Transitional Kindergarten Kindergarten

1. Transitional KindergartenKindergarten Kindergarten and Transitional kindergarten are part of a two year program. This program is not mandatory but is an option for younger children to build a strong foundation for upcoming school years.

2. Why was transitional kindergarten introduced in California? Transitional kindergarten was introduced after a 2010 California law called the “Kindergarten Readiness Act” changed the cutoff birth date for kindergarten entry from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1. This meant that 4-year-olds who turn 5 by Dec. 2 were no longer eligible for kindergarten as study has shown that overall their academic performance tend to be lower than those who attended Kindergarten at the age of 5. The new law requires Children to be 5 by Sept. 1 to enroll in Kindergarten. In response, transitional kindergarten was established as a state funded program in 2012 to accommodate those 4-year-olds who were previously eligible for kindergarten (historically, up to a quarter of the state Kindergarten population in the past).

3. What is transitional kindergarten? Transitional kindergarten, sometimes referred to as TK, is a publicly funded program for 4-year-olds who turn 5 between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2. Transitional kindergarten is an option for younger children, who are not old enough for kindergarten, to gain social and academic experience.Transitional kindergarten is designed to be a bridge between preschool and kindergarten. Children who are enrolled in transitional kindergarten can enroll in traditional kindergarten classes the following year. Although there is no mandated curriculum, transitional kindergarten is modeled on a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. Districts and schools have flexibility with how to implement curriculum, but the California Department of Education states that transitional kindergarten is meant to closely follow guidelines in the California Preschool Learning Foundations  developed by the  department. Districts are expected to use those guidelines as a foundation for instruction.

4. Are children required to attend transitional kindergarten? No. Transitional kindergarten is not mandatory in California. Parents decide whether to enroll their children in preschool or transitional kindergarten. California does not require children to be enrolled in public school until their 6th birthday, and at that point, individual school districts decide whether students enrolling for the first time should be in kindergarten or 1st grade.

5. How is transitional kindergarten different from preschool? Transitional kindergarten is part of the California K-12 public school system. The California Department of Education states that all transitional kindergarten teachers must meet the credential requirements to teach kindergarten in the K-12 system. Preschools do not have that requirement and teachers can be certified through other child development programs. Transitional kindergarten classes are designed to prepare children for kindergarten and often use a combination of standards, including the Common Core Standards for kindergarten and the California Department of Education’s Preschool Learning Foundations. As a result, there is more alignment between TK and K-3 experience. The programs are designed to spend more time on teaching social and emotional skills, such as self-confidence and cooperation and child led exploration. The emphasis on early academic skills, such as numbers and letters may still be greater than preschool because of the proximity to and alignment with statewide Kindergarten program.

6. What are the eligibility criteria for kindergarten enrollment? Eligibility for kindergarten is on the basis of age only. Once a child has entered kindergarten, some districts or schools may administer tests to determine a child’s readiness for specific aspects of the curriculum. The only state-adopted test used at the kindergarten level is the California English Language Development Test (also known as the CELDT), administered to students whose primary language is other than English. Letter ID, sound and numbers, holding scissors and pencil, recognizing first name and asking help when needed are skills that can help to have a better start.

7. Do The subject-matter standards apply to kindergarten? California's content standards, which are designed to encourage the highest achievement of every student by defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade level, are available for the core subjects at all grade levels, including kindergarten. See the State Board-adopted content standards on the California Department of Education's Web site at www.cde.ca.gov

8. Full-day TK and K Full‐day and half‐day classes are defined in terms of the number of instructional hours spent in the classroom, not the total number of hours at school.   Thus lunchtime, for example, is not counted as instructional time. California’s half‐day classes offer up to four hours of instruction per day. Full‐day classes offer more than four hours of instruction, with about 80% of full‐day classes providing at least five hours of instruction per day. We offer full-day TK/K at our school.

9. Recess and lunch break TK/K students get one recess and a lunch break daily. Part of the break is for them to eat and gain energy and part to socialize and play. Kindly provide snake for recess (even if your child gets school hot lunch) and lunch for lunch time in a container that your child can easily open and close. We highly recommend investing in spill proof water bottles for this age. You can get information on school hot lunch, free and reduced meal application, monthly menu, prepaid lunch... on district web site under Students Nutrition Services. Below is the link. http://cusdk8nutrition.com/index.php?sid=1805092039571289 Volunteers to monitor students during lunch time are always more than welcome. We have lunch supervisor positions (paid hourly) open if you are interested.

10. Transportation District provides transportation. For eligibility and more information kindly visit district website. Below is a link to Transportation page. https://www.cusdk8.org/domain/94 If you are considering school bus transportation for TK/K student, we would highly recommend to monitor your and help your child to learn the process and route to get on and off the school bus.

11. Parent Involvement and Children’s Academic and Social Development Predictor of student's achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that student's family is able to: • Create a home environment that encourages learning • Express realistic high expectations for their children's achievement and future careers • Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community Studies show that parent involvement activities that are effectively planned and well implemented result in substantial benefits to children, parents, educators and the school. Parent volunteering at schools and their involvement in school makes a big difference in academic and social development of the children.

12. Get Started as a Volunteer Researchers have evidence for the positive effects of parent involvement on children, families, and school when schools and parents continuously support and encourage the children's learning and development. Parents involvement at school allows parents to monitor school and classroom activities and to coordinate their efforts with teachers to encourage acceptable classroom behavior and ensure academic support. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in general. Please consider to volunteer at school and kindly complete the requirements (completing volunteer forms, get fingerprinted, TB text...) early enough as the process takes long, to be ready to join us in classrooms, school and on field trips when school starts. Below is a link to information/forms on how to become a volunteer at CUSD. https://www.cusdk8.org/domain/83

13. ELD The ELPAC is the test that is used to measure how well students in kindergarten through twelfth grade understand English when it is not their primary language. The ELPAC is taking the place of the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Information from the ELPAC helps your child’s teacher provide support in the right areas. The ELPAC has two parts: Initial Assessment Who: Students will take the Initial Assessment if: the student has a primary language other than English the student has not taken the CELDT or ELPAC before, and the student has not been classified before as an English learner. What: The Initial Assessment is used to identify students as either an English learner who needs to support to learn English, or as proficient in English. When: Students are given the Initial Assessment within 30 days of when they enroll at the school. Why: Identifying students who need help learning in English is important so these students can get the extra help they need to do well in school and access the full curriculum. Every year students who are English learners will take the ELPAC summative to measure their progress in learning English. Summative Assessment Who: The Summative Assessment is given to students who are identified as an English learner on the Initial Assessment. What: The Summative Assessment is used to measure the skills of English learners. The results will help tell the school or district if the student is ready to be reclassified as proficient in English. When: Students who are English learners are given the Summative Assessment every spring between February and May until they are reclassified as English proficient. Why: Identifying students who need help learning in English is important so these students can get the extra help they need to do well in school and access the full curriculum. Every year students who are English learners will take the ELPAC summative to measure their progress in learning English. The ELPAC tests four different area: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing

14. Kimochis When it comes to strengthening resilience and improving academic achievement, social-emotional learning and caring relationships are essential. Social-emotional awareness allows children and adults to control their behavior, understand how their behavior impacts others and enables them to empathize and collaborate with others. When teachers and students cultivate their social-emotional skills and practice self-care, they can respond to challenging moments with compassion and understanding and cultivate a more effective academic mindset. Kimochis Social Emotional Program The Kimochis (feeling in Japanese) elementary probram is a universal, school-based, social emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum designed to give children the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging situations constructively. These skills have been identified by leading researchers in the field of social and emotional learning as necessary for school success, academic achievement, positive social relationships and the development of emotional competence.Therefore, social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical for students to reach their full potential.

15. Units of Study in Writing Writers’ workshop is a framework for teaching writing. Our school is implementing writers’ workshop approach using Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study which centers on independent student work in combination with teacher modeling and one-on-one and small-group guidance. Students will learn about fiction and nonfiction and will work on three genres during the school year. The genres are • Narrative • Informational • Opinion

16. Home work Reading to your child and with your child and talking about books read on a daily basis is what all teachers agree on being the most effective homework. Teachers may chose to give homework to students to review skills taught at school and for parents to get an idea about the topics covered (15-30 min/day). Establishing 15-30 minutes daily reading time is the best gift that you can give to your child and a life long habit to enjoy.

17. RegisterationPre-assessment Incoming kindergarten students will receive a letter in summer with when and where to go for pre-assessment before school starts. It is usually during the last week of summer before school starts and takes place in kindergarten classrooms. Each student randomly gets assigned to a teacher for a half an hour assessment. This is solely to help kindergarten teachers to best form balanced classrooms.

18. PTO The Stevens Creek Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the education and welfare of students, to enriching classroom learning, to supporting teachers, and to organizing events that cultivate a cooperative community and social climate for students, families and staff. Thanks to PTO are school is able to provide students with library time, music time, computer lab time and to assist teachers with grants to bring the best to their classroom based on their needs. Below is a link to our school PTO website. We highly encourage you to support PTO with your donations ( many companies match your donation), volunteering for fund raising event and getting involved in any possible was as together we can bring the best to our students and community.