Welcome to the Kindergarten Klubhouse!

My name is Wendy McConkey and I teach kindergarten at DeLong Elementary in Tacoma, WA. I have been teaching for 11 years and the 2008-2009 school year will be my 9th year teaching kindergarten and my first year teaching all-day kindergarten!

Teaching kindergarten has been especially rewarding for me because it is such an exciting time in their young little lives and being a part of their academic and social growth is such a gift. I strive to create a positive and caring classroom atmosphere where your child can always feel safe and loved. Accomplishments are celebrated, effort is rewarded, and kindness is essential.

Field Trip to Schilter Farms

Click the picture to see the pictures of our field trip.

Click the picture to see pictures of my classroom.

At DeLong we use Kindergarten ReadWell® literacy program, Saxon Math, and Investigations in Numbers, Data, and Space® math program. You can find out more information about the literacy program on my ReadWell page. The math Investigations curriculum embodies a new approach based on research about how children learn mathematics. Students spend time exploring problems in depth. They find more than one solution to many of the problems. They invent their own strategies rather than rely on memorized procedure, they express their mathematical thinking through drawing, writing, and talking, and they work in a variety of groupings- whole class, individually, pairs, and in small groups. Look for pictures of the children showing their work!