| 4K Handbook |
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Mission Statement
Wisconsin Rapids’ Community Collaborative Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program is to prepare four-year-olds socially, emotionally, academically, and physically for success in school and life in an atmosphere that is nurturing and play-based, and provides supportive transitions to home and community-based environments.
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4K Program Assessment
Each year, the Steering Committee will analyze the effectiveness of the 4K program. To aid in this assessment, Appendix A and B will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of overall 4K services.
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Role of Steering Committee
Initially, it was the role of the WRPS Collaborative 4K Steering Committee to put the pieces together to offer a community based approach to providing our community with a 4K program. Tasks of the committee included:
- Develop a standards based program – based on Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards
- Decide where 4-year-olds would learn (district and community site locations)
- Determine who would teach them
- Determine what space and resources will be shared
The role of the steering committee is to oversee the four-year-old kindergarten. Program changes are not made without going through the steering committee and getting a majority of the steering committee's approval. The steering committee is made up of one representative from each site, the program administrator (assistant director of instruction), and one WRPS kindergarten teacher.
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Curriculum
The curriculum is based on the guiding framework (Appendix C) as established by the steering committee in the summer of 2004. The Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, October 2003 (Appendix D), were adopted by the Steering Committee as curriculum guidelines. Four-year-old teachers develop their own units, keeping in mind these standards.
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Classroom Arrangement/Furniture
Careful consideration should be given to classroom arrangement and selection of developmentally appropriate toys and equipment. A wide variety of materials should be used, taking into consideration children’s individual needs. They should be varied, challenging, interesting and carefully arranged. Areas for large and small group activities should be included.
Keep in mind:
- Traffic patterns
- Areas that need to be clearly defined, such as the block or quiet area.
- Locating interest areas that are quiet away from those that are noisy.
- Decide which areas need tables and which use floor space.
- Shelves need to be clearly labeled with pictures and words to show where materials need to be returned.
- Think about activities that are affected by floor coverings. (Messy activities should be on a floor that can be washed, blocks require a softer surface where children can play comfortably, etc.)
- Place interest areas near needed resources (i.e. water, outlets, etc.)
- Take into consideration how much light is needed for certain areas. (Places where children look at books, write, draw, or care for plants)
- Make sure the room is arranged so you are able to see as much as possible from every location.
The various areas should include:
- Art
- Block area
- Computer
- Dramatic play
- Library area
- Listening
- Science/Discovery
- Toys and games
- Quiet area
The arrangement of furnishings and organization of materials conveys messages and supports goals for learning.
Please see Appendix E for an equipment/supply list.
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Classroom Financial Support
Each year, 4K classrooms will receive funding for materials, supplies, and field trip expenses. Other funds provided by district:
- To maintain consistency to all sites, milk will be provided to all 4K students.
- The classroom teacher will determine snacks or a snack schedule for parents. Parents are asked to bring two bottles of Elmer’s glue (4 oz.), and one box of facial tissues. Children should also have a backpack labeled with their name.
Annually each site will be given an allocated dollar amount to be used for supplies and field trip expenses. Items should be ordered with a purchase order. Requests can be submitted to the 4K secretary at Central Office.
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Community Site Locations
Each community site 4K location is selected based on criteria set by the “4K site selection committee”. The following are the components that are analyzed when site selection decisions are made:
- Is the site licensed and able to accommodate 17 children to 2 adults?
- Does the site honor preferences based on parent willingness to transport?
- Is the site in good standing with current state law and licensing requirements and without significant licensing infractions?
- Does the site participate in program operations and professional development?
- Does the site meet requirements of agreement?
- Does the site follow Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards?
Each community site location providing service to 4K students and their families will contract with WRPS via a site agreement. Depending on instructional staffing (district or site), contracts vary according to financial needs to support programming.
A current listing of 4K sites, including community sites, can be found in Appendix V.
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Procedure for Getting a Substitute
Call the sub line at 422-6041 or 422-6059. Sites that have hired their own teachers will be billed by the district to cover the cost of the sub and benefits. Community sites are welcome to call their own subs as long as they have correct DPI certification. Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools will arrange and pay for a substitute for staff development meetings.
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Professional Development
WRPS has a professional development day scheduled every other month for 4K teachers. Along with these, teachers are required to attend their building meetings and grade level meetings. During the time of the grade level meetings, the 4K teachers may get together to discuss information relative to the 4K program. Also, early childhood teachers will be invited to attend the first professional development session each year and a follow-up meeting sometime throughout the year. See Appendix F.
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Inter District Mail Delivery
Every Tuesday and Friday the district has hired a delivery service to exchange mail from central office and each community site location in a bin. This delivery service is used to send correspondence between central office, public schools, and community site locations. Items placed in the bin need to be placed in an envelope or bundled, and labeled clearly with the person it is being sent to and from. Each community site location shall have a specific location to leave their bin so it is ready for pick-up on Tuesday and Friday.
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Registration
Registration is held with five-year-old kindergarten registration at all district elementary schools in February or March. Parents must bring the child’s birth, hospital, or baptismal certificate to verify the child’s date of birth. The child must be four years old on or before September 1.
Parents need to complete:
- Registration Form
- Student Registration and Emergency Card
- Immunization Record
- Kindergarten Medical Record
- Student Home Language Survey
- Migrant Education Survey
After the initial registration, parents may register at the district’s central office.
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Third Friday Count
State funding is dependent upon the attendance numbers from the third Friday of school in September. Central Office will send each site a “Third Friday Count” form (Appendix H). This form documents attendance for the Thursday before the third Friday date, the third Friday, and the following Monday. These forms must be turned in to the 4K secretary at Central Office by the due date.
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Attendance
All 4K sites take attendance daily. Attendance forms are provided by WRPS (Appendix G). If a student does not attend school, parents/guardians MUST be contacted. A school secretary, 4K teacher or 4K aide will do this. All community site 4K attendance slips must be turned in to the 4K secretary located at Central Office (use bin delivery service). School sites will follow their school’s attendance procedure as directed by the school office. Unexcused absences are not allowed. The school secretary, 4K teacher or 4K aide must follow up to find out why a student was absent.
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Transportation/Busing
Students in 4K have access to busing through Safeway Bus Company and Lamers Bus Company in compliance with WRPS. Transportation is available to all students attending 4K within their public school attendance area. If parents select a site outside of their area, the district will not provide transportation. All transportation questions should be directed to the transportation department at Central Office, 422-6013.
Before school starts a busing schedule for all bus students will be sent from Central Office. It is very helpful to make bus name tags for your students for the first week of school that can be attached to the student’s backpack.
It is very important to let parents/guardians know that an adult must be present when students are dropped off at the end of the day. Central Office sends a letter stressing the importance prior to the beginning of the school year. The bus drivers will not allow students to get off the bus if an adult is not present.
Bus evacuation drills will be held at the beginning of the school year for all elementary students. The program is sponsored by Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools, Wood County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin Rapids Police Department, and the Grand Rapids Police Department. A schedule will be sent to each site from the district’s transportation department at the beginning of the school year.
All field trip schedules for buses are referred to the transportation department at Central Office, 422-6013. (See Field Trips)
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Field Trips
The 4K program encourages each site to take four field trips. This number was set up by the 4K Steering Committee and funds have been allocated for these trips. Permission slips are required (Appendix I). Authorization for each field trip needs to come from the 4K administrator at Central Office. Send completed permission slip form to the 4K secretary at Central Office through bin delivery service and she will return signed copies to you. Emergency cards and permission slips need to be taken on each field trip.
Please make transportation arrangements for your field trip through the transportation department at Central Office. Complete a Field Trip Transportation form (Appendix J) and send it through bin delivery service.
Possible ideas for field trips:
- Hagens’ Apple Orchard
- Down on the Farm
- Altenburg’s Pumpkin Patch
- Fire Station
- Cranberry Marsh
- Grocery Store
- Fast Food Restaurant
- McMillan Memorial Library
- Zoo/Park
- Show/Play
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Injury Report
Written permission from the parent to call the emergency room at the local hospital in case of injury shall be on file at the 4K site (Student Registration and Emergency Card). The 4K site will contact the parent as soon as possible after an emergency has occurred. For minor injuries contact may be made when the child goes home. First aid procedures shall be followed for serious injuries. Community sites need to keep a record of injuries in their log book. Serious injuries must be reported using a Report of Injury or Disease (Appendix K). This report must be turned in to Central office within 24 hours.
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Communicable Diseases
A child with a reportable communicable disease (such as chicken pox, German measles, infectious hepatitis, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, or meningitis) will not be admitted to or allowed to remain in school during the period when the disease is communicable.
When it is determined that a child has a reportable communicable disease that can be transmitted through normal contact, the local public health officer and the parents of the exposed child shall be notified.
A child may return to school if the parents provide a statement from a doctor that the child’s condition is no longer contagious or if the child has been absent for a period of time equal to the longest usual incubation period for the disease.
A parent will be notified if their child has been exposed to a reportable communicable disease.
Note: The Wisconsin Division of Public Health has developed materials that identify those communicable diseases that are required to be reported to the local public health officer. These materials also provide additional guidance on the symptoms of each disease and information on how long an infected child must be excluded from the center. The materials include a communicable disease chart or the exclusion guidelines for child care centers are available from the Child Care Information Center at 800-362-7353.
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Student Folders
Cumulative Folders - Teachers need to keep a cumulative folder on each child. The cumulative folders should include the following:
- Consultation/Intervention Forms (CIDS)
- Progress Reports
- Specific Parent Communication – This should include attendance, behavioral referrals, retention, and suspension.
- Student Forms related to Special Programming
- Student Records
Health Folders – Each child is to have a health folder. The health folders should include the following:
Immunization Form – Each site will maintain a record of immunizations for each child to document compliance with state requirements as follows:
- 4 DTP/DtaP/DT
- 3 Polio
- 1 MMR
- 3 HepB
- 3 Hib2
- 1 Varicella
- Kindergarten Medical Record
- Public School Student Health Record
- School Health Exam Form, Hearing and Vision – recommended but not mandatory
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Early Childhood/EEN/ELL Referrals and Services
When a four-year-old kindergarten teacher has a concern for a student cognitively, socially, or physically, they should call the district’s psychologist assigned to four-year-old kindergarten at the pupil services department, 422-6015.
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Early Childhood Contacts
Ann Novinska, Grove - Pitsch Elementary
Deb Gruenloh, Washington Elementary - BBLC and Grant
Jennifer Kalmon, Mead - St. Lawrence and Vesper Elementary
Denise Martell, Mead - Mead and LOT
Sarah Oksiuta, Woodside - Country Tots and Woodside Elementary
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Vision and Hearing Screening
Community site locations should contact LeeAnn Pearson with the Lions Club to coordinate a vision screening. Any concerns regarding a student’s hearing should be directed to the pupil services office, 422-6015, to set up an appointment with a school nurse for a screening.
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Speech and Language Screening
If you have concerns about the speech or language skills of a student, you can request a screening. Please refer to Appendix U.
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Fall/Spring Assessment
This form is used as a tool to track student progress during the school year. See Appendix L.
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Student Progress Reports
Teachers will complete a progress report for each of their children twice a year. The first com¬pletion date will be at the end of the first semester and the second will be at the end of the school year or second semester. The progress reports will be sent home in the envelopes provided. The progress report will consider the following areas: Social Development, Language/Reading Readiness, Work Habits, Math Readiness, Fine/Gross Motor Skills, Play. See Appendix M.
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Discipline/Behavior Management
Teachers are encouraged to develop classroom rules/guidelines with their students. Rules/guidelines are modeled for and practiced with students. A daily schedule/routine will be followed to help students feel secure and know what to expect. Children will take a time away when they disrupt classroom routines.
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Parent Contact
Parent contact is an important component of a successful four-year-old program. Teachers are encouraged to know their students and parents and to establish a partnership in educating the child.
Open House - Open House will be held at each site before the start of the school year. Each site determines the date and time of the open house. The Central Office 4K secretary will send letters from the teacher inviting parents and students.
Conferences - The 4K site sets conference dates in November. Fifteen minute time slots are allotted for each child. During this time the teacher and parents discuss how the student is progressing in the 4K program. Teachers having more than 30 students should keep track of additional conference time beyond the allotted contract time. This time will be compensated through flexible scheduling outside of student contact time. Contact the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction if you have questions.
Portfolio Night – Portfolio night is held in the spring at a time determined by the 4K site. Students will take their parents through the daily routine and show them what they do each day in school.
Required 87.5 Hours – The Department of Public Instruction requires that 4K programs which meet with students five days a week also have 87.5 hours of parent contact yearly for each session. The four-year-old kindergarten teacher will complete parent involvement sheets (Appendix N) to document the contact. See Appendix O.
Parent Survey – During the first part of May the four-year-old teachers will send home a survey (Appendix P) asking the parents their opinion about the program. Parents can return this survey to the classroom teacher, who will in turn send them to Central Office.
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Guidelines for Retention/Developmentally Appropriate Grade Placement
A referral to discuss the option of a child repeating four-year-old kindergarten can be made by a parent or teacher (Appendix Q). Parents will be made aware of the district belief that four-year-old kindergarten is designed as a one year preschool experience for children to attend in the year prior to their enrol¬lment in general kindergarten. Should concerns exist which cause parents to reconsider their child’s developmental readiness to move on to general kindergarten, they will be asked to con¬tact their child’s teacher. A general mailing (Appendix R) will be sent home in January of the child’s four-year-old kindergarten year to open lines of communication regarding possible retention. Referrals for consideration can be made directly to the Child Study Team (CST) coordinator. Please see the CST Process referenced in Appendix S.
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Transition to Kindergarten
Transition Report – The four-year-old kindergarten teacher will complete a transition form (Appendix T) for each child in the classroom. These forms will be sent to the 4K secretary at central office before the end of the school year. The forms will then be sent to the five-year-old kindergarten teacher at the school the child will attend in the fall.
Record Transfer – Cumulative and health folders are sorted by the location the student will be attending for five-year-old kindergarten, and sent to the 4K secretary at central office at the end of the school year.
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Five-Year-Old Kindergarten Registration
Registration for five-year-old kindergarten will be handled by the four-year-old kindergarten teacher. Each 4K student will receive an envelope with registration materials. Each envelope will have a label on the outside with the child’s name. Inside the envelope are materials to be completed by the parent/guardian to register their child for five-year-old kindergarten in Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools.
On the front of each set of envelopes is a checklist for your class. If a parent will not be enrolling their child in WRPS, they only need complete the salmon colored registration form, on BOTH SIDES. The back side of this form is a transfer of records form that will allow us to send the child’s current four-year-old kindergarten records to the parochial/private school indicated for five-year-old kindergarten.
If the child will be attending five-year-old kindergarten in WRPS, there are three forms that need to be completed and returned by the parent. These forms are indicated on the checklist and include:
Registration Information Form (salmon color – front side only)
Registration and Emergency Card (white, two-sided, with cuts in the bottom) This form should be completed with information for next school year, i.e., Grade – 5K, Teacher – blank, School – public school of attendance, etc.
Day Care Survey (if applicable)
Please return the completed forms, in the envelope of each student, to the 4K secretary at Central Office. Return all return envelopes at the same time, with the completed check list banded to the top of the envelopes. All forms need to be completed and return by the deadline indicated.
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