Welcome to

White Oaks!

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Welcome to Kindergarten!
Mrs. Jolly (teacher) and Mrs. Godwin (teacher
assistant) are very excited to have your child
in our classroom this year.
School hours:
AM class: 8:40-11:50
PM class: 11:50-3:10
AM class arrival & dismissal: Students may enter by
the doors at the end of our hallway between
8:20 & 8:40. If arriving after 8:40, students
must enter thru the main school doorway and
get a tardy slip at the security desk. At
dismissal, all AM students are able to ride a bus
home.
PM class arrival & dismissal: All PM students are
able to ride a bus to school. Students will enter
thru the doors at the end of our hallway. At
dismissal, students will be escorted to buses,
daycare lines, and afterschool in gym. Parents
will pick up students at the outside classroom
door.

About Me - Mrs. Jolly

I have been teaching for over 25 years in New York, North
Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. I love kindergarten and have
spent most of my years in that grade level. This is my 14th year
at White Oaks.
My husband is from Texas where I have 2 stepsons and 5
grandchildren. The Navy brought him originally to this area.
We have a 14 y.o. son who is in middle school.
My Teaching Philosophy:

I believe parents are their childs first and most important teacher.
I believe a young childs play is their best learning tool.
I believe childhood should be a journey, not a race.
I believe in teaching the whole child: emotional, social, physical, educational, and spiritual
learning are intertwined and nurtured in kindergarten.
I believe a childs values are learned from their family and enhanced by social
development at school.

About Mrs. Godwin

Mrs. Godwin has been an assistant at White Oaks for over 15
years. She is a Virginia Beach native and has 2 grown
daughters and 4 wonderful grandchildren. She loves
working with children and spends lots of time with her
grandkids. In her spare time, she loves to read and do
crafts. She is the White Oaks transportation coordinator
and would be happy to assistant you with any
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transportation issues.

Class Schedule

15-20 min. Morning/table work

45 min. Whole group activities (language arts, content)
80 min. Small group learning centers/guided reading
35 min. Math instruction
30 min. Specials
Monday- music
Tuesday- art
Friday- computer lab lesson & library book checkout (A week)
library lesson & book checkout (B week)

Gifted lesson weekly

Guidance lesson monthly

Reading
We have a Language Arts
integrated curriculum with
science and social studies.
Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming
and letter sounds.

Word Work: Sight words (also

called high frequency or Word Wall
words) that are easy to recognize.

Reading: Read alouds; shared,

guided, & independent reading; using
decoding and comprehension
strategies.

Writing: Guided, shared, & independent writing.

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Writing
- We will begin the year using block letters.
In the spring I will introduce DNealian
(or first grade) letter style.
- Have your child practice their first name
with a capital letter at the beginning and
then all lower case letters.
- We will use developmental spelling
(writing the letters heard).
- Our goal is to write 2 sentences by the
end of the year on a topic.
Keep paper and pencils available at home and encourage your
child to pretend write frequently. Other ideas: copy food
labels, make a grocery list, copy words from toy or cereal
boxes, draw a picture and label it.
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Math

Our math program is called

Math Connects. Each 9 weeks, a
list of the skills introduced will be
sent home.
Initially we will be working on
counting to 30, recognizing and
matching objects to the numbers
to 10, and making patterns.
By June our goal is counting to
and recognizing the numbers to
100.

Social Studies/Science
Science and social studies
are integrated with language
arts and math through
stories, writing, and center
activities.

Classroom Community
Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have rules
to help us get along with each other and to maximize learning.
Our class rules are:
- Walk
- No gum or toys
- Quiet voices
-Always do your best
- Listen and follow directions
- Be nice to your friends
Rules have consequences. Review and sign the behavior
calendar in your childs daily folder to check your childs progress

Folders go home every day. Please check and empty the

folder every night.
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Discipline Plan
Positives:
- Happy Notes and stickers.
- Treasure chest- reward for making good choices.
- Happy phone calls/notes for achievement & cooperation.
- Student of the Month: Special AM award program monthly.
Consequences:
- Daily behavior calendar in folder: sticker for a good day, note
on calendar for continued misbehavior after several warnings.
- Time out in classroom for 3 5 min.
- Phone call or letter home as needed.

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Homework
A monthly homework calendar will be sent home in your childs
daily folder. This calendar is always attached behind the
behavior calendar. Activities marked with a designated
symbol should be sent back to school for a stamp. The other
days are family homework because anyone may help your
child. Please allow your child to do the writing and drawing with
supervision.
Word sorts will be sent home weekly for your child to practice
nightly. More information will follow.
Math activities will also be sent home from time to time.
And most importantly, please read with your child for

at least 15 min. nightly.

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Music, Art, Library, and

Computer Lab
Music- Mondays with Mrs. Gordon.
Art- Tuesdays with Ms. Coleman.
Library lesson- B week on Fridays.
Students will checkout books weekly
on Fridays.
Computer lab- A week on Fridays.

Snack
A short snacktime (10-15 min.) will be held most days.
Students will need to bring their own food and drink from
home. Please only pack what your child can eat in that
time. Occasionally I will have extra snacks available for
the whole class. Parents are welcome to send in items
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for the whole class. See the Wish List for suggestions.

Guidance
Mrs. Kutnak (M-F)
Mrs. Beda (Wed. only)
Mrs. Beda will conduct a classroom
guidance lesson once a month on a
citizenship skill that coordinates with the
Student of the Month character trait.
Our counselors are also available to meet
with parents and/or students if issues
arise. Feel free to contact either with
questions or concerns. 648-4040
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Tardiness
School starts at 8:40 (AM) and 11:50 (PM).
If your child isnt in the classroom by this
time, please check them in at the security
desk before sending them to class.
Repeated tardiness will result in parent,
teacher, and admin conference.
Notes needed for being absent or late.

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Communication
648-4040 extension 51034
My email address:
maryann.jolly@vbschools.com

White Oaks Website:

www.whiteoakses.vbschools.com

Notes may be sent in your childs daily folder.

Please use the zippered pencil pouch for
sending notes and any money. Always include a
note with money stating what it is to be used for.
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Wish List
Volunteers needed to make things at home
and to occasionally assist in the classroom.
The library is always looking for volunteers,
too.
Donations:

baby wipes
Clorox type wipes
bottles of hand sanitizer
snack items for the whole class: animal crackers, goldfish
type crackers, pretzels, popcorn

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White Oaks
Striving for Excellence

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