1 of 26

Junior Kindergarten Open House

Tracey McDowell, Teacher

Dr. Stephanie Helfand, Principal

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

2 of 26

3 of 26

4 of 26

Tracey McDowell

  • Undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Wake Forest University
  • Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University
  • Early Childhood Teaching Endorsement 2024
  • Twenty+ years classroom teaching experience
    • 18 years at Sears School
    • 12 years in Junior Kindergarten

​

​

​

​

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

5 of 26

Tracey McDowell

  • Past President and active Board Member of The Alliance for Early Childhood

​

  • Mother of three daughters

​

  • Winnetka resident

​

​

​

​

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

6 of 26

Play

  • Start each day with gross motor play on the playground
  • Open, free play in the hub everyday for a minimum of forty minutes
    • Including dramatic play, art center, large scale building blocks, duplos, Legos, puzzles, and sensory table, playdoh, painting, games
    • rotating themes including pumpkin patch, grocery store, pet vet, holidays, camping…

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

7 of 26

SEL Curriculum

  • PATHS
    • Feelings
    • Self expression
    • Conflict resolution
    • Calming techniques

​

  • Friend of the Week
    • Daily January-April

​

  • Caring Schools Community Circle

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

8 of 26

Literacy

  • CKLA Amplify
    • 7 Domains
      • All About Me
      • Families and Communities
      • Plants
      • Animals
      • Habitats
      • Classic Tales
      • Important People in American History
    • Learning Centers
    • Listening and Learning Instruction
    • Skills Groups

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

9 of 26

Literacy

  • Language facilitation
    • scaffolded conversations and language goals
    • vocabulary
  • Emergent writing
    • purpose of print
    • opportunities to represent writing in developmentally appropriate way
  • Classroom routines
    • name recognition
    • name writing
  • Phonemic Awareness
    • daily nursery rhyme practice
    • independent rhyming
    • alliteration

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

10 of 26

Literacy

  • Alphabetic principle
    • words made of sounds
    • sounds represented by symbols
  • Print knowledge
    • recognize words and letters
    • understand print directionality and organization

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

11 of 26

Literacy

  • Handwriting
    • proper grip
    • building letters and shapes
    • prewriting stroke instruction
    • name writing practice
    • letter writing practice

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

12 of 26

Math

  • HMHMath Expressions Pre-K
  • Understanding Numbers 1-10
    • count and show
    • number recognition
    • subitizing
  • Compare numbers 1-10
  • Add numbers through 5
  • Subtract numbers to 5

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

13 of 26

Math

  • Shapes
    • recognize, describe, and match shapes
    • compose shapes with corners
    • flat and 3-dimensional shapes
  • Patterns
    • repeating patterns ABAB, ABCABC, AABAAB…
  • Measure lengths with non-standard units

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

14 of 26

Science

  • Five Senses
  • Categorizing Between Living and Non-Living things
  • Life Cycles
    • Turtles
    • Mammals (humans and animals)
    • Trees and Flowering Plants
  • Sorting and Classifying

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

15 of 26

Social Studies

  • All About Me
  • Families
  • Community and School Helpers
  • Holidays
  • Important People in American History
    • Native Americans and Pilgrims
    • Martin Luther King Jr.
    • Barack Obama
    • Abraham Lincoln
    • Sally Ride

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

16 of 26

Technology

  • iPads
    • Wet, Dry, Try App
    • iXL for Math and Language Arts

​

  • Smartboard
    • Show and Tell photos
    • Video sharing
    • Sorting, literacy, and math games

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

17 of 26

JK Specials

  • Specials- one hour for each per week
    • Music
    • Art
    • World Language
    • Library (20 minutes)
    • PE

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

18 of 26

Sample Schedule

​

​

8:15-8:45

PE and Recess

8:45-9:00

Morning Meeting

9:00-9:20

Amplify ELA Whole Group

9:20-10:00

HUB (Free Play)

10:00-10:25

Math

10:25-10:40

PATHS (SEL)

10:40-11:00

Special

11:00-11:30

Lunch

11:30-11:55

Quiet Time

11:55-12:05

Movement Break

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

19 of 26

Sample Schedule

​

​

12:00-12:30

Centers

12:30-12:45

Social Studies or Science

12:45-1:05

Playtime

1:05-1:25

Amplify Skills Groups

1:25-1:30

Closing Circle

1:30-1:55

Recess/Dismissal

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

20 of 26

Junior Kindergarten Calendar 2024-2025

​

Junior Kindergarten 2024-2025 Calendar

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

21 of 26

Resources Available

  • Speech and Language Pathologist
  • School Psychologist
  • Social Worker

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

22 of 26

Parties and Extra Events

    • Four class parties
      • Halloween
      • Holiday
      • Valentine’s Day
      • End of Year

​

    • Kohl Story Bus Visit
    • Animal Quest visit

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

23 of 26

JK Program Hours

  • Full Day
    • Arrival 8:15
    • Dismissal 1:55
    • Begins Tuesday after Labor Day

​

  • Half Day
    • Arrival 8:15
    • Dismissal 11:30? (after lunch, time dependent on 2025-2026 schedule)
    • Begins Tuesday after Labor Day

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

24 of 26

Registration for 2025-2026

Registration Information

​

  • 11/4: Pre-Registration is open
  • 11/4 - 11/18: Pre-Registration Window
  • Week of 11/25: Lottery (if needed) Parent emails are sent letting families know if they have a spot in the program.
  • 12/2: Parents who have been offered a spot will receive Snapcodes to complete online registration through PowerSchool
  • 12/4: Families have 48 hours to register before their spot is offered to the next person on the waiting list.

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

25 of 26

Registration for 2025-2026

  • Birthdate must be between September 1, 2020 and September 1, 2021 (4 years old at start of school)

​

  • Tuition for full day is $14,000; payment required at registration.
  • Tuition for half day is $8,000 payment required at registration.
    • Half day includes lunch.

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT

26 of 26

Questions?

  • Program Questions? Contact Tracey McDowell, JK teacher
    • tmcdowell@kenilworth38.org

​

  • Registration Questions? Contact Dr. Stephanie Helfand
    • shelfand@kenilworth38.org

​

  • Please share contact information on sign in sheet

​

​

​

​

RESPONSIBILITY KINDNESS HONESTY RESPECT