SASD 4K Family Newsletter
Grow. Play. Learn.
February 1st, 2024
The 2024-2025 4K enrollment process is almost here!! Please help spread the word about the SASD 4K program. The SASD partner with local organizations to provide our 4 year-old kindergarten program.
LaPetite Academy, 635 Lincoln Avenue
www.lapetite.com (608) 873-5039Ginger Bread House, 1540 Williams Drive
www.gbhchildcare.com (608) 205-9655Pumpkin Patch Preschool, 1940 Jackson Street
www.mypumpkinpatch.org (608) 873-3380St. Ann's School, 324 North Harrison Street
www.stanns-school.org (608) 873-3343Weebleworld, 1640 East Main Street
www.weebleworld.com (608) 877-2690
With gratitude,
Erin Conrad, SASD 4K Principal
Sara Jane Lee, SASD 4K Coordinator
Mindy Holverson, SASD 4K Educational Assistant
OWL Curriculum
January 29-1: Unit 5: From Jungle to Desert: Week 3: Desert Trip
February 5-9: Unit 5: From Jungle to Desert: Week 4: Desert Animals
February 12-15: Unit 6: Earth and Sky: Week 1: Daytime and Nighttime
February 19-22: Unit 6: Earth and Sky: Week 2: Weather Watch
February 26-February 29: Unit 6: Earth and Sky: Week 3: From Season to Season
February 28 and 29: Parent Teacher Conferences
Opening the World of Learning: Pearson Research Overview
4K Calendar
February 1st: Report cards sent home
February 28th and 29th: Parent Teacher Conferences (No 4K)
See the calendar below for more information.
Inclusive Supports
What to watch: Five Moore Minutes: Removing the Barriers for ALL
What to read: Does Access Matter?
What to use: Inclusive Grading and Differentiation Strategies Packet
Heggerty Phonemic Awareness
What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness is the ability to understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds called phonemes, and it’s one of the best early predictors for reading success.
Scroll down on the webpage and watch the explanation Video.
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
At school your child is engaging in Heggerty Phonemic Awareness lessons. Over the next 9 weeks, your child will be diving into blending (putting together) and segmenting (separating) individual sounds in words. We call these individual sounds phonemes. Your child practices these skills daily, because “one of the most robust findings of modern reading research is that proficient reading is strongly associated with the ability to identify, remember, and sequence phonemes” (Moats, 2014).
When having conversations with your child, consider using some of these activities with words and
language they are familiar with:
★ Sound Search - Choose a word/familiar name and say to your child:
○ Tell me the first sound you hear in ___?
○ Tell me the last sound you hear in ____?
○ Tell me the medial/vowel sound you hear in ____?
○ Example words you can use: hot tub lip dog mad pet
★ Hop the sounds! Make two boxes on the floor with tape or chalk.
Have your child jump to a new box for each new sound they hear in the word. For example, for
the word up, students would jump in the first square as they say /u/ sound and the second
square as they say the /p/ sound. Some examples of words you can use are:
○ at → ă - t on → ŏ - n by → b - ī low → l - ō may → m - ā
★ Blending Blocks - You can use legos or blocks or anything around that house that has two parts
that can be put together. Say two sounds as you show your child two blocks. Have them put the
blocks together as they say the word by blending the two sounds together. Use the words below
as examples:
○ g - ō → go m - ē → me p - ī → pie h - ā → hay s - ē → see
★ Say to your child, “Tell me a word that begins like _____?
○ Example: Tell me a word that begins like pick (pig, pumpkin, pine, pay)
★ Books to enjoy together and look for rhymes!
○ Commotion in the Ocean by Nayasha Williams
○ Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
○ Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer
○ I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont
View lesson demonstrations: Heggerty Phonemic Awareness - YouTube
February is Black History Month
What's the Difference? Equity and Equality
Equality is the measure of sameness; being treated in the same way. Equity is a measure of fair treatment, opportunities and outcomes across race, gender, class and other dynamics. Justice means we've addressed the cause(s) of the inequity and the systemic barrier has been removed.
The distinction is important. We are told that to be fair we must treat everyone the same (equal). However, when we recognize the legacy of institutionalized and structural racism we understand that differing people and communities need different resources (justice, equity). In order to be equitable we provide specific, unique resources that will support people and communities getting their basic needs met and reaching their full potential. Sameness is not always fairness if the oppressed group remains disadvantaged.
Mat Man
For additional activities and online games, visit Mat Man World! Enjoy the Mat Man Song!
MATH Corner
Math skills are so important and finding playful and engaging ways to teach those skills to preschoolers is crucial. Whether you teach math to a classroom full of preschoolers or are teaching your children at home, it’s important to use hands-on math experiences.
1. Roll and Dot the Number is a quick preschool math game that will teach kids to identify numbers and count while learning one to one correspondence! It is one of our favorite preschool math activities!
2. This Build and Measure Block Center is such a neat way for kids to explore measurement!
3. These Counting Bears Number Strips are a hands-on way for toddlers and preschoolers to learn numbers, counting and even colors.
4. These Tree Play Dough Numbers Mats are a great way to work on a number of math skills including counting to 10!
5. Work on color recognition and sorting with these Button Sorting Cups.
6. This Simple Fine Motor Counting Math Tray is super easy to set up and provides excellent fine motor practice too.
7. Grab your craft sticks and make these Colors and Patterns craft sticks for your math center!
8. Teaching Symmetry to Preschoolers with LEGO DUPLO is perfect for teaching symmetry to preschoolers and young kids.
For more information and many more activities go to Preschool Math Activities that are Fun and Engaging!
The Pyramid Model
Children love to listen to stories. Not only are stories used to entertain children, they can also be used as tools to teach new skills and expectations. Many parents read books to teach their children the alphabet or numbers, but stories can also be used to:
- Teach social skills, such as how to take turns.
- Teach clear behavior expectations for a time of day (e.g., quiet time) or event (e.g., road trip).
- Reinforce routines, such as getting ready for bed.
- Prepare for new experiences, such as the first day of school.
- Address a challenging behavior, such as hitting.
Click on the link for more ideas and some scripted stories!
Tucker the Turtle
Tucker Turtle is a terrific turtle. He likes to play with his friends school. But sometimes things happen that can make Tucker really mad. When Tucker got mad, he used to hit, kick, or yell at his friends. His friends would get mad or upset when he hit, kicked, or yelled at them. This month our 4K friends learn to work together even when they get really mad or upset.
NURTURED HEART APPROACH
The Nurtured Heart Approach Vocabulary for the Kids:
Learner "I can show my greatness by looking with my eyes and listening with my ears."
Greatness I am Full of Greatness! "I show my greatness by using my eyes to see and my words to say what is right about who I am and what I do."
Kind "I show my greatness by caring for all, no matter their skin color, eye color, body and shape or size, clothes they wear or language they speak."
Focused "I show my greatness by looking with my eyes and keeping my thoughts on school work."
NHA message
I’m not so much a fan of driving in the snow, digging out from the snow, or cleaning my floors from the melted snow, but I can definitely appreciate a tranquil snowfall that allows me to linger and capture snowflakes on my mittens. That’s the pinnacle of nature’s beauty. A single snowflake with its one-of-a-kind uniqueness. How similar to the humans in our lives. They have endless potential for beauty but can drive us crazy when conditions are right.
Nurtured Heart creates an environment where children can thrive and exceed any expectations we have for them. By noticing and acknowledging the greatness in children, awe-inspiring things happen! And like anything worthwhile, this. takes. time.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a child’s behavior. Be patient. Lift up the good you see people doing and let the rest go and suddenly one day it all just clicks.
So take some time every day to see and say out loud in exquisite detail the amazing things (or small steps to a bigger goal) you see the humans in your life doing and you just might find you have less shoveling to do.
To your GREATNESS, Humanity, & Significance,
Sara Jane
Building Connections
This month the kids will read We Accept No by Lydia Bowers. This is a story about accepting no for an answer and how to handle the feeling of rejection. Accepting no for an answer is a key foundation of consent. We Accept No builds children’s social and emotional skills and helps teach them how to ask for permission, how to respect no, and how to handle rejection.
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
Stoughton's Community Resource Guide was developed to assist and provide community members with available programs and services. The community guide can be found at: https://www.stoughton.k12.wi.us/explore-sasd/community-resource-guide-2022
Attendance Matters
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.
Click on the link above Attendance Works for more information regarding attendance in the early years!
Summer EXCEL 2024 coming soon!
Dates: Monday, June 10 - Friday, June 28
Times/Days: Monday-Fridays, 8:00am-12:00pm*
*4K & 5K classes end at 11:00am daily
Registration will open Friday, March 15. For more information go the the SASD Summer Excel webpage. For Summer EXCEL questions, please reach out to Jeff Eilbes at jeff.eilbes@stougthon.k12.wi.us or 608-877-5422.
Save the Date: EASTER EGG HUNT
Saturday March 23rd from 12:00pm-4:30pm
Kegonsa Elementary School
1400 Vernon Street, Stoughton, WI 53589
This is an FREE event to the public! All you need to do is register to save your spot!
This Event is best for ages Pre K - 5th grade. (We include children ages 1, 2, and 3 years old in our "Under 5" grouping!)
- For ages under 5 the Egg Hunt will start at 12:30pm.
- For ages 5-7 the Egg Hunt will start at 1:15pm
- For ages 8+ the Egg Hunt will start at 2:00pm
For each age group, please choose 1 time slot per child.
Easter Egg Hunt--Games--Arts and Crafts--Prizes and Raffles--Face Painting--Booth Vendors--and MORE! Plus you will get FREE Pictures with the Easter Bunny!!! So bring your camera!
Pre-registration is required to reserve your spot! (608)205-3232
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/