I sure have a very RESPONSIBLE group of Kindergartners this year! They have adjusted to a full day of school, new teachers, and new routines very well. There are several things we do in our classroom to encourage independence, responsibility, and respectful behavior. Here is a little explanation of these things, so you understand what your kindergartner is telling you at home!
BEHAVIOR CHART
To the left is a picture of our "Behavior Chart". This helps us monitor our behavior throughout the school day. Children start the day on the GREEN square. For exceptionally wonderful behavior, children can move up to PURPLE. If a child ignores a verbal reminder given by a teacher more than one time, he/she moves down to YELLOW. This is just a simple reminder to correct behavior. The only consequence for being on yellow is not earning a smiley face on the prize sheet at the end of the day. YELLOW, GREEN and PURPLE are all ok and mean that your child remained "Above the Line" throughout the day.
If a child continues to ignore directions or does something a little more serious, like hitting a friend, they will move down to RED. If a child moves "Below the Line", we will have a discussion about how to "Fix It" so that they can move back "Above the Line". A note will be placed in the FISH Folder, letting parents know what happened.
If behavior continues to be an issue, the child will move their name to the ORANGE square. The consequences for being on orange are to lose a "play-time"...usually either the next recess or center time and, instead of playing, the student and I will discuss behavior, how to fix it and think of an appropriate sentence to copy, related to the misbehaviors for the day.
For really poor behavior, the child will move their name to the BLUE square. The consequence for being on this square is a a visit to Principal Muller. Dene Muller is also our Director of Special Education and works with many children throughout the day. If she is unavailable, the child will see Ms. Donovan or Mr. Wright.
If behavior continues to be an issue after a visit with the Principal, the student will place a phone call to his/her parent and explain their behavior for the day.
Children always move their own name card, so they always know what they were doing wrong. I remind them again at the end of the day (provided I remember! Sometimes our days get pretty hectic.) when they mark their FISH Folder, so they should be able to discuss it with parents when they get home.
CLASSROOM JOBS
"Hoppy to Help"
Kindergartners are very eager to help out and everyone wants a
turn at most of our classroom jobs! Having classroom jobs not only helps build a sense of community and encourage responsibility but also helps our class run smoothly.
I change jobs on Mondays, so each child has their job for one whole week. Some jobs cannot be done everyday, but many are done daily.
Here is a list of our classroom jobs!
-Tub Tidier = organizes school supply tubs
-Milk Helper = gets milk for class at "Milk Break"
-Napkin Helper = passes out napkins for snack
-Straw Helper = passes out straws for "Milk Break"
-Recycling Police = takes garbage out of Recycling Bin
-Line Leader = 1st in line
-End Friend = last in line
-Hall Inspector = checks the floor after recess for stray clothing
-Table Washer = wipes tables down with sanitizing wipes
-Picture Mover = moves the pictures up after center time
-Paper Person = passes out paper if I need a helper
-Substitute = does jobs for children that are absent
-Librarian = organizes our book shelf
-Messenger = takes messages/supplies to other teachers for me
-Plant Person = waters plants
-Calendar = helps during our daily calendar routine
-Pencil Person = sharpens our broken pencils
-Scrap Monster = uses dustpan to clean up small messes
-On Vacation = two children each week will have the week off
PRIZE SHEETS, BEHAVIOR CATALOG & PRIZE BOX
Above is a picture of a "Prize Sheet" Children can earn "Smileys" on their prize sheet 2 ways.
1. Good Behavior
~ Green = 1 Smiley
~Purple = 2 Smileys
2. Doing their Classroom Job, if it is a job that must be done during play time.
Once children fill one row with 5 Smileys, they get to choose a reward from our "Good Behavior Catalog".
A few rewards in the catalog are:
- Sit by the teacher at lunch
- "Stinky Feet" - Go without shoes in our classroom
-"Pet for a Day" - keep a stuffed pet with you in our classroom
- "Nook" - Be 1st to use the Nook at Center Time
Once children fill their whole entire prize sheet, they get to choose a toy out of the "Prize Box"!
