Primary School News

Teachers develop and maintain grade-level website pages to serve as a resource for you and to provide you with a peek into your students' learning adventure. Use the links below to see highlights from your child's classroom! 

Pre-Kindergarten: Pre-K Service Learning Project

Kindergarten: Writers Add Labels!

First Grade: First Graders Discuss Farms 

Second Grade: Readers Flexing Their Reading Muscles

Third Grade: Alstede Farm Fun!

Science:  Second Graders Study Habitats

Spanish: Kindergartners Play with a Folktale from Peru

French: Pre-K Students Are Dancing like Jean-Petit

Library: Kindergarten and First Grade Students Create Their Own Dot Gallery

There is no password required to access the following Primary School News websites. However, some of the sites on these grade-level and Encore pages contain links to sub-pages which are password protected; the password is brookside.

Primary School Reminders

Important Dismissal Reminder: All communications regarding dismissal and transportation plans, including playdates, must be emailed to psnotifications@mka.org (with your child's teacher copied). It is best to submit requests before 1 p.m. 

Important Traffic Reminder: Please DO NOT block driveways, streets, or intersections while lining up for the carline. In addition, observe the alternate feed rules when feeding in from Warren Place or from Orange Road past Warren Place. We must be mindful of our neighbors and considerate of the other motorists that need to travel the area of our school.

October 9

Columbus Day – School Closed

October 11

Kindergarten Field Trip, Fernbrook Farms, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

October 12

Coffee with Ginger (for parents of all grades), 8:00-9:00 a.m.

2M Field Trip, Toni's Kitchen, 9:45-11:00 a.m.

October 13

First Grade Writing Celebration, 8:15 a.m.

2S Field Trip, Toni's Kitchen, 9:45-11:00 a.m.

Diwali Assembly (students permitted to wear Diwali attire), 1:30-2:00 p.m.

October 16

Pre-K Field Trip, Absolutely Fish, 9:40-11:30 a.m.

October 18

First Grade Field Trip, Fosterfields Living Historical Farm

October 19

2N Field Trip, Toni's Kitchen, 9:45-11:00 a.m.

October 20

Dress Down Day

3R Class Play, 8:30 a.m.

See what's going on at MKA! Check out our pictures on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/montclairkimberley

Friday Assembly

Bully Proof Your School: The Magic of Character

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. In addition to the MKA Character Standards, Anti-Bullying Standards, and Primary School school motto ("We Care, We are Kind, We are the Cougars") that we put into action every day, we celebrated National Bullying Prevention Month with a special assembly this afternoon. Magician "Magic Jim" visited to share his interactive magic show, "Bully Proof Your School: The Magic of Character". Using magic, humor, storytelling, and student participation, Magic Jim taught all Primary School students about themes of respect, responsibility, and caring. The children were astounded by his magic tricks and laughed as they learned. To follow up on our assembly, our school counselor, Ms. Bieber, will be visiting all classrooms to talk about the first anti-bullying standard throughout the month.

Curriculum Guide

As teachers mentioned at Back to School Night, the Primary School Curriculum Guide is available online in both PDF and interactive form. To access the curriculum guide, please visit https://www.mka.org/academics/primary and scroll down to "Learning at the Primary School".

The Primary School Celebrates Diwali

On Friday, October 13th, we will have an assembly to celebrate Diwali. The Ajna Dance Company will be coming to the Primary School to share artistic Indian dance and movement. According to their website, "the Ajna Dance Company was created to deliver visually stunning and culturally rich performances that engage and inspire". We are looking forward to a memorable performance. We would like to invite all students who celebrate Diwali to wear their traditional clothing to school on Friday, October 13th. Also, in celebration of the holiday, there will be no homework on Thursday, October 19th.

School Picture Information – Second Reminder

If your child had a picture taken on "Picture Day" but did not bring in an order form with payment for the photographer, please mail them directly to the photography studio at:

 
Sport Shots/Rod Bolten Photography

Attn: Mary Jude McKnight

225 Franklin Avenue

Midland Park NJ 07432

The photography studio will not release the pictures unless payment has been received.

Any child that was absent on "Picture Day" will have the opportunity to have an individual picture taken on Wednesday, November 1st, when the photographer returns for photo retakes. 

Lost and Found

Missing a lunchbox, jacket, hat, or water bottle? There is a good chance that you can find that missing item in the Primary School Lost & Found collection, which is located on the lower level of the Primary School. Please stop by and take a look through the lost items when you are visiting the school or picking up your child. Please remember to label all items sent to school, no matter how big or small, with your child's name.

All items in the Primary School Lost & Found will be donated to charity at the end of the day on Friday, November 17th.

Information about Upcoming "Coffee with Ginger" for Pre-K to Third Grade Parents

Please join us for a Primary School Parent Coffee

Thursday, October 12, 2017

8:00-9:00 a.m. in the Primary School Library

Building the MKA Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies at Home and in the Classroom

As classroom teachers mentioned at Back to School Night, social-emotional learning and academic progress go hand-in-hand. Join us to learn more about the SEL competencies and how you can support your child in developing these lifelong skills.

Speakers:

Lauren Hyman Kaplan, M.A., MKA Parent, alumna and certified emotional intelligence coach and school counselor*

Melanie Bieber, M.Phil.Ed., LPC, MKA alumna and Primary School counselor

Maureen Bates, M.S.Ed., Primary School Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction

* Lauren Hyman Kaplan, M.A., is an MKA parent, MKA alumna, consultant, speaker, and certified emotional intelligence coach and counselor in the field of social-emotional learning, emotional intelligence, and bullying prevention. She is a former teacher and school counselor with over 18 years of experience training and providing consulting to schools throughout the United States and the world. She conducts presentations and workshops in addition to providing ongoing consulting to schools and parenting organizations. Lauren is an instructor at Bank Street College of Education and an instructor for the Certificate in Social-Emotional Learning and Character Development (SECD) at the Academy for SEL in Schools at Rutgers University.

Registration for Extended Day After-School Classes

MKA's Extended Day Program provides a supervised program for students in grades Pre-K through eight. Along with the daily Extended Day activities, children may sign up for a variety of after-school classes including cooking classes, gymnastics, art, and/or foreign language. We are happy to announce that the new Extended Day Classes for Fall 2017 are listed on the MKA Website and registration is now open. You can access the class selection and registration on the MKA website through the Parent Portal. Please select "After-School Programs" to access the required forms and take note of the class schedule, location, and cost.

Registration for Primary School Strings Program and After School Private Lessons

Enrollment is now open for the Primary School Strings Program and after-school private lessons. Group sessions are being organized now and will begin in the middle of October. All Primary School group lessons are free of charge and take place once a week right after school. A limited number of openings are available for this school year on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you would like to enroll, or for more information, please contact Dimitri Hadjipetkov at STRINGS@mka.org. Click here to view the brochure for the private instrumental lesson program.

Homecoming Information

Girls Leadership Program

Montclair Kimberley Academy's Primary School Campus

224 Orange Road • Montclair, NJ 07042 • 973-746-9800.

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