Hello Kindergarten Families,

I would like to welcome you and your child to Kindergarten! The first day of school is quickly approaching and I am looking forward to meeting everyone virtually. I have been busy getting ready to meet with the kids on a video conference next week. I must share that I've been a teacher at PEARLS for 24 years, and even though this particular style of learning is new to all of us, I am still beyond excited to meet your children and collaborate with you moving forward! I hope you are just as eager to learn and grow together. 

We will be using Microsoft Teams as our main platform for video conferencing, communication,  letters from me, as well as Seesaw for follow up skills, posting work, and asynchronous activities.  

Over the next few days, please be sure to set up your Microsoft 365 account so we can be ready to video conference on Tuesday! Instructions for the download can be found on the YPS website. FYI: your child's user name is their 6 digit ID#@yonkerspublicschools.org. Their password for set up is their birthday using all 8 digits. See sample below:

user: 123456@yonkerspublicschools.org (using your child's ID)

password: 09012020  (using your child's birthday)

Please email me at my school email so I can also set up a class . As I mentioned earlier, most communication is done through Microsoft Teams, but  I may need to share something over our class email as well. Please include one email that you would like me to use. You can send an email with information to:

ybotvinnik@yonkerspublicschools.org

Kindergarten is a time of new beginnings, of making friends, and of learning lots of new things each and every day. Our days and weeks will be filled with many wonderful experiences and opportunities for learning and growing. We will learn all about letters and sounds, and will be doing lots of writing activities, too. We will also be learning all about numbers, building on important math concepts including sorting, counting, graphing, classifying, patterns, time and money, measurement, and addition and subtraction. The children are always proud of the work they create and are anxious to share their new skills. Families can help at home by reading to and with their child daily, and encouraging them to write and draw. Young children learn as they play and their play is their work. Research has proven this so. In this context, your child will be learning all of the time this year as he or she joins in the tasks ahead. Kindergarten is an important milestone in your child’s life. We will encounter many new experiences. I believe that a good parent-teacher relationship is necessary for maximum school success. Throughout the year I will communicate with you through notes, phone calls, and via email. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Yana Botvinnik