About Me
Hello, my name is Lori Kastigar. I teach Kindergarten at Fayette Elementary School. I have taught in the VCSC for the past 19 years. This is my ninth year teaching Kindergarten! I’ve also taught at both Deming Elementary and Davis Park Elementary Schools in Terre Haute! I’ve taught PE, 1st, 2nd, 4th grade and now currently Kindergarten. I am so excited to be teaching at Fayette in my own neighborhood school!
I graduated from Marshall High School in Illinois in 1996. I went on to attend ISU and graduated in 2000. I also got married in October of the same year to my husband, Jared who is a graduate of West Vigo High School. We have one son named Grady who is 14. He attends West Vigo Middle School. He keeps us very busy with soccer and basketball! We enjoy playing outside especially in our pool, watching sports (especially the Colts, Pacers, and the Cardinals), spending time with our family and of course with our dog, Charlie, and reading lots of great books!
About My Classroom
In my Kindergarten classroom all the students are involved in hands on learning. I am a firm believer that you have to hear it, see it, and practice doing it. Students are constantly moving in our classroom. We have rug time, seat time, and centers/stations. The younger students need that movement to help keep them engaged in learning.
In Math we do lots of group work and each student works closely with a “Math Partner.” They work with this partner during math time throughout the school year. In math we use the Everyday Math series. The students love our math games that we have learned! Exploration day is always popular in our classroom. The kiddos love to explore with our math manipulatives that we have in our classroom.
We use our reading series McGraw Hill to read weekly stories using Big Books and Trade Books. We have literacy stations each day focusing on skills we are learning at our whole group reading time and students rotate through them each week. Also, during centers I have reading groups that meet with me and focus on skills at each child’s level.
We love learning about the 6+1 Writing Traits! Even though we are just in Kindergarten we do lots of shared writing and learn about the concepts. In 6+1 we take apart each individual trait and learn about it before putting all the traits together to form a complete piece of writing.
We also are allowed to take one fun and educational field trip to community places at some point in the Spring. The students really look forward to and enjoy this trip! Past favorites have been Baesler’s Market, Deming Park, and the Tulip Co. & More Shop and Greenhouse!
Homework
Homework Folders: Go Home Daily! Please check this each night and return the next day! It sometimes has important papers that cannot wait until our weekly Tuesday Folders. Bus Passes, notes for the office, lunch money can also be sent from home via these folders, so that I make sure and get them.
The boys and girls have a “Monthly Homework Packet.” In the packet the children have a job to do each night Monday through Thursday for the month. The packet is not due until the end of each month. This should be very simple review and only take a few minutes. You can keep it in the “Homework Folder” or at home. I never take it out until the day it is due at the end of the month.
Sight Words – The boys and girls have a baggy that I will add words to each week. These words are also discussed at school. Please help your child practice these words a few times a week. Don’t forget to keep the baggy in their “Reading Bag” so I can add new ones each week!
Math – Study Links are sent home randomly. They correspond to the lesson that I taught at school that day. They are just a review for the students to practice the new skills that were learned that day. Please help your child remember to check their “Homework Folder” each evening and complete any work they have.
Reading – I send home a Reading Bag nearly every single day Monday through Thursday. I ask the students try to read the stories each night for practice. They are usually very short. There is also a place in the “Monthly Homework Packet” where you can write these books down on a list. Your child will earn a Pizza Hut certificate for a free pizza when they return this list at the end of each month!
Scholastic Book Orders
My Classroom sends home Book Club Flyers monthly. It is totally optional, but the books are much cheaper than in stores. Our classroom does earn free books with each order which is awesome! You can place your order Online or send in orders and checks made out to Scholastic. Books are delivered to the Classroom in about a week and will then be sent home with your kiddo. If you wish to pick up the books from the Office, just let me know.
www.scholastic.com/readingclub
Our class code: HPVT2
- Be Safe
- Be Responsible
- Be Respectful
- Be Kind
Special Area Class Schedule
Monday: Art
Tuesday: Computer Lab
Wednesday: Library
Thursday: P.E.
Friday: Music
Daily Schedule
8:00 – 8:30 – Morning Work
8:30 – 8:40 – Spelling/Phonics/Letter work
8:40 – 9:30 – Whole Group Reading
9:30 – 10:00 – Writing/Handwriting/Grammar Practice
10:00 – 10:50– Reading Literacy Stations/Small Group Reading
10:50 – 11:15 – Lunch
11:15 – 11:35 – Recess
11:35 – 11:45– Teacher Read-aloud
11:45 – 12:30 – Math/Calendar
12:30 – 1:00 – Intervention/Enrichment
1:00 – 1:40 – Special Area
1:40 – 2:30 – Social Studies/Science/Health
2:30 – 2:40 – Do classroom jobs and pack homework folders
2:40 – Dismissal
