SASD 4K Family Newsletter
Grow. Play. Learn.
October 1, 2021
4K friends have been in their classrooms for a month now enjoying the new friendships and learning opportunities. We have partnered with six wonderful centers who are deeply committed to providing a high quality 4 year old kindergarten experience. If you ever have any questions about SASD 4 year old kindergarten please connect with us.
Erin Conrad, SASD 4K Principal
Sara Jane Lee, SASD Inclusion Support Teacher
Mindy Holverson, 4K Educational Assistant
COVID-19 Action Plan & Reporting
Our COVID-19 Self-Screen Quick Sheet details our expectations for all students and staff who enter district buildings or transportation. Anyone entering district buildings or transportation is responsible for self-screening. If you have tested positive for COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been instructed to quarantine due to being a close contact, you may not enter district buildings or transportation.
Reporting Positive Cases, Symptoms or Close Contact Status
If a student meets any of the Three Criteria (tests positive for COVID-19, is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been instructed to quarantine due to being a close contact), the parent or guardian must keep the child at home, call the school's attendance line, fill out the Student COVID-19 Form, and call your child's health care provider to request testing.
If a staff member meets any of the Three Criteria (tests positive for COVID-19, is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been instructed to quarantine due to being a close contact), they should notify their supervisor, fill out the Staff COVID-19 Tracker Form, and wait for next steps.
COVID-19 Action Plan
At SASD, we follow the Action PlanPDF download published by Public Health Madison & Dane County. We also follow the country's Exclusion ChartPDF download.
COVID-19 INFORMATION
- Where can I get tested for COVID? See our new COVID-19 Testing Resource Sheet on our COVID-19 Health & Safety page.
- Our SASD COVID-19 Dashboard is available to the public on our SASD COVID-19 Dashboard page. We’ve updated the dashboard each week of the school year since November 2020.
4K Calendar Updates
No School October 15, 20, 21, 22, 29.
Check with your teacher regarding Parent/Teacher conferences this month.
OWL Curriculum
OWL™ is based on thorough knowledge of the research on early language and literacy development and research on social and emotional development. It systematically builds those skills identified as being of critical importance using methods found by research and augmented by “the wisdom of practice” to support development.
Attention to Phonological Awareness There can be no question that all children must be helped to attend to the sounds of language. Phonological awareness is supported through exposure-based approaches such as singing and reading predictable books, through teacher-led games designed to help children attend to the sounds of language, and by encouraging child-initiated activity such as writing.
October in the OWL Curriculum:
Key words: Cooperative, Helpful, Caring and Sharing
Week 2: My Family-Caring and Sharing
Week 3: My Family-We All Help
Week 4: My Family-Family Fun
SONDAY System Let's Play Learn
Let’s Play Learn offers structured, systematic, multisensory practice for students in preschool through kindergarten. It is used as a tool to develop foundational reading skills and prevent reading difficulties or as an intervention for those who need to strengthen pre-reading skills. Each lesson plan uses proven Orton-Gillingham methods to provide effective intervention in whole-class and small-group settings.
Check out Jessica's video: ABC Time
WE LOVE BOOKS!
Here are some literacy activities for 4K Friends:
- Read to and with your child.
- Make a shopping list together.
- Fine motor practice.
- Listen to stories on tape.
- Puppets.
- Writing and posting a letter.
- Play!
- Matching letters and sounds.
OWL Math
Math is an important part of learning for children in the early years because it provides vital life skills. Math helps children problem solve, measure & develop their own spatial awareness, & teaches them how to use & understand shapes.
This month in 4K students will:
Add up to 4 objects
Subtract 1 to 4 objects from a set
5 Ways to Build Math into Your Child's Day
1. Bake something together
2. Measure, count, and record
3. Build something together
4. Plan dinner or a party
5. Mix in math to your bedtime reading
For more information go to naeyc 5 Ways to Build math into Your Child's Day
Handwriting Without Tears
Handwriting remains a critical skill in the classroom. In order for children to be successful readers, writers—and ultimately communicators—they need a strong foundation. Handwriting can be taught through play! Learning Without Tears offers multisensory activities & manipulatives which appeals to all learning styles & provides a hands-on approach to handwriting. Check out some of the fun happening at home below!
The Pyramid Model
Children need to be specifically taught the problem solving steps, to be able to think of multiple alternative solutions, and to understand that solutions have consequences.
OWL and Tucker the Turtle
OWL helps children build skills regulating emotions and relating to others by providing explicit instruction related to these issues. More importantly, discussion of social and emotional issues are woven into discussions of books and conversations about on-going classroom events. Also, children are repeatedly provided group activities designed to hold their interest and motivating child-initiated activities that they can do alone or with others.
Tucker the Turtle Stays focused at home and school.
Tucker the Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think at Home
Tucker the Turtle is Helpful
The Nurtured Heart Approach
From the virtual desk of NHA:
If you are looking for some strategies to teach your child appropriate behavior while building positive relationships, the message Start Here- NHA is for you!
To Your (and your child’s) GREATNESS, SIGNIFICANCE & HUMANITY...Amy, Sara Jane, Maggie and Karla
Words for the month of October for 4K instruction:
Cooperative- "I show my greatness by playing, sharing and taking turns with my friends."Focused-"I show my greatness by looking with my eyes and keeping my thoughts on my work."
Helpful- "I show my greatness by doing my jobs to keep my home and classroom in order."
The Nurtured Heart Approach Corner
This is the message that I sent to staff this week and I thought that families needed to hear it too. I’m hoping that it will give you some strategies for supporting your student and some understanding of what your child(ren)’s teachers, administrators, educational assistants, custodians, and all other staff members are working through.
The great thing about the beginning of the school year has always been the honeymoon. The blessed few weeks when students are particularly agreeable, malleable and ready to dig into school. This is the time when teachers invest in building strong relationships. Filling the emotional bank account as it were so when undesirable behaviors occur, big and small, the teacher can withdraw from the account to redirect. That’s how relationships work.
That was pre-2020. This is 2021. We were so hopeful that everything would be as it was pre-COVID. Big dreams to accelerate the learning that was lost and to get back to a sense of normalcy. The first few weeks have shown us that we need to rethink our plan. Nothing is normal and the honeymoon never happened.
We have ALL (students, teachers, families, HUMANS) exhausted our surge capacity- “a collection of adaptive systems, mental and physical, that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations”. This prolonged fatigue is increasing anxiety, depression, and dysregulation. We are not able to access our thinking, good decision (frontal) brain when our systems, survival (lower) brain are vigilantly looking for danger.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that we have some strategies to lean into to help us ALL get through these uncertain times.
Slow down and take the time to build stronger relationships- We need to go slow to go fast. Intentionally monitor your energy so you are giving more to the million little, seemingly ordinary things that your students/children are doing.
Breathe- A LOT. You can’t help your students/children get into their thinking brains if you are dysregulated
Model- when you are dysregulated, call it out for your students/children and show them how you regulate
Teach Resets- help your students/children to identify when they are dysregulated. Simply asking them to “reset” when they cross the line and asking them to take a breath is a start
Connect with others- get out of your room, mind, off your devices, and TALK to each. When someone is dysregulated (sad, frustrated, angry, overly silly), ask, “what do you need?”
Show GRACE- we are ALL struggling
Take good care of each other...
And most importantly, when you do go out into the world it is STILL best to hold hands and stick together.
To your Greatness, Humanity, & Significance
Amy, Karla & Sara Jane
Helping Families Cope with COVID-19
Check out these child- and family-friendly resources in English and Spanish from the Center for Child Stress and Health at Florida State University College of Medicine.
RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN
The Germ that Wears a Crown: A Story about the Coronavirus: ( English | Spanish )
My Stress-Less Board ( English | Spanish )
Coronavirus: What Kids Can Do: ( English | Spanish )
Sesame Street in Communities: ( English | Spanish )
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents
COVID-19: Helping My Child Cope ( English | Spanish )
Supporting Children during Coronavirus
Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH THEIR PLAY
When children participate in small and large group activities they learn to follow routines, listen and understand spoken language, new songs and poems, to share ideas with others, to
be a part of a community and to cooperate and consider the needs of others.
When children play with dough or clay they learn the concepts of "more" and "less", shape, size
and space. They learn to develop the muscles in fingers and hands and the amount of
substance remains the same even when the shape changes.
When children scribble-write and draw they are learning to represent thoughts and ideas in
many ways, exercise their imagination and creativity, to hold a pencil, paint brush or marker as their writing tool.
When children play on climbing equipment they are learning self confidence, concepts of space and position, physical strength, coordination and balance, to use their imagination and how to live a healthy, active lifestyle. They learn to solve problems and cooperate with others.
Helping Your Child Learn Responsibility
Notice and narrate- Draw attention to strategies that work. “Moving your puzzle to the table is a good idea. It’s easier to keep track of the pieces,” “You and your sister made up great rules.”
Ask instead of tell- Support your child’s independent actions. Ask, “What’s a safe place to put your cup?,” instead of saying, “Put your cup on the counter.” Note, “I see toy cars in front of the stairs. Where should they be moved?,” instead of insisting, “Someone could trip on the cars. Please move them.”
Put your child in charge- Ask questions that inspire your child to solve problems. “We need a good way to get everyone to the table for dinner. What do you think we should do?” and “We need to find a better place for the boots [bikes, socks, mittens, toys] so we can find them easily. Where do you think they can go?”
Celebrate success- When you notice your child being responsible, show your appreciation. “Hurray! All the coats got hung up today,” “Awesome work setting the table! Dinner was very elegant,” “Thanks for putting the snack wrappers in the garbage. I loved working on a clean counter.”
For more information go to: naeyc Message in a Backpack Helping Your Child Learn Responsibility
Equity Corner
Last month our 4K staff started the series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. We invite you to join us in this work as we continue our work. Click on the link below.
OUR ANTIRACISM PROJECT IS BACK: SEE SEPTEMBER’S RESOURCES
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.
View this month’s resources here.
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/