4K Connect
WSD 4K Newsletter - October 21, 2022 - Issue 4
Notes from the 4K Principal
Dear 4K & Early Childhood families:
Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's education. As we approach the end of the first quarter, please know that we appreciate your partnership, patience and support - you make a difference in your child's learning!
Did you know that pointing out various things while reading to your young child may make the difference to your child being a successful adult reader? Visit the Raise Great Kids website to learn more about giving children the best start possible by doing four simple things: Talk. Sing. Read. Play. Every Child, Every Day.
Print awareness is a child's earliest understanding that written language carries meaning. The foundation of all other literacy learning builds upon this knowledge.
Right now in 4K, your children are being taught the basics about books - that they are read from left to right and top to bottom, that print may be accompanied by pictures or graphics, and that they purpose of reading is to gain meaning from the text and understand ideas that words convey. At home, as you begin reading a book with your child, ask them to show you:
- The front of the book
- The title of the book
- Where you should begin reading on each page
- The back of the book
- Pictures that show what was just read
Reading aloud is important at any age. By asking your child questions while reading, they will begin to develop an understanding of basic story concepts (character, setting, plot, conflict and resolution). Stick to basics: "who's in the story? Oh, a cat? Yes, the cat is the main character. That means the most important animal in the book! What do you think happens next?" Asking simple questions will prepare your child to transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn."
Thanks for your partnership in your child's education.
Kara Rakowski
Wausau School District 4K Principal
Mark Your Calendars
October:
October - parent teacher conferences scheduled at each site
October 26-28: No School for 4K AM & PM (Professional Learning Days )
November:
November 9-21 - parent connect to school trips to Monk Gardens. Look for details from your child's teacher
November 23-25: No Classes
Pictures from our Parents Connect to School trip to Willow Springs
Curriculum Corner
We started our new unit, The Three Bears on October 17th.
LITERACY I CAN:
- find my name
- move things under, over, and across
- when a word doesn't belong in a rhyme or song
- put things that are the same in a group
- start letters at the top
- find something blue
- show big, medium, and little
- share my drawings with my teacher and friends
- repeat the H, T, I (straight line letters)
MATH I CAN:
- place items in a location when given a direction with in/out/on
- sort objects by their shape
- fill a missing element of a pattern (ABAB)
- make a small collection of 3
- compare groups of 1-6 things by matching quantity
- show a number representation for a group of objects to 3
- put objects in order from little to big (size)
- compose with 3D shapes
- read numbers to 3.
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL I CAN:
- I can ask a friend to play with my teacher's help (Friendship 1.1)
- I can do the Tucker Turtle steps during practice time (Frustration Management 1.1) Friends 1.1
TARGETED VOCABULARY:
- I can use and say these words: bears, Goldilocks, big, medium-size, small
LEADER IN ME:
Our Wausau School District 4K Social Emotional Benchmark Friendship 1.1 (I can ask a friend to play with my teacher's help.) Links to the following Leader In Me Habits:
- Habit 1 Be Proactive
- Habit 2 Begin with the end in Mind
- Habit 3 Put First Things First
- Habit 7 sharpen the saw
Tucker's Nursery Rhyme Corner
Old Mother Hubbard
went to the cupboard
to get her poor dog a bone.
But when she got there
the cupboards were bare
so the poor dog had none.
Pease Porridge Hot
Pease porridge cold
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.
Some like it hot
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot
Nine days old!
Three Little Kittens
they lost their mittens,
and they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear,
we sadly fear,
that we have lost
our mittens."
Tucker's Friendly Reminders
FYI -
We try to go outside and play everyday. Please have your child dressed for the weather.
Behavior Tracking Forms
Some of the strategies used related to behavior include:
- Teaching the rules of the classroom
- Providing students with positive recognition when the expected behaviors are demonstrated
- Actively engaging everyone during instruction
- Using visual cues and structuring the environment to clarify routines and expectations
- Providing positive, immediate, frequent, and explicit feedback
We also have considered program wide system of data collection. When a student is having a difficulty with a specific behavior, in addition to re-teaching the expected behavior, 4K staff members will document the specific information using an electronic "Behavior Tracking Form" (BTF). Analyzing and collecting data provides the staff with an opportunity to create additional goals and activities and/or adjust the environment.
We give the students several weeks at the beginning of the school year to adjust and transition to our school routines. After the time has passed, your child's teacher will fill out a BTF when necessary. It is our goal as a program to use the data to focus on positive "next steps" in the problem solving process.
You are a critical part of this process - so we will continue to keep you informed of strategies that we are using in the classroom.
Attendance Matters!
You may find it helpful to educate your child about the importance of school attendance, and the ATTENDANCE MATTERS now and in their future. Here are some important facts that are supported by research.
FACT: Good attendance habits that students develop while in school will carry over into good work and attendance habits after graduation in employment.
FACT: Students who attend school and graduate have greater incomes than students who do not graduate.
FACT: Regular school attendance can also help students who are learning English by giving them the chance to master the skills and information they need more quickly and accurately even in our subjects!
FACT: Just by being present at school, students learn how to be good citizens by participating in the school community and they learn valuable social skills.
AND ONE MORE: A high attendance rate is more predictive of student graduation than standardized test scores!
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 an 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.
Tucker's 4K Spotlight - Our 4K & EC staff
WSD 4K Academy at GD Jones
Wausau, WI 54401
715-261-0265
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
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
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
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: