KINDERGARTEN
L. Ponziani	lponzia@schools.nyc.gov
S. Radelicki	sradelicki@schools.nyc.gov
A. Smereldi	asmerldi@schools.nyc.gov
M. Maliagros	mmaliagros2@schools.nyc.gov
M. Ficke	mficke@schools.nyc.gov
F. Pashalidis	pashal@schools.nyc.gov
A. Metakis	abalichmetakis@schools.nyc.gov

School Year 2023-2024

Kindergarten Supply List (Download File)

Parents, encourage your children to talk about letters and sounds by turning it into a game. For example, ask them, “I’m thinking of a letter that makes the (insert a sound) __sound, can you guess what it is?” Playing sound games will help reinforce what your children are learning in school. This will also help them to practice blending sounds into words. Try having children incorporate learning into play by having them trace a letter while saying its sound on paper, in sand or with finger paint. Read daily with your child and ask them to tell you what is happening in their books. Have them retell the story to you and then draw and write a few sentences about their favorite part. Oral expression of language is also very important. Have your child tell you how their day went at school, and ask questions about specific things they did. Have fun with words and use puppets and toys to read a book, using different voices for each character. Have your child tell you what each character did in the story and how they felt. Encourage your child to think of words that have the same beginning sound and letter as their name. The possibilities are endless! A child’s curiosity is a wonderful thing to explore as they embark on a lifelong journey of learning through literacy based experiences.

RULER is an evidence-based approach for integrating social and emotional learning into schools, developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER applies “hard science” to the teaching of what have historically been called “soft skills.” RULER teaches the skills of emotional intelligence — those associated with recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotion. Decades of research show that these skills are essential to effective teaching and learning, sound decision making, physical and mental health, and success in school and beyond. RULER creates schools that are true safe harbors for our children. It does this by developing emotional intelligence in students from preschool to high school and in all adults involved in their education: school administrators, teachers, and support staff. Parents also participate in training so that they can reinforce the emotional skills that students learn at school. Our approach gives a unique depth and consistency to social and emotional learning that empowers school leaders and teachers to create a genuinely safe space for students to learn and grow.