child at school on time.
 Please do not use morning time to address questions or concerns
about your child. During morning time (8:20 – 8:30), the teacher
has to attend/help students settle and begin their day.
 When class is in session, please do not disturb.
 Support your child in completing homework and class work
assignments/projects.
 Communicate constantly with your child’s teacher.
 Check your child’s Homework folder daily.
 Check your school portal weekly.
 Plan vacation during school breaks rather than when school is in
session.

Parent / Teacher Communication

 You can contact me any time by email, phone or send a note
through your child in their homework folder.
o Phone: (408) 615-9416 ext. 114
o Email: bgivens@monticelloacademy.org
 Parents, please keep in mind that I am here for both you and
your child. I do ask you to maintain open communication with
me. All academic and social concerns should be directed to me
first. Please do avoid discussing any issues with other parents. If
you feel the issue is still unresolved after meeting with me, we
can further discuss it with the director in a formal meeting with
me.
 If your child has a doctor’s or dentist’s appointment, please email
me or send a note to your child prior to the appointment.

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Parent / Teacher Conferences and Report Cards
Parent/Teacher conferences are held at the end of the first semester
and the end of second semester or as needed. Conference dates will
be posted two weeks prior to the date. There will be no rescheduling
for a missed conference, unless previously discussed with the teacher.
Additional conferences will be held at your request or as the need
arises.

Parent Involvement
Parent involvement enhances the educational program of the school.
Parents are encouraged to volunteer and visit the classroom as often
as their time permits.
Any skill, talent, or information you have to offer will be greatly
appreciated. Advanced notice is required to adequately prepare for
your visit. Any parents volunteering in the classroom or around the
school are required to sign in at the front desk prior to entering class.

Birthday and other class Parties

The last Friday of the month is dedicated to classroom Birthday
parties. Therefore, any child whose birthday falls in the month will
have the opportunity to celebrate their birthday on the last Friday of
the month. If the weather is permutable, the parents can set up in the
big playground. If you are interested in holding a birthday party on that
Friday, please let me know. Holiday celebrations will be planned by the
teacher and the room parent(s). You will receive notification of the
dates and times of each holiday party at least one week in advance.

Field Trips
Field trips are just one of the things we use to enhance your child’s
educational experiences as well as expose them to their community.
Please make sure you read and sign the permission slips for your child.
 Chaperone Selection
o Google doc signup sheet
o 1 family per quarterly field trip (no repeat families)
o I will send out parent reminders one week prior

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 Kindergarten Curriculum Overview
At Monticello Academy, we believe in academic excellence as well as
the emotional and social development of a student. The academic
curriculum that we implement in our program is based on the
California State Standards. Being a developmental based program, our
curriculum is gauged in accordance with the educational level of each
individual class every year as they progress from one grade level to
the next. Our curriculum will vary year-to-year depending on the
developmental ability and level of the upcoming grade. This overview
will allow you to have a general understanding of what your child will
learn throughout the school year.

Language Arts/ Reading

To learn to teach reading in kindergarten, students will first develop

their understanding about print and language in that they learn about
the relationship between the words they hear and the phonemic
structure of the language. Students will learn to analyze words at the
phonemic level, work with phonemes in all positions in words, and
produce sounds and adding, deleting, and changing selected sounds.
They will further begin to blend, segment, and manipulate words,
expand beyond consonant-vowel-consonant words to more complex
phonemic structures, and incorporate letters and align words through
phonemic awareness activities. Students will develop an
understanding for decoding words by reading from left to right simple
words, generate sounds from all the letters, and blend those sounds
into recognizable words. They learn to read simple three to four letter
short vowel words and sight words. Word recognition is also highly
emphasized in our program through that students will analyze high-
frequency words, irregular high frequency words, word families, and
word patterns. The other important step in reading is to learn how to
match oral words with printed words, learn the conventions of stories,
books, and other forms of literature and discriminate letters, words,
and sentences.

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Writing

Writing is emphasized at this level through penmanship and spelling.

Students are first taught to spell phonemically the words they do not
know. As they begin to read words, they should be taught to spell the
words they can read. Students will also learn to spell high frequency
words correctly.

Vocabulary Development

At the kindergarten level, besides learning about high frequency, sight,

or rhyming words, they will also learn about concepts and vocabulary
through grade appropriate concepts, such as animals and foods, and
the words students hear and read in stories and informational text that
are instrumental to comprehension. In addition, they will learn to use
context and surrounding text to develop an understanding of an
unknown word.

Reading Comprehension

At this level, students are learning to identify text that uses sequence
or other logical order. They will be taught to follow one-step written
instruction, and respond to who, what, when, where, and how
questions. They also learn to use context to resolve ambiguities about
the meaning of words and sentences. Students will make predictions
about age-appropriate stories with supporting text and be able to retell
the central ideas of a simple expository or narrative passage.

Literary Response and Analysis

Kindergarteners will gain an understanding about the structure of

stories or narrative texts in that there is a beginning, a middle, and an
ending. In addition, they will learn the sequence or logical order of
informational text, which is important in retelling stories. Students will
also learn about plot, setting, characters and important events.

Listening and Speaking

Students will be taught to comprehend information presented orally,

communicate ideas through speaking and writing, recall important
information from narratives and informational text, and answering
questions. They will speak with greater diversity into words beyond
sight words (frequently used) with more complex grammatical
structures. To respond to or produce complete, coherent sentences

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that use descriptive words or correct singular or plural nouns, students
will be listening orally to various chapter books, poetry, and songs
along with questions that will elicit responses from the students. They
will be given opportunities to work in groups as well as individually.
Our purpose is to focus on listening and maintaining pertinent
information for comprehension enabling them to perform well on
standardized testing. Assessments may be given at any time during
the week.

Mathematics

In our Kindergarten math program, our school is introducing a new

math curriculum. Math & you is a program that connects and builds
ideas across different pathways of thinking in your child’s learning.
Each chapter is a part of their bigger math journey while also
connecting to the world as they grow. Concepts taught in daily lessons
will be reflected in the nightly homework. At this level we use
worksheets as well as hands on activities using manipulatives. We are
currently not using textbooks. The lessons will build upon each other
with constant review. For every chapter there will be an assessment
as well as a mid-chapter review to see if they understand the concept.

Science

Kindergarten science enables students to learn about the world that is

around them through observational activities that will teach them to
become objective observers, noting the differences, similarities, and
component part of materials, plants, animals, and earth over a period.
Students learn to classify, compare, sort, and identify common objects.
Their knowledge of science expands as they evolve their mind through
observation, measuring, and predicting the properties of materials.
They learn about evaporation, freezing, melting, plants and animals,
landforms, and weather. In Kindergarten they learn about science
through stories and relating to the stories through their own personal
experiences. As a result, they learn to make predictions by using
context and pictures, retelling familiar stories, responding to questions,
and initiating questions about essential elements.

History-Social Science

The focus of the kindergarten history-social science program is

learning and working now and long ago. Each child will have their own
Impact textbook as well as workbook that we will learn through each
week. At this level, students learn the qualities of being a good citizen,
recognize the national and state symbols and icons (national and state

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flag, bald eagle, and Statue of Liberty), match simple jobs that people
do, identify related jobs at school, local community, and historical
accounts, and compare and contrast the locations of people, places,
and environments, describing their characteristics. Kindergarteners will
develop an understanding about history in relation to people, events,
and places of the past. In doing this, they begin to put events in
temporal order using calendar, placing days, weeks, and months in
proper order.

ABC Reader

Monticello Academy takes pride in being a part of the Project

Cornerstone program called ABC (Asset Building Champions.) Every
month a reader will visit our classroom to read stories, lead
discussions, and share activities to help all kids feel valued, respected,
and known at school.

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 Orientation Packet
Acknowledgement
Dear Woodland Parents,
Thank you for taking the time to read and
understand everything complied in the K3
packet. By signing the form below, you are
agreeing to have received, reviewed, and
understood the materials presented in the
Kindergarten Orientation Packet for the 2024 –
2025 school year.

Parent Signature: ______________________

Woodland friend Signature:
_____________________
Date: ____________

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