Mrs. Senft

Kindergarten teacher at Claremont Elementary School

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Had a wonderful first day of Kindergarten!

[Emily Paschall @EmilyAPaschall]

Recently, I have been asked by several parents, “What do I need to do to prep my kid for kindergarten?” Typically, they anticipate my response to be centered around what they need to know academically, but I think there are skills more important than that. It isn’t about knowing all of their letters and sounds to be kindergarten ready. If they do, GREAT. They are ahead of the game. But the more important thing is that they learn social and independent skills that will help them be successful in the classroom.

🔺Help them learn to say their full name when someone asks them (not their nickname).
🔹Help them learn to ask for help.
🔺Help them learn how to speak to other people who are not family members.
🔹 Eat dinner together. At a table. With the tv off. ➡️ They will learn about table manners, how to stay in their seat an entire meal, develop vocabulary through conversation, and benefit from quality time.
🔺Help them learn how to compete a task and work all the way through until they complete it.
🔹Help them learn how to wait patiently. 🤪 Maybe they are waiting in line while friends go to the bathroom, or maybe someone is needing to talk to their teacher. Waiting is a hard thing for littles!
🔺 Read books every night. ➡️ Their world will be enlarged, they will develop new vocabulary, and they will benefit from quality time.
🔹 Help them learn to share.
🔺 Help them sharpen taking care of their basic needs by themselves - using the bathroom, washing their hands, blowing their nose.
🔹Tell them no.
🔺Teach them nursery rhymes. There is so much research behind this and how it supports brain development.
🔹Help them understand it is ok to make mistakes.
🔺Help them practice putting things in and taking things out of their backpack. Their teacher will thank you! 🤪
🔹Help them learn to follow two step directions. For example, “Take off your shoes and hang up your jacket.”
🔺Help them learn to sit and wait without having to be entertained. Can they sit and wait without having to be handed a device?

There is so much more than academics that goes into helping a kid be “kindergarten ready”. Social and independent skills are life skills! If you aren’t practicing some of these things regularly, give yourself some grace. And if your child is older than KG age and cannot do some of these things yet, it isn’t too late! I am still working on these in my home too! We are about 5 weeks away from the start of school. The more they are able to do independently, the more successful they will be!

Giving kids the opportunity to develop their emotions, compassion, and social skills is one of the greatest gifts we can give kids to prepare them for this thing called “life”.

Let’s go!

[Lori K. Friedman @LFriedman_FTPS]

Today our Pre K and Kindergarten students enjoyed a sing along with a former FTPS student, Kenny Epstein. What a great way to start a Holiday Weekend! Thanks Kenny for joining us via Zoom!

[Nicole Esposito (Paciulli) (She/Her) @Espo_CES_FTPS]

Last week, CES school counselors collaborated with @Zufall_Health to present our monthly lessons on personal health and well-being! The students loved having our guest, Miss Luna, join us in the classrooms! @MrsC_CES_FTPS

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Thank you to Franklin Park Fire Station for teaching us about fire safety! 🚒

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

We celebrated Earth Day a week early. We read the book, I Can Save the Earth and cleaned up litter around our school! 🌎💚 @CES_FTPSchools @RizkallaVP_FTPS

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

@CES_FTPSchools @RizkallaVP_FTPS

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Ramadan Mubarak!! One of our class parents came in to teach us all about Ramadan. We had the best time making moons and stars! 🌙 ⭐️

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Ramadan Mubarak!! One of our class parents came in to teach us all about Ramadan. We had the best time making moons and stars! 🌙 ⭐️

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

We had a discussion about Martin Luther King Jr and his dreams for the world. My students thought of so many amazing dreams of their own on how to make the world a better place 🌎 💞🧒🏻🧒🏼🧒🏽🧒🏾 ♻️

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Happy thanksgiving from our kindergarteners!! We had a blast drawing and writing about our favorite thanksgiving dish 🍽

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Happy Diwali! My kindergarteners loved learning about Diwali & creating their own rangoli’s. ✨

[Courtney Ellmyer @CESkg_FTPS]

Kindergarten teachers at CES have gone WILD today! @CES_FTPSchools @Landesman_FTPS #virtualcoolcats

[Courtney Ellmyer @CESkg_FTPS]

Today Kindergarten teachers from Claremont Elementary took students on a virtual field trip to the Franklin Township fire prevention building. Excited Kindergartens learn important tips about fire safety and prevention. @CES_FTPSchools @RizkallaVP_FTPS @FTPSchools

[Lori K. Friedman @LFriedman_FTPS]

Some CES 3rd, 1st and KDG classrooms had a virtual visit from children’s author Lyn Sirota. Lyn has published 30 books for children of all ages! This week Lyn is doing interactive read alouds during our Google Meets! Thanks for sharing your love of reading and writing with us!

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

We had another wonderful google meet with our kindergarteners! They loved our guided drawing lesson based off the book, Rainbow Fish! 🌈🐠

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

We surprised all of our kindergarteners today!!! It was so awesome to finally see our students again and say hello! Best part was seeing their smiling faces 😬 #kindergarten @CES_FTPSchools @RizkallaVP_FTPS @NAT_FTPSchools @ClareMonte_FTPS

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Learning so many great ideas that I can't wait to implement in my classroom next year! @getyourteachon #GetYourTeachOn #Kindergarten

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

We had a blast doing a guided drawing lesson during our google meet today! It was so fun to learn how to draw Pigeon from the Pigeon books by Mo Willems.

[Clare & Monte @ClareMonte_FTPS]

Happy Monday! Today's Cougar Call Out goes to two pawsome kindergarteners in Ms. Landesman & Ms. Wasylak's class! @Landesman_FTPS

[Mrs. Senft @Senft_FTPS]

Really missing our students right now. We received such a kind note from one of our kindergarteners!