4K Connect
WSD 4K Newsletter - December 16, 2022 - Issue 8
Notes from the 4K Principal
Dear 4K & Early Childhood families:
Winter break begins Friday, December 23, 2022. There is no school December 23-30. I hope your winter break is filled with good health, laughter, loving moments and lots of excitement!
Thank you for your participation in your child's education. We all find it a true pleasure to partner with you in your child's education. When not in school, you can continue your child's learning by cuddling and reading books, saying nursery rhymes together, describing unknown or less familiar vocabulary words, expanding on known vocabulary concepts, counting plates for dinner and practicing sharing while playing games together. Remember, books make great gifts!
The 4K & Early Childhood Programs staff and I wish you and your family a very enjoyable and safe winter break! See you back in school on January 2, 2023!
Be Well,
Kara Rakowski
Wausau School District 4K Principal
Tucker's Helpful Tips
Learning at Home
We know the holidays will be different will be different in so many ways for so many families this year. Here are some ways to support your preschool child through the holidays:
Talk it out - share your feelings
"If your kids are having a tough time adjusting to changes in your plans, let them know you understand and that you feel disappointed, too. Encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings and help them appreciate why things have to be different."
Focus on what you can do
Whatever holidays your family celebrates, focus on the rituals you can continue to do together - rather than focusing on what you can't do this year.
Create new traditions
Some ideas include:
Take turns hosting mini holiday celebrations virtually. For example, one family could host a time to sing holiday songs, another could host a dance party, and another could host a time for storytelling.
Enjoy some friendly competition. Have your family or kids make holiday treats, and then vote for the best over FaceTime or Zoom.
Document what you are doing. Whether you're creating new traditions or celebrating in the ways you always have, keep a journal or take photos or videos to document this year's experience. "Though times will be different for most people this year, it could really be really special to look back years from now and remember this time."
Source: Boston Children's Hospital
Pictures from our December Parent Connect Days
Mark Your Calendars
December:
December 23 - 30: Winter Break
January:
January 2: School resumes
Curriculum Corner
We will continue with our next unit, Elves and the Shoemaker.
LITERACY I CAN:
- can tell what might happen next in the story
- point to top, middle and bottom
- draw a line across a page
- know that words are made up of letters, not numbers
- name the color green
- find the missing part
- name an oval
- repeat sounds Q, G, S (magic C letters)
MATH I CAN:
- place items in a location when given a direction with top, middle, bottom, across
- identify, name and describe an oval
- extend ABAB repeating patterns
- make a small collection of 5
- count 5 objects maintaining one to one correspondence (can count to tell the number of objects)
- show a number representation for a group of objects to 5
- compare the length of two items
- use shapes to make a picture that looks like something
- read numbers to 5
- compare a group of objects by counting up to 3.
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL I CAN:
- I can give a friend a play idea. (Friendship 1.2)
- I can ask someone if they need help. (Friendship 2.1)
TARGETED VOCABULARY:
- I can use and say these words: shoemaker, customer, elves.
LEADER IN ME:
Our Wausau School District 4K Social Emotional Benchmarks I can give a friend a play idea (Friendship 1.2) and I can ask someone if they need help. (Friendship 2.1) link to the following Leader In Me Habits:
- Habit 3 Put first things first
- Habit 6: Synergize
Tucker's Nursery Rhyme Corner
One, Two, Three, Four, Five
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right
Little Boy Blue
the sheep's in the meadow,
the cow's in the corn.
Where is that boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haystack, fast asleep.
Tucker's Friendly Reminders
FYI -
Please remember to have your child bring/wear winter clothes, snow pants, boots, hats and mittens to school everyday! Without proper winter clothing, students will need to stay on the blacktop and not be allowed to play in the snow PLUS they are learning how to put on their own winter clothes!
Thank you!!
FYI
Dear Parent/Guardian:
What can an Infinite Campus Parent Portal do for you?
In today's busy world information must be at your fingertips in a moment's notice! Put Infinite Campus to work for you by creating a personal Parent Portal. In just a few minutes you will be able to access some or all of these features:
- Check Busing Information
- View Student Grades
- Print Report Cards and Progress Reports
- Pay School Fees
- View Payment History
- Update Email Addresses and Phone Numbers
- Set up personal notifications
Parents who do not have a Parent Portal set up received the following information in an email. Please contact Jess Napiwocki at jnapiwoc@wausauschools.org for your GUID# to get started!
THE JANUARY REPORT CARD IS ONLY ACCESSED THROUGH THE PARENT PORTAL. The district is asking all families to set up a parent portal. Please follow the instructions below to set one up. One portal will be used for all your children.
Follow the steps below to set up your parent portal:
- COPY GUID# that is provided below. (Do not include the word -GUID#-)
- Click on the link below
- Click on New User?
- Past GUID# you copied into Activation Code box.
- Crease your own username and password.
SAVE THIS USER NAME AND PASSWORD SOMEWHERE. DO NOT FORGET OR MISPLACE.
GUID#-
https://wausauwi.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/wausau.jsp
IF YOUR 4K or EC CHILD IS GOING TO BE ABSENT FROM SCHOOL, PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS!!
Contact Numbers
Please remember to call your 4K office if your child is going to be absent from school due to illness or another reason. When you call in, please give the reason for the absence. Please also call First Student at 715-842-2268 to let them know our child will not be riding the bus that day.
AM classes begin at 8:25am, dismissal is at 11am
PM classes begin at 11:40am, dismissal is at 2:15pm
Kara Rakowski, 4K Principal krakowsk@wausauschools.org
Program office: 714.261.0265
First Student: 715.842.2268
Jones - 4K Administrative Assistant: 715-261-0265
Jess Napiwocki jnapiwoc@wausauschools.org
Hawthorn - 4K Administrative Assistant: 715-261-0055
Kellie Messman kmessman@wausauschools.org
Jefferson - 4K Building Para- 715-261-0185
Jessica Brown jrbrown@wausauschools.org
Riverview - 4K Building Para: 715-261-0040
Jackie Keller jkeller@wausauschools.org
NOTES FROM THE NURSE
WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AT HOME
- Fever (temperature 100 degrees F or greater) child should be fever-free, without medication for 24 hours before returning to school
- Diarrhea (4-5 loose stools within the previous 24 hour period)
- Vomiting (within a 24 hour period before school starts)
- Upper respiratory illness with frequent cough/drainage
- Strep throat (until 24 hours after treatment has begun
- Pink eye (until 24 hours after treatment has begun
- undiagnosed or untreated skin rash or sores that cannot be covered
You can help your child stay healthy by encouraging frequent and thorough hand washing. Hand washing is the single most important defense against disease. Be sure to notify school if your child is going to be absent and the bus company if your child rides the bus.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Update Your Information
Thank you for helping us keep our records as accurate as possible!
WSD EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSING PLANS FOR 4K STUDENTS AT ACADEMY SITES:
School Closing: All AM & PM classes cancelled. No evening activities.
Yellow Bus Delay: All AM & PM classes cancelled. No evening activities.
District Wide Emergency Closing After Students Are At School: If morning 4K students are already at school, parents will be responsible for picking them up at school. There will not be bus service. No evening activities.
The 4K class times fit in between the pick-up and drop-off times for the rest of the school district. The same buses transport the older students to school before transporting the 4K students and likewise, take the 4K students home before taking the older students home.
In rare occasions, the Wausau School District is forced to cancel classes during the school day, usually due to inclement weather. If classes are cancelled after 4K students are already at school, this creates a problem for the bus company as they don't have enough buses to take the 4K students home as well as the rest of the district's students.
Due to the number of students involved, the bus company will transport the elementary, middle and high school students home on days that school is cancelled. This eliminates the possibility for transportation for the 4K students. Therefore, it will be necessary for parents to have a plan in place for school cancellations. Each family will need to designate a person who will be responsible for picking up their 4K student at school.
4K Inclement Weather Information
What will a virtual learning day due to inclement weather look like for 4K?
If there is an inclement weather day and school is moved to a virtual learning format. 4K will do the following:
A 4K virtual activity guide for the day will be shared with all 4K families through SeeSaw.
This guide will provide a range of ideas you can do at home to support learning through hands-on play based activities. The activities will be designed so that you can do them during daily routine activities.
You can choose 1-2 of the activities to complete.
Your child’s classroom teacher will share a google meet code and time for you to connect. This google meeting will be 15-20 minutes. We understand that since 4K is not a 1:1 ipad environment you may not have technology to connect. That’s ok! You can follow the activity guide shared through SeeSaw.
We will do our best to be proactive should inclement weather be predicted and send home any necessary classroom materials. Please understand that, at times, Wisconsin weather is unpredictable and there may be a situation where we will need to implement a traditional “snow day” should unexpected weather arise.
Tucker's 4K Spotlight - Our 4K & EC staff
WSD 4K Academy at GD Jones
1915 S. 12th Ave
Wausau, WI 54401
715-261-0265
Jessica Napiwocki - 4K Administrative Assistant
Kara Rakowski - 4K Principal & Early Childhood Coordinator
Andrey Frey - 4K Teacher
Michele Kettner - 4K Teacher
Melissa Willemon - 4K Teacher
Cha Yang - 4K Teacher
Beth Gruber - EC Teacher
Shelly Urmanski - EC Teacher
Jessa Reif - Speech - Language Pathologist
Lori Kurszewski - EC Teacher
Anne Winter - EC Teacher
Cory Durbin - EC Teacher
Stacy Stenz - 4K & EC Program Support Teacher
Sara Boettcher - School Psychologist
Michelle Dahms - Social Worker
Beth Van Dong
Mia Lodahl - Physical Therapist
Jacob Ehlert - Occupational Therapist
Kathleen Kostner-Rass - Occupational Therapist
Support Staff
Chou Thao - Bilingual Paraprofessional
Pa Thao - Bilingual Paraprofessional
KaBao Mua - Bilingual Paraprofessional
Ashley Hafeman - EC Paraprofessional
Chris Mergan - EC Paraprofessional
Ami Serrano - EC Paraprofessional
Danika Decorah - EC Paraprofessional
Diane Leffel - Paraprofessional
WSD 4K Academy at Hawthorn Hills
Wausau, WI 54403
715-261-0055
Lisa Dunahee - 4K Teacher
Marla Harris - 4K Teacher
Jaci McKamey - Speech-Language Pathologist
Anne Winter - EC Teacher
Support Staff
Kellie Messman - 4K Admin Assistant
Julie Her - Bilingual Paraprofessional
Nhia Her - Bilingual Paraprofessional
WSD 4K Academy at Riverview
Wausau, WI 54403
715-261-0040
Danica Szekeress - 4K Teacher
Kristin Hall - 4K Teacher
Ashley Ermeling - EC Teacher
Morgan Persha - Speech-Language Pathologist
Renee Kressel - Speech-Language Pathologist
Donna Husnick - DHH Teacher
Cindy Schuster - DHH Interpreter
Mackenzie Wockenfus - Occupational Therapist
Support Staff
Jackie Keller - 4K Office
Cher Her - Bilingual Paraprofessional
Tammy Davisson - EC Paraprofessional
Emily Walker - Paraprofessional
Kristy Durkes - Paraprofessional
WSD 4K Academy at Thomas Jefferson
Wausau, WI 54401
715-261-0185
Samantha Kniess - 4K Teacher
scorreaobrien@wausauschools.org
Renee Krautkramer - 4K Teacher
BreAnne Wais - 4K Teacher
May Xiong - 4K Teacher
Denise Wonsil-Michlig - Speech-Language Pathologist
Support Staff
Jessica Brown - 4K Office
Bele Vieira Willard - Paraprofessional
Emmalyn Grau - Paraprofessional
Sierra Lane - Paraprofessional
WSD 4K Community Sites
1500 Merrill Ave
Wausau, WI 54401
715-298-3832
Leah Bjerke
615 Stark St.
Wausau, WI 54403
715-848-0206
Alaina Lippert-Olson
707 3rd St.
Wausau, WI 54403
715-845-2177
Corina Ramos:
Sandy Readenour: