A Day in the Life of a Kindergartner!

Learn more about Kindergarten at Bailey's

Preparing Your Student for Kindergarten

  • Help your child learn to say and write his or her first and last name

  • Participate in the summer reading program at the local library with your child

  • Read stories together

  • Sing and say the Alphabet

  • Count – count - count

  • Play games

A Day in the Life of a Kindergartner

Sample Schedule

  • Breakfast and Morning Meeting - 30 minutes

  • Reading Workshop - 1 hour

  • Interactive Read Aloud - 20 minutes

  • Word Study - 20 minutes

  • Writing Workshop - 40 minutes

  • Specials - 1 hour

  • Lunch (30 min)/Recess (30 min)

  • Math Workshop - 1 hour

  • Science/Social Studies - 30 minutes

  • Learning Stations/Purposeful Play - 20 minutes

Morning Meeting

  • Greeting

  • Share

  • Activity/Game/Song

  • Morning Message

Reading Workshop

  • Whole group instruction (10-15 minutes)
  • Purposeful Independent Reading (10-15 minutes)
  • Partner Reading, Writing about Reading or Talking about Reading (5-15 minutes)
  • Small Groups (Guided Reading, Strategy Lessons, 1:1 conference)
  • Share (5 minutes)

Writing Workshop

  • Whole group instruction (10-15 minutes)
  • Independent Writing (30-40 minutes)
  • Partner Time (5 minutes)
  • Small Groups & Conferences 
  • Share (5 minutes)

Math Workshop

  • Counting Routines

  • Calendar

  • Problem Solving

  • Whole-group lesson

  • Small-group learning stations

  • Partner Games

  • Whole-group reflection

Science

  • Students explore science concepts through hands-on experiences, engaging in the “doing” of science 

  • Classes explore outdoors to learn about seasonal changes, weather patterns, plants and animals

Specials

Learning Stations/Purposeful Play

Children explore blocks, story retelling, art, computers, puzzles, etc. Teachers and instructional assistants work with students to:

  • Encourage inquiry and exploration

  • Develop spatial reasoning skills 

  • Develop logical and mathematical relationships.

  • Develop oral language

Special Programs & Resources Offered at Bailey's

Creative Movement

  • Why Creative Movement at Bailey's Elementary School? Creative Movement fosters self-esteem, cooperation, discipline and promotes  higher level thinking skills.
  • Creative Movement Integrates with Curriculum: Creative movement connects the Elements of Dance  with Content from Science, Social Studies ,Literacy and Math. Integration offers students more possibilities for their learning, immerses students  in a creative process and supports students cooperative learning skills.
  • Who takes Creative movement? All  K-2 students receive Creative Movement classes once week for half and hour.

In Creative Movement students are expected to meet educational  standards in Dance as well as in the subject they are Integrating. An example would be:

  • Example:
    • Grade level: Second Grade
    • Subject: Social Studies
    • Standard 2.2

        The student will compare the lives and contributions of tree American Indians cultures of the past and present, with emphasis on the Powhatan of the Eastern Woodlands.

  • Connects to: 
    • Dance Standard: Anchor Standard 3: Generate and Conceptualize artistic ideas and work

         Explore movement inspired by stimuli (Images) and suggest additional sources for movements ideas

See more 

Parent Resource Center

  • Parent Liaisons -English, Spanish, Arabic 

  • Classes for parents

  • Support with communicating with school (teacher conferences, completing forms, etc) and family needs

Arts Integration at Bailey's

  • Field Trips to the Kennedy Center to see performances

  • Teacher Training and Coaching

  • Concentration Circle

  • Arts Integration Throughout the Day (Some examples:  Tiny Toy Tales, Tableau, Dramatic Story Retelling, Learning through Movement)

  • Arts Integration Festival

  • Arts Integration Parent Day

  • CETA in action

    Learn more about arts integration & CETA

Outdoor Learning & Community Garden

  • Bailey’s Elementary is committed to providing a strong foundation in environmental stewardship through many outdoor learning opportunities.
  • Arcadia Farms has helped Bailey’s redesign and expand garden space to include a community garden.  They bring their mobile market to Bailey’s for 1st grade classrooms to visit each spring and follow up with a fall visit for  2nd grade students in the fall of the next year.

Learn more about outdoor learning

Responsive Classroom

We Believe:

  • The social and emotional curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.

  • How children learn is as important as what they learn.

  • Great cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.

  • Children need to learn a set of social and emotional skills that include cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

Learn more about Responsive Classroom

Other Information

School Hours

Arrival - 8:50 - 9:00 a.m.

Late/Tardy Bell - 9:00 a.m. (all students must be in class)

Dismissal begins - 3:40 p.m.

All students dismissed - 3:45 p.m.

Attendance Matters

  • Arrive to school on time and come to school unless sick
  • Good attendance is essential for learning
  • Call school attendance line if your child will be absent and provide reason for absence
  • Provide a doctor note if child will be absent for 3 or more days
  • Become familiar with the school calendar to plan family trips during non-school days, whenever possible

Check out our online attendance form

Breakfast & Lunch

  • Universal Breakfast - All students receive a free breakfast in the classroom

  • Lunch - All students at Bailey’s receive a free lunch or may bring lunch from home

student eating breakfast

 

School Safety Drills

  • Fire drills are completed monthly.

  • Bus emergency drills are completed twice a year.

  • Tornado drills are required once per school year during the month of March.

  • Lockdown drills are required four times per school year.  Two of the lockdown drills are completed during the first 20 days of school.

First Days of School - Student Safety

  • First day of school - parents welcome during arrival 

  • Starting second day - only students enter the building

  • Make sure your child’s first name, teacher, and either school name/phone or parent phone number is on your child’s backpack

Immunization Requirements

Virginia law requires parents to provide documentation of age-appropriate immunization for students attending school. 

Transportation

  • Bus Riders

    • Bus stops and times available late August

    • Magnet website (bus depot stops)

    • Adult must meet child at bus stop 

  • Walkers

  • Kiss and Ride