Back to School Night

Mrs. Mura-Smith’s

Transitional Kindergarten

1. Sign in.

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2. Please take home all of the papers in your child’s cubby.

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3. Feel free to sit (or stand) anywhere you feel comfortable.

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Transitional Kindergarten

Back to School Night �2026-2027�

What is Transitional Kindergarten (TK)?

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• Focused on academic exposure, not mastery

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• Play-based (learning through play)

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• Tailored to meet individual academic and social emotional needs

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• Allows cooperative learning opportunities that foster language and social development (no assigned table seats or materials)

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• Promotes self-help skills to create independent learners

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• Small group and one-on-one instruction to focus on math, phonemic awareness, writing, literacy, science, social studies, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, exploration and discovery

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What to Know About TK

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Belongings

• Label everything! (jacket, water bottle, lunch box)
• Pack extra clothing (underwear/pants) in your child’s backpack
• Flushable wipes can be left in the restroom

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Snacks/Lunches

• Make sure your child has a snack that is separate from their lunch (and they know what it is)
• Breakfast and hot lunch is free! (menu on school website)
• Send extra snacks for KinderRest

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Scholastic Book Orders

• Order once a month (first one is due August 23)

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What to Know About TK

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Blue Folders

- Empty every Friday (keep all worksheets and art projects at home)

- Read and return the daily book (Mon.-Thurs.)

- Return reading log every Friday

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Performances

-No award ceremonies in TK

-Four end of the quarter performance for family members

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Field Trips

- Will not leave campus for field trips for TK

- In Class experiences using funds from our Fun Run and Fall

Festival (petting zoo, magic shows, bubble show, reptile presentation, bounce house)

Some of Our Main Goals

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• Independence

-unpacking and packing up belongings

-dressing self

-problem solving skills

• Strengthen Social Emotional Skills

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• Develop a Love for School and Learning

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• Phonemic Awareness

-oral listening, rhyming, syllables, isolating the beginning and ending sounds of a word, blending/adding/deleting phonemes (sounds)

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• Fine Motor Skills

-playdough, tweezers, beading, tearing paper, qtip painting, Legos

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Communication

• Weekly School Newsletter on Fridays
• Weekly Classroom Newsletter on Sundays
• Parent Square App
• Photos Sent for Special Events
• Classroom Website
• Bitmoji Classroom
• Daily Classroom Schedule
• Show and Tell Schedule
• Upcoming Events
• Nursery Rhymes

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Bitmoji Classroom

Homework

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There will NOT be any homework packets for TK. However, we encourage you to have your child practice writing his/her name (begin with an uppercase and all other letters are lowercase), singing the alphabet, naming letters, numbers, shapes and colors, counting to 30, identifying the sounds of letters, using glue/scissors, buttoning, zipping, dressing themself, opening juice boxes/bento boxes, hopping, jumping, skipping, swinging, and tying shoes.

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Reading Homework

A weekly reading log will be due each Friday. Purpose of the assignment:

• instill a love of reading
• model print concepts (left to right, top to bottom, words match the pictures, etc.) and reading comprehension
• practice the responsibility and routine involved with completing homework

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Reading Homework Tips

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The following tips are suggested for nightly reading:

• Let them hold the book and turn the pages.
• Talk about different parts of the book such as the front, back, title page, first page, and last page.
• Point to the words as you read. Help them to see that there are spaces between words, that you read from the top of the page to the bottom, and that you read from left to right.
• Ask them to think about the story as you read it. Make predictions.
• Point to the pictures and talk about them.
• Encourage them to ask questions about the story's characters and events.
• Talk about the story and relate it to their personal experiences.

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Classroom Expectations

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• We have four main rules in our classroom. These rules are based on the four virtues of our classical education. When first learning these rules at the beginning of the year, we examine a variety of behaviors that we label either "green choices" (positive) or "red choices" (negative). All year, we encourage children to make "green choices" to help them be virtuous students.

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1. Be safe. (Temperance)

2. Be a good listener. (Prudence)

3. Be kind. (Justice)

4. Try your best. (Fortitude)

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Rewards

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We rely heavily on positive reinforcement. Classroom rules, choices, and expectations are modeled and discussed daily.

• compliments
• shout outs
• small food items (m&m Minis or Skittles Littles)
• stickers
• smelly marker happy faces
• Virtues in Practice (VIP) tickets: to buy toys at school store
• Virtues in Practice (VIP) postcards: mailed home and entered into weekly drawing for pizza lunch with the lower school dean

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Grading

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• Report cards issued each quarter (4 times a year)

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• Parent/Teacher Conferences in October (end of 1st quarter)

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• No letter grades in TK (so it will not show on Aeries)

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• Effort/Making Progress grades only

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• Focus on repeated practice and progress monitoring through one-on-one assessments and observations

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Report Cards

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Absences

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• If your child is absent, please email attendance@temeculaprep.com or call our attendance line at 951-926-6776 to give a reason for the absence.

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• Please have your child stay home if they are sick. We do not want to spread unnecessary germs.

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• All missed work will be sent home on Friday in the blue folder. It should be completed at home, but it does not need to be returned.

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• For planned absences of three days or more, please get an ISP (independent study plan) from the office. Your child can complete the class work while away from home. A week’s notice is required for ISPs.

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The School Board’s adopted Dress Code Policy can be found in the Parent and Student Handbook. Here are the most important aspects of the Code:

• Mondays are Assembly Attire. Ties must be worn with a white button-up blouse or oxford-style shirt. ***Be aware that this is also our specialty class day with PE.
• Tuesdays-Thursdays are regular uniforms days.
• no belts (until 3rd grade)
• socks/tights- solid white, navy, or black
• shoes- black, brown, navy blue, or white closed-toe shoes only. No boots. Minimal logos.
• no makeup/ light, subtle colored nail polish
• no leggings/jeggings
• Jackets/Sweaters- Sweatshirts with hoods, zippers, or logos are not allowed. Navy blue crew necks are acceptable. Solid navy blue cardigans, pullover sweaters, and sweater vests are allowed inside and outside the classroom. Jackets worn inside must be navy blue or black. Coats worn outside may be any color.

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• Fridays are Patriot’s Day attire. Students can wear jeans and a shirt that represents TPS.

Dress Code

Birthday Celebrations

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• Birthdays are celebrated on your child’s birthday (or the closest school day to the actual birthday). Please let us know if you prefer not to celebrate.
• Parents are welcome to bring SMALL, store bought treats such as mini cupcakes or popsicles.
• Per TPS Parent Handbook:

Birthdays: Please do NOT bring balloons or flower bouquets. Please do not bring party invitations to school unless all classmates are invited. If the guest list is small and does not include everyone, please mail those invitations. This is an issue of civic virtue concerning the consideration of others and the failure to respect this request will be addressed by administration. Please note that TPS cannot release the personal information of another student or student’s family.

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Volunteers

• Room Parent(s)

Organize Fall Festival Booth; Organize Raffle Basket for Patriots Ball; Communicate with TK parents

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• Meet the Masters Art

Help with art once a month on a

Wednesday from 8:30-9:30

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• Weekly in the Classroom

Tuesdays-Fridays:

Centers (from 10:00-11:00) or Free

Play (from 12:00-1:45)

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• PATS

Attend monthly meetings; Volunteer at events

*Volunteers must be cleared to help with students.*

TPS Foundation Video

Feel free to contact me for any reason. I am here to support you and your family. The best way to contact me is through the ParentSquare App or email. 😊

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smurasmith@temeculaprep.com