The Carlynton School District offers a full day kindergarten program. Kindergarten is an important part of the District's elementary school program. Children entering kindergarten should be emotionally ready to participate in all academic and social areas of our program. Children at the age of five need a variety of ways to understand concepts in the various skill areas. To facilitate this, the children will learn through exploring, discovering, manipulating, observing, expressing and implementing.
Carnegie Elementary School will make every effort to support, guide and supplement all learning experiences.
The Kindergarten Curriculum
The Kindergarten Program is a readiness program. The children will be instructed in the following readiness areas:
Reading Readiness |
Math Readiness |
Naming colors |
Naming shapes |
Listening to stories |
Positional terms |
Left and right |
Counting to 30 |
Alike and different |
Identifying/printing 1-25 |
Alphabet recognition |
Number concepts 1-25 |
Beginning sounds |
Coin value |
Rhyming |
Telling time in hours |
Whole/part relationship |
Sequence |
Naming color words |
Ordinal position |
Vocabulary words/writings |
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Physical development (large and fine motor skills), social development, language arts (Show and Tell, writing) and work habits will be introduced. In addition, a variety of activities in social studies, science, health, art, music and library science will be presented in the kindergarten academic program.
Basic classroom and school rules will also be introduced and enforced. These, along with other social activities, will provide children with a well-rounded introduction to learning.
Many "new" skills will be introduced each month. Each new skill will build upon the previous skill learned. Continuous repetition and practice of these skills will help make learning them easier for each child. Parents will find that skills introduced in September will still be reinforced in June.
Workbooks and daily worksheets will be used to practice new skills. Also, a variety of hands-on activities, games and computer lab time will be used.
Report cards are distributed four times a year. Conferences can be scheduled for parents with questions about their child's progress.
The Full Day Kindergarten Program will introduce basic math and reading skills. There will be a concentrated effort to expose students to a variety of literature and other literacy skills. The schedule will provide a balance of academic, creative and active time throughout the day. Students will engage in reading, writing and math activities, as well as opportunities for creative play and social interaction.
Example of the |
8:20 A.M. |
Children admitted into the building |
Daily Schedule: |
8:30 A.M. |
Classes begin |
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10:30 A.M. |
Daily snack and creative play |
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11:00-11:30 P.M. |
Lunch K-2 Students |
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11:30-12:00 P.M. |
Daily recess |
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3:05 P.M. |
Dismissal |
- Daily special subjects are scheduled in the afternoon. These include art, music, gym and library
- Weekly visits are made to the computer lab
- Please note that bathrooms are in all Kindergarten classrooms and are available to students throughout the day.
Kindergarten Admission Policies
A child entering kindergarten must be five years-of-age by August 15th of the calendar year they enter the program. A birth certificate and two proofs of residency is required. Also, the following immunizations are required:
DTaP |
Four (4) doses, the last on or after fourth birthday |
Polio |
Four (4) doses, the last on or after fourth birthday |
MMR |
Two (2) doses |
Hepatitis B |
Three (3) doses |
Varicella |
Two (2) doses (Chicken Pox vaccine) |
The immunization requirements are a condition of attendance at any public, private or parochial school in Pennsylvania. Parents will be expected to produce evidence of the immunizations or their child. If a child does not have all the doses listed above, and the next dose is medically appropriate, the child must receive that dose within the first five (5) days of school or risk exclusion. Information regarding any medical or religious exemption to the law must be submitted to the school nurse before admission.
Building Readiness for Kindergarten:
Prior to entering kindergarten, children should have already acquired several skills. They should have knowledge of colors, shapes, numbers and alphabet letters. Children should also be able to give their full name, address and telephone number. Additionally, the youngsters should be able to:
- Put on and remove coats and boots
- Button, zipper, snap and tie all outer garments
- Open and close their book bags
- Know proper toilet habits
- Walk down steps using alternate feet
- Carry out simple two or three step directions
- Pay attention to a short story and answer simple questions
Parents can help their children be more successful by not comparing children, not using baby talk, and by being positive and encouraging. Reading stories will help children learn to listen and increase knowledge and understanding of words.
Forcing children to learn before readiness may create emotional turmoil, which might cause a negative feeling toward learning. Learning is most effective when your child is ready, eager and excited. Patience, understanding and support leads to ultimate results.