CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS
January 6, 2023
Staff Spotlight: CUSD Transitional Kindergarten Teachers
The walls are festooned with colors, shapes, and sea creatures, the floors are awash with numbers, activity maps, and manipulatives, and young students are sitting in a row, criss-cross applesauce, waiting for their turn to speak. It’s not kindergarten, and it’s not preschool. It’s Transitional Kindergarten - or what we refer to as TK.
While TK has been in place for a number of years, it was limited to students turning 5 between September 2 and December 2, per the state’s Education Code. California’s new plan expands the eligibility window by several months over the next few years to include all 4 year olds by 2025-2026, giving students access to a two-year kindergarten program.
This new California Department of Education initiative envisions kindergarten as a two-year program that “seeks to offer developmentally-informed, high-quality instruction to all four-year-old children in the year prior to Kindergarten.” TK has an age eligibility expansion provision, phased in over several years, so every child who turns four by September 1 will have access to TK by 2025–26.
But how does a school district respond when the state requires it to redesign and reimage the program to now serve younger students? Carlsbad Unified responded by putting together a team of teachers and district staff to create a plan, including an updated vision for the program, instructional model and schedule, curriculum and assessments, classroom design and materials, and professional development needs. Carlsbad Unified currently offers TK at two schools, Poinsettia and Jefferson Elementary Schools; this year, we’ve added a new class at each site, including new teachers and classroom instructional assistants, to ensure a staff-to-student ratio of 1:12 in the TK program.
Our TK staff include a group of enthusiastic professionals with the vision, energy, and creativity to engage young learners. Poinsettia teachers Melissa Gilbert, Evelyn Sharifi, and Megan McClurg, and Jefferson teachers Laurel Ferreira, Lisa Marshall, and Tania Kapple have jumped in with both feet. This illustrious group brought their diverse backgrounds and experience together and collaborated to create a stimulating and fun environment for children. They reimagined the classroom, “sprinkling academics” with play stations, dress up, a kitchen, construction blocks, water tables, hands-on math manipulatives, sensory bins, and drama play. The rooms and playgrounds are bright and engaging places to be.
The teachers look forward to their release days to plan together. What does a report card look like? What kind of Professional Development is needed? How to adjust the curriculum for students who, as the age eligibility changes, are younger and younger?
TK teacher Lisa Marshall reports, “The program's design focuses on hands-on learning and peer interactions with a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning. We created a rotation schedule that addresses learning through active play and inquiry. The small rotations provide an in-depth exploration of concepts such as literacy, mathematics, dramatic play, and fine motor skills.”
“This program is so exciting,” says teacher Melissa Gilbert. “TK bridges preschool and kindergarten, allowing us to take our time and letting our students take their time, so that we can focus on developmental aspects and support kindergarten readiness. Students are learning to take turns, raise their hands, get along with other kids, and become ready to learn, while being jump-started with Kindergarten content.”
“The collaboration between teachers enriches student learning. We pull from our diverse backgrounds in early childhood development to create STEAM and literacy experiences through loose parts play, sensory tables, experiments, manipulatives, music, art, and stories,” states TK teacher Laurel Ferreira.
“This is an exciting time for the district as our TK teachers reimagine this program to create learning experiences to get students ready for kindergarten” said Kasia Obrzut, Director of Elementary Education. “They are taking great care to integrate English Language Arts, Math, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Science and Art, and Social-Emotional learning rotations and activities with an age and developmentally appropriate approach, creating a fun learning environment. I am so impressed with their work and dedication.”
Poinsettia and Jefferson Elementary Schools are currently serving a total of about 160 TK students. These numbers will expand as age eligibility increases over the next few years. This year, TK students must be five years old by February 2. In 2023-24, the eligibility date will be April 2; in 2024-25 it will be June 2; and in 2025-26 students must be age four by September 1.
The City of Carlsbad is offering an after-school program for teens
The City Manager shared the following information in his News Update on January 5, 2023:
If you know a young teenager looking for an after-school activity in 2023, please let them know about L.I.T.E. – Leadership in Training & Education. This city program gives younger teens in grades 6 - 9 a place to come and learn essential life skills in a fun and safe environment. We focus on career builders, communication, community service, finances, college, team builders and leadership. Daily homework assistance is also provided. The group meets at the Pine Avenue Community Center.
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Carlsbad Unified School District
Email: cusd@carlsbadusd.net
Website: https://www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us
Location: 6225 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA, USA
Phone: 760-331-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/CarlsbadUnifiedSchools
Twitter: @CarlsbadUSD