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As we settle into the rhythm of the school year, our educators look forward to meeting with you for conferences next week. With the timing of this newsletter, I wanted to share some of the magical experiences I get to observe from our young learners. Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade classrooms each hold a unique significance in your child’s education journey. Our amazing educators in these grades lay the foundation for a love of learning that we hope carries across their lifetime.
Kindergarten is truly a time of wonder. For many of our students, it’s their first experience in a highly structured learning environment. This is a year that children continue to discover the joys of working together, learning through play and exploration, and growing their confidence and independence. Our teachers are thoughtfully implementing our new CKLA curriculum by building and reinforcing foundational phonics and reading skills with listening comprehension that will pay off in the years to come. Every day is filled with hands-on activities that foster curiosity from creative ways to explore the 5 Senses to making their own applesauce while studying plants and seeds. This engagement with meaningful knowledge carries into the foundational skills that our teachers brilliantly weave together in meaningful ways for phonics, reading, writing, and math instruction. The end result is confident students with a strong skill set ready for Kindergarten Graduation in May.
First grade is all about growth and building confidence. This is a year that many of our students make significant strides in reading and writing. It’s amazing to watch their skills develop as they go from reading sight words and early readers to reading entire books. First graders get engaging phonics and word attack instruction as well as rich storytelling with our new CKLA curriculum. Their more mature understanding of the world gives opportunity for real-world connections and “ah-ha” moments in literacy, math, history and science that feed their motivation to learn more. Learning to express their new understanding and building self-esteem is a process that is carefully orchestrated by our amazing educators.
In second grade, the learning deepens. Our teachers meet students where they are in their foundational skills and help them apply their knowledge to more complex tasks. In CKLA, reading instruction slowly moves from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” with a focus on comprehension and critical thinking. Our teachers in 2nd grade plan meaningful units to explore a variety of reading genres, dive into the writing process, and start to solve more complex math problems. Our students' independence and responsibility grow so much throughout the year.
Across all three grade levels, there is a shared sense of wonder, growth, and discovery. Each day, I get a peek at how our youngest learners build the skills they need to succeed- not just academically, but emotionally and socially. It is a privilege to work alongside the amazing educators who facilitate this process and use their expertise to meet each child's needs. As you prepare to meet with your child(ren)’s teachers for conferences next week, please thank them for the nurturing learning environments they create to guide their learning. It is an honor to be part of such a supportive community of families here at AVA.
Kristen Krieger
Assistant Principal (Grades K-2)
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