901 W 4th Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336 (509) 586-0481 email info@sjske.org

Kindergarten

Teacher: Karen Alleman

About Mrs. Alleman

My name is Mrs. Karen Alleman, M.Ed. This will be my seventh year teaching at St. Joseph Catholic School.. I spent the prior 15 years teaching kindergarten and first grade at St. Louise School in Bellevue, WA and I have been an educator for over 42 years now. I graduated from The College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio with my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education in 1982. I received my Master’s Degree from Lesley University in 2013 and was awarded the Hero in the Classroom Symmetra Teacher Award that same year. Teaching is my passion and I am excited to be partners with parents and Mrs. Westermeyer and Mrs. Combs in your child’s education this year at SJS.

My favorite Bible verse: "Let the children come to me". Matthew 19:14 and Mark 10:14

Teacher: Lexi Westermeyer

About Mrs. Westermeyer

My name is Lexi Westermeyer and this is my second year at St. Joseph Catholic School. I have a passion for early childhood education. I taught nine years of kindergarten in Seattle before relocating last year to the Tri-Cities. I was fortunate enough to join the St. Joe's community and taught 5th grade last year. I am excited to be back in kindergarten this year where the magic of learning is instilled in our listed learners. I hold a bachelor's degree in Special Education with certification in both elementary and early childhood education. I additionally have two masters degrees- one in curriculum and instruction and another in mathematics K-6. I am a lifelong learner who is dedicated to teaching students that learning is FUN!

Paraeducator: Heather Combs

During the year, Kindergarten students will focus on the following:

Phonics (Heggerty), fluency (Readwell), vocabulary and comprehension in an age appropriate literacy program

Counting, measuring, sorting, place value, 2D and 3D shapes, number operations

Letter formation, drawing and dictating sentences

National holidays and well known examples from US History

Seasons, lifecycle of the butterfly, ladybug, plants and weather

Sense of God’s presence in the world around them and to appreciate their own uniqueness

Technology

  • Learn about the role technology plays in our everyday life

  • Learn the part of a computer and master the basics, such as using a mouse and a keyboard

  • Understand what is a good amount of time to spend on a screen, and when to take a break

  • Technology class for your Kindergarten students is taught by Mr. Dave Drollman. Learn more about Mr. Drollman and our other exploratory classes here.

Art

  • Artist Study: Eric Carle

  • Get familiar with foundational art supplies, like scissors, pencils, and watercolors

  • Learn to represent background, middle ground, and foreground in a picture.

  • Art class for your Kindergarten students is taught by Mr. Dave Drollman. Learn more about Mr. Drollman and our other exploratory classes here.

Our St. Joseph Catholic School Kindergarten is an all-day program. It is a nurturing and challenging environment for our beginning students who begin and end their day in prayer along with weekly masses. The curriculum includes religion, reading, writing, math, social studies, science, art, computer lab, music, library and physical education. Students are given the opportunity to learn, make mistakes, and succeed, knowing they are capable of great things!

“Let the children come to me.”

Fr. Tian visits our kindergarten classroom, sharing a joyful and faith-filled moment with the students. After singing “Jesus Loves Me,” the children gathered around him for a warm group hug, inspired by the words on the classroom tapestry: “Let the children come to me.” These visits from our parish priests and clergy are a wonderful reminder of the strong bond between our school and parish—a connection that helps keep faith at the heart of our students’ education.

Annual Classroom Activities

8th Grade Buddy Program

Pumpkin Patch visit

Santa Letters

Christmas Nativity

End of the year buddy picnic

Thanksgiving Luncheon

Teddy Bear Picnic

Field trip to Wild Life Refuge

Muffins with Mom

Doughnuts with Dad