Kindergarten Program

Kindergarten Student Hours

9:00 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Bus Transportation

School bus transportation is offered to and from school for students who do not live within walking distance of their respective schools. Information regarding bus numbers, bus stops and arrival times will be mailed to families prior to the start of the school year. Please contact the district’s transportation department with any questions and concerns regarding busing at 724-318-8535.

Absences

If your child will be absent, please contact the school by 8:30 a.m. The attendance number is 412-749-4007, or use the online attendance form. Upon returning to school, your child should bring an absentee slip, which can be found in the Parent Handbook.

Folders

It is imperative that parents check their child's folder every night for notes and return it every day.

Backpacks

Please have your child carry a backpack that will accommodate the folder and any other items that may be sent home.

Breakfast & Lunch

Students have the opportunity to eat breakfast in the school cafeteria upon morning arrival, and the option to either purchase lunch or bring their own from home. A complete breakfast meal is free for all students. An a la carte breakfast is $1.75. Lunch is $3.35. Free and reduced-price meals are available to those who qualify. Students may pay for meals with cash or have the cost deducted from an online lunch account. Contact the food service department at 412-749-5089 with any questions regarding the breakfast and lunch program. Menus

Daily Schedule

Morning

• Arrival 8:45

• Free choice activities

• Morning Meeting & Calendar

• Language arts

• Lunch

Afternoon
• Math
• Outdoor play/movement
• Specials
• Snack/quiet time
• Science/Social Studies/Enrichment
• Dismissal 3:40

Preparation Activities

Here are some activities you can do to prepare your child for Kindergarten:

Help your child learn how to dress him or herself, button or zip their coats, and tie their shoes.
Encourage your child to draw, paint and tell stories.
Help them write their first and last name, with the first letter capitalized and the rest lowercase.
Help them learn the names of the uppercase letters. Start teaching the lowercase letters. If they know the names of the letters, they can concentrate on learning the sounds in Kindergarten.
Encourage your child to hold a pencil in the traditional way, with the first finger slightly ahead of the thumb and the middle finger hanging down beside.
Spend time reading to your child, which models how to read a book.
Have your child sit quietly and work on something (coloring, drawing) for a period of time, preferably 10-20 minutes.
Draw a shape on paper and have your child look at it. Then, draw the shape again with a piece missing and have your child drawing the missing piece.
Start a collection of anything that interests your child. Collecting is a great way to explore similarities and differences, and to sort objects into groups.
Place six to eight objects on table. Ask your child to close their eyes, and remove on object. See if they can identify the missing object.
Paste a picture from a magazine on cardboard. Cut it into many pieces and have your child put it back together.
Say a word and have your child find word that rhymes.
Make an alphabet scrapbook. Write the capital and lowercase letter at the top of each page. Then, search for objects that begin with that letter and glue or tape them to the page.
Show your child a picture and discuss the action it shows. Ask what might happen next.

Readiness Checklist

If you can judge your child objectively (a difficult task), here is a checklist to help you decide. Children who meet most of these criteria are likely to be ready for school.

Social & Emotional Criteria

Physical & Motor Skills Criteria

Academic Skills
Criteria

Your child should be able to...

speak up for himself and communicate needs
interact well with others
wait for gratification and understand that everything doesn't happen immediately
adjust voice level to those around
follow directions
put toys away
do one activity for 10-15 minutes
use a bathroom that is not his or her own
eat in a group without being too distracted
stay with relatives or friends without crying for parents
use a tissue, and cover sneezes and coughs
add pertinent information to discussions
like him or herself
answer back when asked "What are you good at?"

Your child should be able to...

tie his or her shoes
turn a shirt right side out
color more or less within the lines
use scissors with some skill
touch each of their fingers with their thumb
hop on one foot two or more times in a row
catch a large bouncing ball
run and stop on signal
use a fork and a spoon
fold a piece of paper into a triangle (after you demonstrate)
put a jacket on by themselves and attempt to button or zip it
not feel anxious about being smaller than other children his or her age

Your child should be able to...

give his or her name, age, address and phone number
write his or her name
identify the letters in their name
identify colors
identify shapes and copy them from a picture
draw a person (the more body parts, the better)
understand the purpose of numbers
repeat a series of about four random numbers
identify over, under, between, behind, big & small
answer simple questions such as, "What makes a cloudy day bright?" (the sun) or "What color is an apple?" (red or green)

Kindergarten Roundup

Prospective kindergarten students and their parents or caregivers are urged to attend Kindergarten Roundup. This event is generally held in February each year. Children who will be five years old on or before September 1 can be registered for Kindergarten during Roundup. Parents or caregivers should make appointments for one of the days. Appointments last approximately 30 minutes. More information can be found on the district's Registration page.

Kindergarten Roundup provides an opportunity for parents and children to lay the groundwork for a successful kindergarten experience. Parents or caregivers and prospective students will meet a kindergarten teacher for preliminary readiness screening and tips for working with students before and after school begins; a school nurse to record immunization and health information and answer questions about individual health problems in the school setting; the registrar to collect registration documents; a parent representative to discuss parent/school partnership and opportunities for parent involvement; and a librarian to advise on book selection and fostering an appreciation for literature.