SASD 4K Family Newsletter
Grow. Play. Learn.
May 3rd, 2021
Dear parents and staff,
We are proud of the work you have all done this past year. Our 4K programs have been open serving students both in person and virtually since September 1st. Our teachers have been lesson planning for kids at school and home! Our parents have been working to manage all that this pandemic has brought for their families. We thank you for your perseverance and patience this year and look forward to making that transition from 4K to 5K the best it can be for your child!
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Please take time to thank your child's teacher for all their work this school year.
With gratitude,
Erin Conrad, SASD 4K Principal
Sara Jane Lee, SASD Inclusion Support Teacher
Mindy Holverson, SASD 4K Educational Assistant
5K Registration
If your child is or will be 5-years old by September 1st, 2021 and will be entering Kindergarten in the fall click on the link for more information: 5K Registration
School Placement:
Learners are placed in their neighborhood elementary school based on the attendance boundaries approved by the school board at SASD Attendance Boundaries
Health Forms:
Please complete and return the health forms to your elementary school in the fall.
For questions, contact:
Laurel Gretebeck, District Nurse, @ Laurel.Gretebeck@stoughton.k12.wi.us or
Mindy Holverson, 4K support, @ Mindy.Holverson@stoughton.k12.wi.us
Why Attendance Matters in Early Childhood Programs
Study after study confirms the value of high-quality early childhood education for developing the cognitive, social and emotional skills that children need to succeed in kindergarten. But unless children attend these programs on a regular basis, they are not likely to benefit fully. And unless we pay attention to attendance even among young children, we are missing the opportunity to use early educational experiences to build an essential skill: showing up on time, every day to school and eventually to work.
Too often, attendance in the early years is an afterthought. Instructors don’t always believe they can or should do anything about absences because preschool, and in most states, kindergarten are not mandatory. Likewise, too few parents understand the value of regular attendance in preschool or kindergarten for laying a foundation for their children’s future success. But a growing body of research and practitioner experience shows that paying attention to attendance for our youngest children is essential. For more information click on the link: Attendance Works
Just a reminder if your child attends in-person instruction you can still access the virtual schedule for great activities and resources, just don't submit attendance on the site. Your child's teacher will submit attendance when your child attends school each day! If your child is a virtual learner, please remember to submit your child's attendance daily by clicking on the attendance link which is found at the top of the Virtual Schedule on the SASD website.
Summer EXCEL 2021
Check out the course catalog on the Summer EXCEL website. Registration has begun. Classes are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. No limit on the virtual offering.
4K Calendar Reminders
May
No school Friday, May 7th, 21st and 28th.
No school Monday, May 31st, Memorial Day.
The last day of school for 4K is Tuesday, June 8th.
See the calendar below.
IMPORTANCE OF PLAY
Your child undoubtedly has favorite ways to play at home. Build on those! What is your child’s favorite way to play at school? How could you recreate some part of that at home? Maybe your kitchen sink could become a water table for twenty minutes. Perhaps a corner of the couch could become your book area. You may not have a big set of wooden blocks, but do you have Legos? Jenga blocks? Plastic cups? Any of these could be used for constructive play. What about pretend play? Playing restaurant could be a fun spin on dinner time now and then. A blanket over a table could become almost anything --- a hideout, a spaceship, a submarine, a castle tower. Don’t try to recreate school, but think about how you can bring some of that powerful play home and let your child take the lead as much as possible.
When possible, GET OUTSIDE. Go for a walk. Listen for birds, look for signs of the changing seasons, play I Spy. You’ll be building science and observation skills, while also getting important therapeutic benefits. Nature has restorative properties for the body, mind, and soul. Get some fresh air regularly to beat the cabin fever blahs.
READ EVERYDAY! Reading is one of the simplest ways we can regularly invest in early learning. As you read, talk about the words, feelings, ideas, and pictures in the book. Ask your child to nd favorite letters, to predict what will happen next, or to chime in with repeating patterns. Story time doesn’t have to mean sitting still. If your child doesn’t want to settle in to read, try reading while your child draws, builds with blocks, or eats lunch. Give your child the chance to be in charge of story time too! Your child can read/retell the story to you, to your pets, or to an audience of toys.
For more ideas go to Not Just Cute with Amanda Morgan, MS
OWL Curriculum May
Week of May 3rd
Unit 8: Make it Move
Week 1: Every Which Way
Week of May 10th
Unit 8: Make it Move
Unit 2: Push and Pull
Week of May 17th
Unit 8: Make it Move
Unit 3: Wind Power
Week of May 24th
Unit 8: Make it Move
Until 4: Moving Machines
Opening the World of Learning: Pearson Research Overview
Indoor Gross Motor Activities
Toss bean bags into baskets
Move on paper plates Play “find and tag it”
Move like an animal
Have fun with painter’s tape
Play indoor hopscotch
For more fun indoor gross motor games click on the link:
Indoor Gross Motor Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten
Outdoor Gross Motor Activities
Gross motor activities for preschoolers are a MUST. Preschoolers aren’t quite as hard as toddlers to plan activities for, but there still are some limitations to what you can do. And getting their little bodies moving helps a ton! Try some of these gross motor activities with your child. Have fun, join in and enjoy the giggles!
Click on the link: 35 Gross Motor Activities (for on-the-go preschoolers)
SASD Equity Framework
SASD Antiracism Project
The purpose of the Antiracism Project is to advance our district’s Educating for Equity efforts by providing resources, information, and opportunities to support recognized events, locally, nationally and internationally.
SASD Equity Vision Statement
Our Compassionate School community will operate within a proactive system of support to promote a positive, inclusive culture with equity, respect, and dignity so we can thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.
District Core Values
- Excellence & Equity in Teaching & Learning
- Respect & commitment to each other
- Personal & Social Responsibility
- Community Engagement
- Sustainability of Resources
For more information go to Educating for Equity on the SASD website.
SONDAY Let's Play Learn
Let's Play Learn focuses on the developmental continuum and prepares our 4K students to learn to read, write and work with numbers. It is a structured, systematic program that provides multi-sensory practice and interactive opportunities for learning.
You can check out the lessons offered in our virtual schedule each day from home and even go back to previous weeks to see what our 4K teachers Ms. Stiver and Ms. Matz have shared with our students. See the example lesson below.
Mat Man
Mat Man is a 4K classroom character that embodies our unique approach to drawing with multisensory activities and strategies that help young learners develop strong drawing and cognitive skills.
For additional activities and online games, visit Mat Man World!
Learn more about the effect of Mat Man and Mat Man activities link. Enjoy the Mat Man Song!
The Pyramid Model
Check out the many resources for Family Engagement on The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations site.
The Backpack Connection Series was created by TACSEI to provide a way for teachers and parents/caregivers to work together to help young children develop social emotional skills and reduce challenging behavior. Each Backpack Connection handout provides information that helps parents stay informed about what their child is learning and specific ideas on how to use the strategy or skill at home. Check out all of the series on the family engagement site.
Tucker the Turtle
Tucker the Turtle learns to be INDEPENDENT!!
Tucker the Turtle shows his greatness by:
Keeping his thoughts on school work!
Making healthy choices on the playground and in the classroom.
Doing school work and home chores by himself.
Putting things where they belong at home and school.
Embed Tucker in all your activities this month!
Tucker the Turtle Song and Finger Play
New Resources from The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Help Us Stay Calm Strategies that help you and your child during challenging behavior
Cooking with Kids
Cooking is a great activity for preschoolers. You can support the development of social skills and life skills as you work together to create something. Cooking activities provide hands-on experiences with math and science.
1. Classroom Recipes: Slow Cooker Applesauce
2. Classroom Recipes: Vegetable Soup
8. The Challenge of Cooking in Preschool
9. Cooking Kit for the Classroom
10. Kid Recipes
For more information go to: 25+ Recipes, Ideas and Tips for Cooking with Preschoolers
THE NURTURED HEART APPROACH
The Nurtured Heart Approach Vocabulary for the Kids:
Focused
"I show my greatness by looking with my eyes and listening with my ears."
Energetic
"I can show my greatness by following school and classroom rules"
Independent
"I can show my greatness by doing my work independently in the classroom."
Organized
"I can show my greatness by organizing my own things at home and school."
From the SASD virtual desk of NHA:
In this week’s musing, 20/20 Vision, I share how NHA has helped me understand that “the lens we choose transforms the way we look at things."
To YOUR Greatness, Significance, and Humanity!
For more information on the Nurtured Heart Approach click on the link.
SUPPORTING MATH READINESS THROUGH MATH TALK
The more parents talk with their child about math at home, the more a child’s mind is stimulated to think about math. Here are five ways to use math talk with your child.
1. Use age appropriate math talk.
2. Look for opportunities to count or add.
3. Look for opportunities to problem solve.
4. Ask open-ended questions to sustain math talk as long as possible.
5. Be prepared to take extra time for math talk.
By: Eugene Geist, Click on the link NAEYC for more information.
**In May the 4K students will learn about measurement-length, weight, and how much containers hold!
Making Sense of Wearing Compliant Masks
In Public Health Madison & Dane County's Emergency Order #13, face coverings are defined as a piece of cloth or other material that is worn to cover the nose and mouth completely.
Face coverings...
- must be secured to the head with ties, ear loops, or elastic bands that go behind the head and must fit snuggly but comfortably against the side of the face.
- must be made with two or more layers of breathable fabric that is tightly woven (i.e., fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source).
- do not include bandanas, ANY neck gaiters at SASD, face shields, goggles, scarves, ski masks, balaclavas, shirt or sweater collars pulled up over the mouth and nose, or masks with slits, exhalation valves, or punctures.
If you missed our Mask Up SASD message, you can read it here.
SASD Covid-19 Data Dashboard
SASD has published a COVID-19 Data Dashboard on our website. Our Data Dashboard provides a district-wide view of current active COVID-19 cases and quarantines/isolations. Our staff numbers include all staff whether working in person or virtually. Our student numbers include only 4K-12 students who are regularly in our buildings. The dashboard will be updated every Friday. At any time, you can access the SASD dashboard.
Each week our dashboard will display the following four numbers:
Positive Staff Cases*
Positive Student Cases*
Staff in Quarantine or Isolation**
Students in Quarantine or Isolation**
*Students and staff counted in these categories have tested positive for COVID-19 and are isolated.
**Students and staff counted in these categories have not tested positive for COVID-19 but are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and/or have had close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.
When to Report Positive COVID-19 Tests, Symptoms or Close Contact
Staff: Please continue to update your supervisor and fill out the Staff COVID-19 Form if you meet any of our three criteria (have tested positive for COVID-19, have symptoms of COVID-19, or have had close contact with an individual who has COVID-19). This applies whether you work in person or virtually.
Families with children regularly in our buildings (whether in grades 4K-2, 3-12 students receiving individualized instruction, or for activities): If your child meets any of our three criteria (has tested positive for COVID-19, has symptoms of COVID-19, or has had close contact with an individual who has COVID-19), please keep your student home, call your school to report an absence, then fill out the Student COVID-19 Form. These two COVID-19 forms — staff and student — will be used in updating our Data Dashboard weekly.
Thank you for your cooperation and diligence as we navigate this semester together.
Dr. Tim Onsager, District Administrator
4K 2021-22 Enrollment
Please help spread the word about the SASD 4K program.
The SASD partners with local organizations to provide our 4 year-old kindergarten program at 6 convenient locations in Stoughton.
La Petite Academy, 635 Lincoln Avenue
www.lapetite.com (608) 873-5039Martin Luther, 900 West Wilson Street
www.martinlutherkids.org (608) 873-7884Pumpkin Patch Preschool, 1940 Jackson Street
www.mypumpkinpatch.org (608) 873-3380Reach Dane-Head Start, 315 Mandt Parkway
www.reachdane.org (608) 444-6199St. Ann School, 324 North Harrison Street
www.stanns-school.org (608) 873-3343Weebleworld, 1815 Cedarbrook Lane
www.weebleworld.com (608) 877-2690
Stoughton Food Pantry
520 S. 4th Street, Stoughton
Hours: Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 4 to 6 p.m.
Closed Fridays
First Saturday of the month 9 to 11 a.m.
*Call for an appointment: 608-873-8103
Need Assistance?
The Department of Children and Families
Resources to help essential workers, providers, and families navigate the child care landscape during the COVID-19 crisis- link
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Provides the latest information, data, and resources- link
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Considerations and guidance for schools and child care- link
Free Community COVID-19 Testing in Stoughton
JangoDX has contracted with the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services to provide FREE drive through Community COVID-19 testing. The testing location is in the back lot of Tru by Hilton hotel located at 2500 Jackson Street in Stoughton. This site is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Stoughton Health is pleased to support free COVID-19 testing efforts being offered through JangoDX. This new site expands the availability of COVID-19 testing in Stoughton and allows Stoughton Health to shift our focus to vaccinating our staff and the community,” states Amy Hermes, Chief Nursing Officer/Vice-President of Patient Services at Stoughton Health. To learn more or register for this free test, go to https://jangodx.com/community-testing/.
Contact us!
Kate Ahlgren, Director of Curriculum and Instruction kate.ahlgren@stoughton.k12.wi.us
Sara Jane Lee, 4K Inclusion SupportTeacher sarajane.lee@stoughton.k12.wi.us
Mindy Holverson, 4K Educational Assistant mindy.holverson@stoughton.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.stoughton.k12.wi.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stoughtonschools/