Windham Kindergarten Implementation Plan

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Windham KindergartenImplementation Plan

• December 1, 2008

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Background

• Senate Bill 530 passed July 11, 2008
• Requires certain school districts to submit a
  kindergarten implementation plan (by Dec 1, 2008)
  to the commissioner of the department of
  education detailing the districts plan to
  provide a public kindergarten program no later
  than the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.
• Public Kindergarten is not compulsory, but must
  be offered.

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Committee Members

• The committee met from September November 2008,
  representing various constituents. Windham
  appreciates the work that they gave to this
  endeavor.
• Principal of Golden Brook Elementary
  Mrs. Deb Armfield
• Windham School Board Mrs. Beverly
  Donovan
• Parent Mrs. Heather Petro
• Parent Mrs. Leissa Sharpe
• First Grade Teacher Mrs. Donna Maroon
• Local Kindergarten Representative Mrs. Nancy
  DAgostino
• Windham Preschool Rep Ms. Meg Rugg
• SAU Special Education Representative
  Ms. Denise Palmer
• Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Roxanne Wilson

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Items of Consideration

• Enrollment projections
• Philosophy
• Curriculum and program
• Developmental theory
• Academics
• Sessions Schedules
• Recess
• Registrations
• WEA Contract
• Traffic and Transportation
• Start up costs
• Personnel
• Non-consumables
• Supplies

• Facilities Where will Kindergarten be housed?

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Enrollment History
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Enrollment Projections (Oct 2008)
NESDEC
School Boards Association 3 year weighted average
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Projections

• We used the SBA projection of 278, as the
  estimate for the maximum eligible Kindergarten
  students for 2009.
• Ed 306.17 Approval Standards each school
  (K-2) shall strive to achieve the class size of
  20 students or fewer per teacher
• 278 divided by 20 14 sessions or 7 classrooms
• Ideally, Windham would like no more than 16 in a
  Kindergarten class.

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5, half-day sessions

• Minimum 7 classrooms
• 5 days of 1/2 day Sessions (12.5 hours per
  week)
• 7 classrooms for 14 sessions and 2 extra
  classrooms for related services and conferencing.
  
• 845 AM-1115 AM
• 1230 PM-300 PM

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2 full days and 1/2 day Option

• Session 1
• Monday ½ day- Morning (845-1115)
• Tuesday Full Day (915-300) (Lunch)
• Thursday Full Day (915-300) (Lunch)
• Session 2
• Monday ½ day- Afternoon (1230-300)
• Wednesday Full Day (915-300) (Lunch)
• Friday Full Day (915-300) (Lunch)
• Adds outdoor recess during the day

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2 Options Advantages

• ½ days
• Shorter days for those who need it
• Does not include lunch
• Traditional model

• 2 full days and ½ day
• Less truncated day
• Opportunity for more in-depth instruction and
  follow up
• Helps transition to full day grade 1
• Less mid- day traffic
• Helps with extended day needs for IEPs
• Help parents with daycare issues

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Classrooms

• Classrooms will have small group tables and
  chairs, an area rug for circle time, play areas,
  art areas, learning centers, cubicles for
  storage, easels for instruction, and stimulating,
  age-appropriate toys for educational play.
• A certified teacher and an Instructional
  Assistant will be in each classroom.

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Curriculum

• The Committee is still working on a detailed
  kindergarten curriculum. The curriculum follows
  the NH Curriculum Grade Level Expectations and
  Curriculum Frameworks, as well as integrating
  various developmental milestones.

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Curriculum Philosophy

• Windham strives to blend developmental theory and
  the NH curriculum expectations into a balanced
  program aimed at helping each Kindergarten child
  progress. The philosophy of the Windham
  Kindergarten Program is to take each child at the
  level they are when entering Kindergarten and
  work with them in various ways to help them
  achieve the skills and knowledge needed to
  prepare them for first grade.
• We believe that each childs learning needs must
  be nurtured in a safe learning environment and
  discovering concepts is guided by teacher
  direction. Activities should be hands-on, fun,
  and exploratory and engage children to work and
  play together. Many developmental aspects of the
  child are emphasized such as, cognitive, motor,
  social and emotional growth. Many concepts and
  skills are blended into routines of the day.

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Curriculum Philosophy continued

• Due to differences in age, development and
  previous experiences, Kindergarten children have
  a great diversity of knowledge and skill. Some
  children, regardless of their age level, will be
  at the beginning of the learning continuum, while
  others will be further along. Children with
  disabilities may need accommodations and
  modifications of the activities in order to
  benefit from them.  A childs current strengths
  and skills should serve as the starting point for
  new experiences and instruction rather than
  become a limitation.

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Integrated Curriculum

• Language
• Reading
• Writing
• Math
• Integrated Arts (music, art, dramatic play

• Motor Development (fine and gross)
• Social Studies
• Science
• Social/Emotional Development

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Integrated Curriculum

• Music, art and physical movement activities will
  be included in the Kindergarten routine.
• The Committee recommends that the Kindergarten
  program not be included in the GBS Unified Arts
  offerings, at this time, due to limitations of
  staff availability, scheduling and space.

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Outdoor Recess

• The committee recommends that the Kindergarten
  Program not include an outdoor recess time during
  the half day sessions. Talking to several local
  schools who have implemented Kindergartens, there
  is a shift in not offering the outdoor recess
  time. It takes too much time to dress the
  children in their boots, jackets, hats and
  mittens and walk to the playground and then
  return. We feel it is better served to use the
  time for other instructional activities. We will
  offer many activities for gross motor development
  in the classroom and provide plenty of time for
  physical play and movement. There will be
  times when children will go outside for learning
  activities. Parents will be notified of these
  scheduled times, so they can provide more outdoor
  clothes, if needed. We will continue to offer
  snack time in the classroom because this is where
  a lot of instruction is integrated.

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Sample Schedule

• Half Day Sessions Same start time as GBS
• 830-845 Arrival and playground time with other
  students
• 845 Morning Session - 1115 Dismissal
• 1215-1230 Arrival and playground time with
  other students
• 1230 Afternoon Session - 300 Dismissal
• (These times are estimates only and are not
  confirmed)

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Sample Schedule 2 1/2 day option

• Golden Brook will add a 3rd lunch period
• 915 Arrival (parent drop off)
• 915-1100 Instruction
• 1100-1120 Recess
• 1120-1145 Lunch in Café
• 1145-300 Instruction with afternoon break,
  recess
• 300 dismissal (bus home)

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Session Selections

• How do students get into AM or PM sessions?
• The selection system has to be equitable.
• The committee would recommend a process by which
  the administration assigns students randomly.
• There should be a case-by-case flexibility built
  in for changing an assignment based on several
  criteria space available, parent work schedules,
  and daycare provisions.

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Kindergarten Registrations

• Preliminary registrations need to occur early in
  2009 (Jan Feb) for planning purposes.
• Registrations will be done at GBS and online, and
  will need to be done over several days to
  alleviate overcrowding.
• A child may enter Kindergarten if his/her age is
  5 by Sept. 30, 2009 (policy in place)
• Registration details will be advertised.

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Kindergarten Facilities

• Golden Brook is over capacity and needs to add
  portable classrooms for gr. 1 2.
• A 8 room portable will be needed for
  Kindergarten.
• The State will reimburse 100 the installation
  costs of portable K- classroom for 3 years.
• The State will reimburse 75 the construction
  costs of K- classrooms for 3 years.
• The places where the portables can be installed
  are limited because of septic and water hook ups.
  

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Kindergarten Facilities

• A School Board Facilities Committee has been
  investigating long-term recommendations.
• Options that were considered
• Adding a portable on the High School land
• Adding portables onto the WCS GBS site
• Leasing property next to GBS for portables
• Adding portables onto the GBS site for grade 2,
  thereby moving Kindergarten into the school

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Golden Brook School
Portable?
Portable?
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Kindergarten Facilities

• The committee recommends that installing a
  portable near or on the GBS site is the preferred
  short-term solution.
• Site engineers will need to determine the best
  place for the portable.
• The decision as to where the portable will be
  installed will have bearing on other program
  decisions such as traffic patterns, and
  schedules.

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Traffic Patterns

• Kindergarten drop offs and pick ups by car,
  could add another 139 cars to the already very
  congested arrival dismissal times.
• Currently, there are 50 cars for Grades 1 2
• 17 regular busses
• Traffic patterns are dependent on where
  Kindergarten is housed.
• Traffic patterns are dependent on whether bus
  transportation is offered.
• We will need to create a Kindergarten traffic
  loop and increase the traffic monitors.

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Traffic Patterns

• Mid-day drop offs and pick ups will need to
  coordinate with the grades 1 2 lunch/recess
  exiting across the driveway in the back of the
  building to the playground.
• The arrival time in the morning session and
  dismissal time in the afternoon session may have
  to be scheduled slightly different than the start
  or end of school, by 10 or 15 minutes. This will
  help alleviate the congestion of traffic coming
  at the same time.

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Transportation

• Kindergarten transportation is not a requirement
  from the State.
• Additional busses costs 50,198.40 for a morning
  and afternoon run.
• The Committee recommends bussing to alleviate the
  public safety considerations and the logistics of
  absorbing the 100-139 extra cars in the morning
  and afternoon times.
• Mid-day bus run for Kindergarten would cost
  85.00 per day x 180 15,300 per bus. At least
  2 busses and as many as 4 might be needed.
• The Committee recommends that Windham start with
  at least one additional bus to the morning and
  afternoon runs to allow the Kindergarten students
  to ride into school in the morning session and
  students to ride home after the afternoon
  session.
• Full day Kindergarten parents drop off in the AM
  and students take the bus home in the PM
• Kindergarten students who ride the regular bus do
  so as any other students, there is no door to
  door service. Parents or daycare providers will
  have to make arrangements for taking their
  children to school or the mid-day pick ups and
  drop offs.
• The Board can re-consider the mid-day run on a
  year to year basis, after enrollments become more
  stable.

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2 full day and ½ day option with bussing

• No bussing into school on full days parent drop
  off
• Bussing home on full days
• Session 1
• Monday ½ day- Morning (845-1115)
• Bussing to school in the morning on regular bus
  runs
• Tuesday Full Day (915-300) (bus home)
• Thursday Full Day (915-300) (bus home)
• Session 2
• Monday ½ day- Afternoon (1230-300)
• Bussing home in the afternoon on regular runs
• Wednesday Full Day (915-300) (bus home)
• Friday Full Day (915-300) (bus home)

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Personnel Cost Estimates

• Not reimbursed by the State new items are added
  to the school budget

An Assistant Principal is also recommended as it
puts GBS over 500 Students which requires another
administrator according to the ED 306 Minimum
Standards.
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Materials Cost Estimates

• Non-consumables ( furniture, equipment and
  materials )
• Reimbursed by the State
• Approximately 22,500 per classroom
• Consumables ( supplies and materials that will be
  used and can not be re-used )
• Not reimbursed by the State
• Approximately 3,200 per classroom

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Next Steps

• Decide which Session Option to implement
• Send the Implementation Plan to State
• Finalize where Kindergarten portables can be
  placed
• Create a registration process
• Finalize the curriculum
• Complete the program schedule session selection
  
• Create installation plans for the portable
• Hire Staff in the Spring
• Order furniture, materials and supplies
• Open House for parents