U-46 introduces full-day kindergarten
More than 2,500 kindergartners will enter school doors this year as the first districtwide class to stay for a full day, launching an educational journey that will take them to graduation day in 2029 at the Sears Centre Arena.
School District U-46 leaders will welcome the Class of 2029 on the first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 17, with fully-stocked classrooms, play-based lesson plans and teachers who work together to meet each child's needs.
"We're excited to launch our play-based Full-Day Kindergarten program across the district," said School District U-46 CEO Tony Sanders. "We can't wait for the Class of 2029 to begin their educational journey here at U-46."
The district's vision for universal Full-Day Kindergarten is coming to fruition this year after several years of consideration and plenty of research and planning over the past year.
Principals and kindergarten teachers from the district's 40 elementary schools spent an extra eight days in professional development seminars this summer to hone their skills and techniques for educating kindergartners.
U-46 teachers will implement play-based lesson plans that teach children through hands-on and full sensory experiences. The kindergarten students will learn some basic building blocks of math and literacy, but they will also enjoy plenty of time interacting with each other and naturally acquiring their social and emotional skills.
This form of interactive and hands-on learning will help children learn about their world through exploration. A full six-hour day also allows more time for individual teacher-student attention that helps develop the whole child - academically, emotionally, physically and socially.
"With the full day, we have the time to really target the students' needs," said U-46 FDK bilingual teacher Zahidee Marcano. "Without the extra time, we wouldn't be able to give them the solid base they need and will transfer to another language."
The Citizens' Advisory Council helped turn Full-Day Kindergarten into a reality by presenting the recommended boundary changes to the U-46 Board of Education, which then voted for the changes last December. Along with making FDK happen, the new elementary school boundary lines have allowed the district to use space more efficiently and reduce the number of mobile classrooms.
The boundary changes primarily impact 13 of our elementary schools and about 600 students.
As part of the new boundary lines, the district approved additions at Coleman, Highland and Laurel Hill elementary schools. Coleman and Highland now house 10 additional classrooms each, and Laurel Hill features six more, bringing the total to 26 new classrooms. The three schools now provide much-needed classroom space for the arrival of kindergarten students across the district.
To learn more about the district's plans for FDK and see parental resources, visit http://bit.ly/1lXZnWi.