Your Child’s Personal Space
Each child has a space in our classroom designated for their personal items, such as coat, back-pack,
extra clothes, papers to take home, etc
All clothing, backpacks, & nap items should be labeled with
.
your child’s name! Your child’s nap items must all fit into 1 bag and may not exceed 4 items (crib
sheet, pillow, blanket, 1 soft animal). This bag will be sent home each Friday with all nap items and we
ask that you wash and return these same items in the bag on Monday morning (unless you have a part
time schedule). Other toys from home are not allowed as it is extremely difficult for teachers to keep
track of such small personal items in addition to her classroom duties. Children have the opportunity
to sleep in their classroom from 12:00-2:15pm and all students are required to rest quietly from 12:00-
12:45pm.
Behavior Chart
Our classroom uses a color chart behavior system. Every day, your child has a clothespin with their
name on it attached to our color chart and we start directly in the middle (green). When a child
exhibits inappropriate behavior, he/she is given redirection to a more appropriate choice/behavior. If
negative choices continue to be made, the child’s name will be moved DOWN. When good behavior is
noticed by the teacher, the child’s name will be moved UP. Teachers are constantly reminding and
encouraging students to make good choices. Here is the order of the color chart:
Blue: child went above and beyond expectations today
Purple: child went outside of their comfort zone or was extra helpful
Green: child did all that was asked of him/her today OR recovered from a color below
Yellow: child did not do what was asked of him/her today and may have treated others meanly
Red: child was repeatedly mean to others and/or was not able to follow directions today
*An explanation for your child’s daily color will be given on their daily sheet
Curriculum
Duncan Academy East uses Jolly Phonics as a basic schedule/calendar for our school. Jolly Phonics
is an early elementary reading program that focuses on letter sounds rather than the names of letters
and they are learned in order of sounds that are easier to pronounce. This program is one of the
newest and most successful reading programs used in elementary schools. Duncan Academy in Grain
Valley has used this program for the past 3 years because many of their students can read before
attending Kindergarten.
At the beginning of the school year, 1 new letter is introduced each week while the letter from the
previous week is reviewed. As the year progresses, introduction to new letters and ideas will increase.
Letters, shapes and colors are scouted throughout our school, traced on paper, and made with clay
molds. Counting is occurring on a regular basis; when we are scooping our servings during lunch
time, during circle time and when we’re reading stories. Our goal is to introduce our students to as
much knowledge and fun as possible while guiding them towards positive behaviors and lifestyles.
Heather Jinkins is the lead preschool teacher. She has her degree in elementary education as well as
3 sons: Henry…