By Lori Ehde
The first class of all day every day kindergartners is about to start first grade, and by all reports, they will be better prepared for first grade than those who attended kindergarten part-time.
Kindergarten teacher Mary Jacobson thanked School Board members at their Thursday, July 26, meeting for deciding to fund all day every day kindergarten another year.
She said some of the problems teachers feared turned out to be no problem, and many of the benefits they anticipated did happen.
"Stamina wasn't a problem at all," Jacobson said. "Having a full day allowed us to break into things slowly. In other years we've had to hit the ground running the very first day."
She said the consistency of a daily routine was most beneficial. "We didn't have to go back and do a lot of reteaching," she said. "The curriculum flowed a lot better for us that way."
She said she's curious to hear from first-grade teachers this year about how prepared the students are for first grade.
"We were really able to build a solid foundation," Jacobson said. "We had a lot of kids who were reading by the end of the year. They were so excited."
Parents Teresa Hup and Karen Wohnoutka attended the meeting to share their observations with board members.
Wohnoutka's son attended every-other-day kindergarten two years ago, and her daughter attended every day last year.
"Kaitlin didn't appear to be as tired going every day as Joe did when he was going every other day," she said.
An assessment designed to measure skills in young students backed up casual observations with measurable data.
By the end of the year, for example, 28 students showed a high mastery of the reading curriculum, compared with only seven students the year before.
Similarly, only nine students this year showed poor mastery of material compared with 27 students last year.
"Obviously, many more students are able to master the curriculum placed before them," Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff said.
"This could be just a bright class of kids, but it wouldn't have made that big a difference in the test scores."
Remodeling update
In other business Thursday, Superintendent Vince Schaefer told board members the middle school-high school remodeling project is continuing on schedule.
Ceiling grid work is being installed in the hallways, and tile and electrical work is going in. That means lighting will soon be available again in hallways, and the acoustical ceilings will be in place before school starts.
"The lunchroom and kitchen is the site of a lot of activity," Schaefer said, referring to installation of a new oven and rewiring there.
The $1 million project includes a new heating, cooling and ventilation system and replacing the 50-year-old electrical service.
At the same time, lighting and ceiling panels are being replaced in first-floor corridors.
"We're hoping the work will be complete by the start of school," he said. "Any details left undone by Sept. 4 will not impede the start of classes."
In other business Thursday, the board...
Took action on new school year business, including bus driver compensation and substitute teacher pay.
Bus drivers will receive $52 per day for regular routes. Last year they received $50. Substitute teacher rate increased from $70 to $85, which is more competitive with area districts.
Agreed to let administrative staff work on a fair way to make the new elementary breakfast program available to all students.
Accepted Bruce Gluf's resignation as cross country coach.
Approved the coaching assignments for 2001-02. Coaches are still needed for head boys' hockey, head cross country, eighth-grade boys' basketball, assistant track, assistant baseball, assistant girls' varsity and ninth-grade girls' basketball.
Approved a leave of absence for paraprofessional Sharon Oksness so she can travel to Rome with her church group. She'll miss seven working days.