It's that time of the year that parents start questioning whether their child should attend Young Fives or Kindergarten. Ask yourself the following questions when trying to decide the right placement...
1. Does my child separate easily from me?
2. Does my child show an eagerness to learn?
3. Can my child sit still for 7+ minutes on a task that is adult driven (not chose by the child)?
4. Does my child speak English as his/her first language?
5. Has my child attended preschool before?
6. Can my child put on his/her own coat, shoes, clothing?
7. Can my child take care of his/her own toiletry needs?
8. Can my child express his/her own feelings and needs?
9. Can my child share and take turns with others?
10. Does my child have a winter or spring birthday?
(Think ahead on this one...Do you think your child will play sports? If so, he/she may be physically behind peers as the high school age hits. Do you want your child starting college at 17 (remember he/she will not be able to sign any student loans the first semester)? Do you want your child to be one the the last ones in their peer group to hit milestone birthdays (16, 18, 21)? Will your child be socially immature in their peer group?)
If you answered no to 1+ of these then you should look further into Young Fives. Young Fives is not looked at as being "held back" but as a "gift of time". You will notice that there are no academic questions - most of the kids that come to Young Fives are very smart academically. Not many parents regret sending their child to Young Fives but they do regret not sending their child to Young Fives. It is much easier to advance a child a grade then to retain them. Your child will not be bored in Young Fives. I rarely teach lessons whole group and most of the day is differentiated.
Examples: During Letter/Word Work - each child is working on a list of letters or words that are chosen by me for them; During Centers - some kids may be working on a game involving identifying numbers 1-10 while others are identifying numbers 11-20 or some kids are "reading" the room for certain letters while others are searching for certain sight words. During handwriting, some kids are working on forming the letters in their first name while others are labeling their picture with words or others are sound spelling a sentence out.
While parents have the final say on whether their child goes to Young Fives or Kindergarten really ask around and listen to other parents who have sent their child to Young Fives or to the educators in your child's life. Most preschool teachers know the kindergarten curriculum and expectations well enough to know whether your child will be successful in kindergarten. Also, the screeners at Dorr Elementary are all veteran teachers who have been screening kids long enough to make a solid recommendation. Every year I get 5-8 kindergarteners who were recommended for Young Fives but parents chose Kindergarten and within the first 6 weeks they have to move to Young Fives because they are not able to be successful in Kindergarten whether it be socially or academically.
*****Research points out that a child's reading success in Kindergarten can indicate their success as a senior in high school. If your child is not showing interest in learning to read then please consider Young Fives!
Call the school office for a Kindergarten screening appointment. (616) 681-9637
CURRENT YOUNG FIVERS DO NOT NEED TO GET TESTED OR REGISTER THEIR CHILD. HE/SHE WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE PLACED IN A DORR KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM.
2. Does my child show an eagerness to learn?
3. Can my child sit still for 7+ minutes on a task that is adult driven (not chose by the child)?
4. Does my child speak English as his/her first language?
5. Has my child attended preschool before?
6. Can my child put on his/her own coat, shoes, clothing?
7. Can my child take care of his/her own toiletry needs?
8. Can my child express his/her own feelings and needs?
9. Can my child share and take turns with others?
10. Does my child have a winter or spring birthday?
(Think ahead on this one...Do you think your child will play sports? If so, he/she may be physically behind peers as the high school age hits. Do you want your child starting college at 17 (remember he/she will not be able to sign any student loans the first semester)? Do you want your child to be one the the last ones in their peer group to hit milestone birthdays (16, 18, 21)? Will your child be socially immature in their peer group?)
If you answered no to 1+ of these then you should look further into Young Fives. Young Fives is not looked at as being "held back" but as a "gift of time". You will notice that there are no academic questions - most of the kids that come to Young Fives are very smart academically. Not many parents regret sending their child to Young Fives but they do regret not sending their child to Young Fives. It is much easier to advance a child a grade then to retain them. Your child will not be bored in Young Fives. I rarely teach lessons whole group and most of the day is differentiated.
Examples: During Letter/Word Work - each child is working on a list of letters or words that are chosen by me for them; During Centers - some kids may be working on a game involving identifying numbers 1-10 while others are identifying numbers 11-20 or some kids are "reading" the room for certain letters while others are searching for certain sight words. During handwriting, some kids are working on forming the letters in their first name while others are labeling their picture with words or others are sound spelling a sentence out.
While parents have the final say on whether their child goes to Young Fives or Kindergarten really ask around and listen to other parents who have sent their child to Young Fives or to the educators in your child's life. Most preschool teachers know the kindergarten curriculum and expectations well enough to know whether your child will be successful in kindergarten. Also, the screeners at Dorr Elementary are all veteran teachers who have been screening kids long enough to make a solid recommendation. Every year I get 5-8 kindergarteners who were recommended for Young Fives but parents chose Kindergarten and within the first 6 weeks they have to move to Young Fives because they are not able to be successful in Kindergarten whether it be socially or academically.
*****Research points out that a child's reading success in Kindergarten can indicate their success as a senior in high school. If your child is not showing interest in learning to read then please consider Young Fives!
Call the school office for a Kindergarten screening appointment. (616) 681-9637
CURRENT YOUNG FIVERS DO NOT NEED TO GET TESTED OR REGISTER THEIR CHILD. HE/SHE WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE PLACED IN A DORR KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM.
| kindergarten_literacy_research.pdf |
| vitae.docx |
| 2012_parent_evaluations.pdf |
Here is a peek into my classroom - set up The Daily 5 Style! For non-educators, you can learn more about the Daily 5 by visiting www.the2sisters.com or by going to my Curriculum page.
| hands_on_alphabet_learning.docx |
Literacy Links to Games
PBS Reading Site
Phonics Site
Learning to Read Games
Reading Activities
Literacy Activities
Prereading Games
Listen to Books Online
Free Disney Books!
School Hours: 9:00 - 3:50 Pick up is in the preschool room.
School Rules:
1. Be Safe.
2. Be Respectful.
3. Be Responsible.
Students who follow the school rules could earn a Supercat Ticket. This ticket could be randomly drawn every Monday to win a prize and be announced on the school PA. Love and Logic is emphasized in the classroom. A "Bug and a Wish" is a popular saying in our classroom. Students are taught to say to others, "It bugs me when ______. I wish you would _____."
It looks like all they do is play in Young Fives!
The child-centered kindergarten offers experiences to children in a physical setting which has been carefully designed to increase the likelihood that these experiences will occur. Linguistic competence is a primary goal, and language experiences appropriate for each child's stage of literacy development underlie the entire curriculum. Conversations among children and between children and adults are viewed as important to the development of linguistic competence. Independence and responsibility are promoted by child-initiated activities and expanded blocks of time which allow children to finish projects. Materials are logically organized, usually into several interest areas containing many options from which children self-select activities. The complexity of the material ranges from easy to difficult, so that a wide range of abilities is accommodated.
General Parent Resources
| why_play_parent_guide.pdf |
| parenting_with_love_and_logic.pdf |
| 48_to_54_months_expectations.pdf |
A Kindergarten Readiness Assessment and Activities to Help your Child Prepare for Kindergarten
| kindergarten_readiness.pdf |
| prek_to_k_summer_activities.pdf |
Contact us: Dorr Elementary
4159 18th Ave.
Dorr, MI 49323
616-681-9637
olivera@wayland.k12.mi.us
4159 18th Ave.
Dorr, MI 49323
616-681-9637
olivera@wayland.k12.mi.us
