4K Connect
WSD 4K Newsletter - November 19, 2021 - Issue 6
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
Amber Channel achannel@wausauschools.org
Riverview - 4K Building Para: 715-261-0040
Jackie Keller jkeller@wausauschools.org
WSD 4K and Early Childhood Program Website: https://4kearlychildhood.wausauschools.org/
Link to WSD E-Flyers https://www.wausauschools.org/e-flyers Click on the E-flyers tab to see a listing of all current school activities flyers.
Link to District Handbook: https://www.wausauschools.org/students
Dear Families,
This time of the year offers the opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation for the many things in which we are thankful. I am extremely thankful for the students, families, and staff in our Wausau School District 4K & EC Programs.
I am always delighted in what I observe in our 4K classrooms. I see big smiles and happy students greeting each other. I hear the enthusiastic comments from children. I see teachers working tirelessly to ensure student safety while arranging their rooms each week with a whole new set of engaging activities. I see children having so much fun interacting and learning from each other. I see instructional aides engaging in conversations with children on the playground. I see children asking friends and adults if they need help. I see children hardly able to wait their turn to give teachers the answer to a question. I hear giggling children. I see pride as children share their work and excitement about learning. I see staff find creative ways to connect-support-engage with all learners. I have so much pride for our staff, students, and families and am so grateful to see joyful learning occurring across all of our 4K and EC sites.
Thank you for your partnership in our 4K and EC Programs. During the days to come, I hope you have beautiful days filled with smiles.
With gratitude,
Kara Rakowski
Wausau School District 4K Principal
Featured Class of the Week
Mark Your Calendars
November
November 24-26: No School
December:
December 8: Parents Connect to School (Jefferson)
December 9: Parents Connect to School (Jones)
December 10: Parents Connect to School (Riverview)
December 15: Parents Connect to School (Hawthorn)
December 23-31: Winter Break
Monk Gardens
Parents Connect to School
Parents/guardians (or another family member) are invited to join a learning activity lead by the classroom teacher each month. During the Parents Connect to School event, your child's teacher will present a short lesson that you will observe. You will then get to play and work with your child one on one with an activity planned by the teacher. This year these events will vary each month with some in-person events and some virtual events. Your child's teacher will not be available to speak specifically about your child at this time.
Parents Connect to School is a special time for students and their parents; for this reason, please make other arrangements for younger siblings for in-person events.
Thank you to all the parents that were able to come to the November Parents Connect to School event at Monk Botanical Gardens.
Wausau West 4K Wrestling Camp
CURRICULUM CORNER
I CAN:
* show around, in, on
* print the first letter of my name
* repeat the U, C, and O sounds
* say the nursery rhymes “Humpty Dumpty”, “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,” and “Little Bo Peep”—with my teachers help
* make small collections of 4
* verbally count to 10 with some correspondence
* show a number representation for a group of objects to 4
* move objects of different shapes to represent an object
* read numbers to 4
TAREGETED VOCABULARY:
* I can use and say these words: turtle, flute, dance, wise
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL I CAN:
* I can point to pictures of faces showing six different feelings.
Tucker's Nursery Rhyme Corner
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty
had a great fall.
All the king's horses
and all the king's men
couldn't put Humpty
together again.
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
how does your garden grow?
With silver bells
and cockle shells,
and pretty maids all in a row.
Little Bo Peep
Little Bo Peep
had lost her sheep,
and can't tell where
to find them;
Leave them alone,
and they'll come home,
bringing their tails
behind them.
FYI
November 15-19 was American Education Week, a time to celebrate public education and honor those who are ensuring public schools are great for every child so that they can grow and achieve in the 21st century. One piece of American Education Week is celebrating Parents Day. Parents play a critical role in our schools and education system. We thank you for being a great support network and partner in your child’s education.
There are many ongoing educational initiatives in Wisconsin. One of these is a system called “Multi tier system of support". MTSS is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. The MTSS process begins with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all children. Student learning is continuously monitored so that students get immediate help.
Teachers are evaluated in a system that supports the continuous improvement of educator practice, and that leads to improved student learning. The system is a performance-based evaluation one that balances an educator’s professional practice with evidence of student outcomes. Teachers meet together weekly to reflect on their practices and look at their assessment data to design instruction and share high-level strategies that work.
I recognize and applaud our 4K & EC staff for the unbelievable devotion and constant work to ensure the success of every child. In addition, thank you to all of the organizations that support the Wausau School District and our 4K & Early Childhood programs.
TUCKER'S HELPFUL TIPS
Understanding emotions is a critical part of children’s overall development. It is up to adults to teach children to understand and deal with their emotions in appropriate ways. They are experiencing so many new and exciting things for the first time. It can be overwhelming!
We need to be sure we always validate our children’s emotions and don’t punish them for expressing their feelings. You might want to remind your child that, “it’s ok to tell me how you feel, but it’s not ok to hurt others or things when you feel (name feeling).”
Children get angry, sad, frustrated, nervous, happy or embarrassed, but they often do not have the words to talk about how they are feeling. Instead, they sometimes act out these emotions in very physical and inappropriate ways. For example, when Maggie’s son was frustrated, he threw the puzzle piece and the puzzle.
Parents can help their child understand and express their emotions. The following strategies are some of the ways you can help your child express his feelings:
· Help your children understand their emotions by first giving the feelings names and then encouraging them to talk about how they are feeling. For example, you might say to your child, “Daddy left on a trip. I'm wondering if you are sad. You said you want your Daddy.” By giving your child a label for her emotions, you enable your child to develop a vocabulary for talking about feelings.
· Give children lots of opportunities to identify feelings in themselves and others. For example, you might say to your child, “Riding your bike is so much fun. I see you smiling. Are you happy?” Or you might point out a situation and ask your child to reflect on what someone else may be feeling: “Joey bumped his head on the slide. How do you think Joey feels?” Characters in books are great examples for explaining different feelings.
Show children what their face looks like in a mirror or on your face and name the emotion.
· Teach your children the different ways they can respond to specific feelings, conflicts or problems. Talk about your own feelings with your children. “Remember yesterday
when the water in the bathtub would not go down the drain? Mommy got so mad.”
A Reminder...
Thank you!!
Notes from the Nurse
Reminder:
WSD COVID GUIDELINES 21-22
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 an the bus company if your child rides the bus.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
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.