"there’s a wide range to learning everything in the early years"

The Sunday edition of the Boston Globe has a good article summarizing the changes to kindergarten curriculum over the year. The title of the article asks: "Is the Common Core killing kindergarten?"

LAST SPRING, Susan Sluyter quit teaching kindergarten in the Cambridge Public Schools. She’d spent nearly two decades in the classroom, and her departure wasn’t a happy one. In a resignation letter, Sluyter railed against a “disturbing era of testing and data” that had trickled down from the upper grades and was now assaulting kindergartners with a barrage of new academic demands that “smack of 1st or 2nd grade.” The school district did not respond to a request for comment. 

But Sluyter’s complaints touched a national nerve. Her letter went viral, prompting scores of sympathetic comments by other frustrated teachers and parents. Sluyter’s letter was fresh evidence for groups of early-childhood educators who oppose the kindergarten expectations for math and English Language Arts, or ELA, set by the new Common Core, the academic benchmarks for K-12 that most states have adopted to replace the historic patchwork of standards.

Continue reading the article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2015/06/13/common-core-killing-kindergarten/lydG3pnscVEnTEoELUZWdP/story.html

Susan Sluyter's resignation letter can be found here
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/03/23/kindergarten-teacher-my-job-is-now-about-tests-and-data-not-children-i-quit/

"translating to a 'painful' $17.6 million cut for the more than 100 communities"

Over the years, the funding for the grants has fluctuated. But the previous three fiscal years have seen a consistent decrease. And if the Senate budget stands, next fiscal year’s cut would represent the most significant drop in funding since the state began offering the grants in 2001. 

“If the decision results in a reduction of funds it would reflect a disappointing trend that would signal a decline in funding programs for emerging learners,” said Franklin Public Schools Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski. “The research shows that early childhood education pays dividends over time.” 

Franklin first applied for the grant to establish free full-day kindergarten, Sabolinski said, but has leaned on it less and less as the program grew. 

“We do not rely on the grant to fund our full-day kindergarten program; however it does supplement our budget and enables us to hire additional educational assistants and to use the funds to facilitate training for our teachers,” she said. 

Sabolinski would be surprised if the Legislature moved forward with the cut, as it is sure to “create a burden” for some districts.

Continue reading the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150613/NEWS/150617855/1994/NEWS 

Franklin just passed the FY 2016 budget on Thursday. Some of the discussion including the presentation summarizing the school portion of the budget can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/06/live-reporting-town-council-budget.html

Kindergarten Information Night at Kennedy and Parmenter Schools

Tonight is the first of several nights where the local elementary schools will host an information night for kindergarten.


What is a Kindergarten Information Night?

"This an opportunity for a brief tour of the school and a presentation by the principal and kindergarten team to introduce you to the building, the routines, the curriculum and the expectations for your student."

• J.F. Kennedy Elementary - May 14th @6pm
• Parmenter Elementary - May 14th @6pm
• Helen Keller Elementary - May 20th @6pm
• Davis Thayer Elementary - May 21st @6pm
• Oak Street Elementary - May 27th @6pm
• Jefferson Elementary - May 28th @6pm

Parmenter School sign with Kindergarten information noght
and Memorial Day program schedule

Note: given the apparent disconnect in the starting times, I would go with the sign info and worse case you'll be early (as opposed to having missed something).

Should there be High Stakes Testing for Kindergarteners???

Reminder: there is a forum for parents with current kindergarteners or those with children coming into kindergarten in September. 

This meeting will happen at the Alumni Restaurant (Function Room) 391 East Central Street Franklin MA from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Childcare will be provided. 

You can sign up for childcare with the information here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/05/should-there-be-high-stakes-testing-for.html


Related to this meeting, John Oliver does his thing on standardized testing! 

Should there be High Stakes Testing for Kindergarteners???

Do you have a child in kindergarten? Or one beginning kindergarten in September? 

Either way, you might want to schedule to participate in this information session sponsored by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Franklin Education Association (the union representing Franklin's teachers).

Child care will be provided. Register in advance to ensure you have coverage.

While good teaching practice involves assessment of students, the TS Gold Assessment given in Kindergarten is extensive and unwarranted. This test has put a great deal of stress on both students and educators and takes a tremendous amount of time away from good teaching practice. 

Teachers using TS Gold process have to spend precious class time documenting the personal achievement of students and uploading it to a private companies website. 

For more information about the impact of this assessment, please come to a meeting sponsored by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the Franklin Education Association to be held May 12, 2015. 

This meeting will happen at the Alumni Restaurant (Function Room) 391 East Central Street Franklin MA from 6:00 to 8:00 Pm. Childcare will be provided. 

Please email CSingleton@massteacher.org to RSVP that you will be attending.

What is TS Gold?

From the MA DESE webpage:

Teaching Strategies GOLD is an assessment system for children from birth through kindergarten designed to help teachers: observe and document children’s development and learning over time; support, guide, and inform planning and instruction; identify children who might benefit from special help, screening, or further evaluation; and report and communicate with family members and others.  Teaching Strategies GOLD also enables to teachers to (1) collect and gather child outcome information as one part of a larger accountability system and (2) provide reports to administrators to guide program planning and professional development opportunities.  Teaching Strategies GOLD addresses the following Developmental Domains: (1) Social-Emotional, (2) Physical, (3) Language, (4) Cognition, (5) Literacy, (6) Mathematics, (7) Science and Technology, (8) Social Studies, (9) The Arts, and (10) English Language Acquisition.

screen grab of MA GOV webpage on the TS Gold assessments

Franklin is currently assessing only 2 of the domains listed as part of a pilot. The individual assessments take the kindergarten teachers away from time spent teaching the class. The State has not yet decided what will happen with the program next year. The more people know about the program, the better the decision should be to either continue or discontinue the assessments.

For additional information on this program, explore the state webpage
http://www.mass.gov/edu/birth-grade-12/early-education-and-care/mkea/#description

Kindergarten Information Night Schedule

From the ECDC Principal's Page we find and share the upcoming Kindergarten Information Night schedule.

What is a Kindergarten Information Night?

"This an opportunity for a brief tour of the school and a presentation by the principal and kindergarten team to introduce you to the building, the routines, the curriculum and the expectations for your student."

• J.F. Kennedy Elementary - May 14th @6 pm
• Parmenter Elementary - May 14th @6pm
• Helen Keller Elementary - May 20th @6pm
• Davis Thayer Elementary - May 21st @6pm
• Oak Street Elementary - May 27th @6pm
• Jefferson Elementary - May 28th @6pm

For other ECDC information you can follow the Principal's Page here
http://ecdcprincipalpage.blogspot.com/

the Oak St - Horace Mann schools entrance on a sunny day

Franklin Kindergarten Registration NEXT WEEK!

The Franklin Public Schools announces

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION!

April 13^th      4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

April 15^th      4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Horace Mann Middle School – Cafeteria

224 Oak Street, Franklin

Oak St (left door) and Horace Mann (right door) building entrances

Children who will be 5 years-old on or before August 31, 2015 are eligible to attend kindergarten during the 2015-16 school year. 

Parents or guardians should plan to attend one of the two registration sessions, however children need not attend. 

Required forms as well as additional information can be found on the ECDC website http://franklinecdc.vt-s.net/pages/index  or by contacting Kelty Kelley, ECDC Principal @ 508 541-8166 or kelleyk@franklin.k12.ma.us.

Kelty Kelley, Principal

F. X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center

224 Oak Street

Franklin, MA 02038

Phone:  508-541-8166

Fax:            508-541-8254

kelleyk@franklin.k12.ma.us

"There is no hand so small that it cannot leave an imprint on the world!" Klub Kidz

Reminder: open house - Sunrise Montessori - March 19

Montessori Open House

Thursday, March 19 from 4 to 6pm

31 Hayward St., Franklin

Free event. The public is welcome to learn about our Montessori preschool and kindergarten programs.

Sunrise Montessori School

Website: www.MySunriseMontessori.com

Contact: Karen Roeber, Director at 508-541-8010

Remindder: Open House - Sunrise Montessori School - March 19

Montessori Open House

Thursday, March 19 from 4 to 6pm

31 Hayward St., Franklin

Free event. The public is welcome to learn about our Montessori preschool and kindergarten programs.

Sunrise Montessori School

Website: www.MySunriseMontessori.com

Contact: Karen Roeber, Director at 508-541-8010

Open House March 19 at Sunrise Montessori School

Montessori Open House

Thursday, March 19 from 4 to 6pm

31 Hayward St., Franklin

Free event. The public is welcome to learn about our Montessori preschool and kindergarten programs.

Sunrise Montessori School

Website: www.MySunriseMontessori.com

Contact: Karen Roeber, Director at 508-541-8010

Attn Parents: Kindergarten Registration - Apr 13 and Apr 15

The Franklin Public Schools announces

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION!

April 13^th      4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

April 15^th      4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Horace Mann Middle School – Cafeteria

224 Oak Street, Franklin

Children who will be 5 years-old on or before August 31, 2015 are eligible to attend kindergarten during the 2015-16 school year. 

Parents or guardians should plan to attend one of the two registration sessions, however children need not attend. 

Required forms as well as additional information can be found on the ECDC website http://franklinecdc.vt-s.net/pages/index  or by contacting Kelty Kelley, ECDC Principal @ 508 541-8166 or kelleyk@franklin.k12.ma.us.

Oak St - Horace Mann on a summer day

Kelty Kelley, Principal

F. X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center

224 Oak Street

Franklin, MA 02038

Phone:  508-541-8166

Fax:            508-541-8254

kelleyk@franklin.k12.ma.us

"There is no hand so small that it cannot leave an imprint on the world!" Klub Kidz

Franklin Blog: ECDC Principal Page

Kelty Kelly, the principal at ECDC, is writing a blog. 

Welcome to the F.X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) Principal Page! Here families and community members will find updates, information and resources, as well as pictures and commentary from ECDC Principal, Kelty Kelley.

A new post highlights kindergarten registration information for ECDC families. Note that while this information is targeted for the ECDC families, those who may have children attending ECDC in a future school year could find this useful.

Kindergarten Registration:
This year we are working to simplify and streamline the Kindergarten Registration process for current ECDC families. Here at ECDC, we will be collecting and coordinating the required documentation, as well as scheduling Kindergarten Screenings (once the dates become available). By taking these new steps, we will expedite your child’s registration and eliminate the need for you to attend the district-wide registration. Within the next week all families with children entering Kindergarten will receive a packet of information with more details!

You can read Kelty's full posting here
http://ecdcprincipalpage.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-couple-of-updates.html

screen grab of ECDC principal page

Related post:
ECDC now accepting registration for 2015-2016 school year
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/01/ecdc-is-now-accepting-applications-and.html

This page has been added to the Franklin Area blog listing found in the far right column of Franklin Matters. You can subscribe to the ECDC Principal Page to receive updates via RSS feed or email.

"no evidence that mastering these standards in kindergarten rather than in first grade brings lasting gains"

One key concept being lost in the educational discussion is "developmentally appropriate." This article from the Washington Post highlights a report showing no studies supporting the Common Core and reading requirements for kindergarten level students.

The Common Core State Standards call for kindergartners to learn how to read, but a new report by early childhood experts says that forcing some kids to read before they are ready could be harmful. 

Two organizations that advocate for early childhood education — Defending the Early Years and Alliance for Childhood — issued the report titled “Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose.” It says there is no evidence to support a widespread belief in the United States that children must read in prekindergarten or kindergarten to become strong readers and achieve academic success.

Brian Peyes-Mendez participates in a test with Kendra Sarris as kindergarten teachers assess students with new tests, on Oct. 30 in Accokeek, Md. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

The report summary outlines the following:

• Many children are not developmentally ready to read in kindergarten, yet the Common Core State Standards require them to do just that. This is leading to inappropriate classroom practices.
• No research documents long-term gains from learning to read in kindergarten. 
• Research shows greater gains from playbased programs than from preschools and kindergartens with a more academic focus.
• Children learn through playful, handson experiences with materials, the natural world, and engaging, caring adults.
• Active, play-based experiences in language rich environments help children develop their
• ideas about symbols, oral language and the printed word — all vital components of reading.
• We are setting unrealistic reading goals and frequently using inappropriate methods to accomplish them.
• In play-based kindergartens and preschools, teachers intentionally design language and literacy experiences which help prepare children to become fluent readers.
• The adoption of the Common Core State Standards falsely implies that having children achieve these standards will overcome the impact of poverty on development and learning, and will create equal educational opportunity for all children.

You can find the full report here

https://deyproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/readinginkindergarten_online-1.pdf

KinderCare Learning Center - Winter Event - Dec 13

WINTER EVENT

December 13th

From 1-3pm

KinderCare Learning Center

42 Pond Street, Franklin MA

Join us here for a fun afternoon of Gingerbread Man Decorating!
We will have some Winter Crafts and a Hot Chocolate Bar!
Santa will also be visiting!
We would love to have you stop by for an enjoyable afternoon!

Price of Admission: Donations at the door of Toiletry Items or cans of pineapple for the Franklin Food Pantry

Franklin KinderCare Learning Center

winter event flyer

Kindergarten Information Nights Scheduled

FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION NIGHTS 

Announced 2014-2015

(Parents/Guardians only please)

The principals at each elementary school invite parents to join them for a tour and information session. This adult-only event provides parents and guardians with information about a typical kindergarten day and helps you prepare for the transition. Families with children eligible for kindergarten should plan on attending the session at their child's home school.

• J.F. Kennedy Elementary May 15th 6:00 pm
• Parmenter Elementary May 21st 6:00 pm
• Jefferson Elementary May 22nd 6:00 pm
• Helen Keller Elementary May 15th 6:00 pm
• Davis Thayer Elementary May 22nd 6:00 pm
• Oak Street Elementary May 28th 6:00 pm

Franklin Public Schools

Kindergarten Registration

The Franklin Public Schools announces

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION!

April 7^th       4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

April 10^th      4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Horace Mann Middle School – Cafeteria

224 Oak Street, Franklin

Children who will be 5 years-old on or before August 31, 2013 are eligible to attend kindergarten during the 2014-15 school year. 

Parents or guardians should plan to attend one of the two registration sessions, however children need not attend. 

Required forms (available 3-3-14), as well as additional information, can be found on the ECDC website http://franklinecdc.vt-s.net/pages/index  or by contacting Kelty Kelley, ECDC Principal @ 508 541-8166 or kelleyk@franklin.k12.ma.us.

Oak St - Horace Mann Complex

"warnings went unheeded"

On the education front, the growth of the common core and standardized testing should be discussed. 

A new University of Virginia study found that kindergarten changed in disturbing ways from 1999-2006. There was a marked decline in exposure to social studies, science, music, art and physical education and an increased emphasis on reading instruction. Teachers reported spending as much time on reading as all other subjects combined. 

The time spent in child-selected activity dropped by more than one-third. Direct instruction and testing increased. Moreover, more teachers reported holding all children to the same standard. 

Is this drastic shift in kindergarten the result of a transformation in the way children learn? 

No. A 2011 nationwide study by the Gesell Institute for Child Development found that the ages at which children reach developmental milestones have not changed in 100 years.

What I find interesting is that the Univ of Virginia study covered the period 1999-2006. The trend they noticed has only increased since 2006. If one follows that logic, then we are worse off because of this.

You should continue to read the full article quoted here  http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Lecker-The-disturbing-transformation-of-5256686.php

Oak St/Horace Mann school complex

Disclosure - yes, my wife happens to be a kindergarten teacher here in Franklin. 

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten Registration for September 2014 will be held on:

Monday, April 7, 2014 from 4:00 - 8:00 PM and
Thursday, April 10, 2014 from 4:00 - 7:00 PM
at the Horace Mann/Oak Street Complex.

Registration forms will be available after March 3rd on the Kindergarten Registration web page, and at the office of the Superintendent.

Horace Mann Middle School on a fall day

Kindergarten ends Jun 19

Oh my, the last day of kindergarten is the 19th! Those precious darlings will soon be 1st graders!

Where did the school year go?

Parmenter sign

The last day of school is scheduled for June 26th.

In the News: Tri-County, charter school, kindergarten

Tri-County announces first annual golf tournament

The first annual Tee-Off For Tri-County Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, May 11 at the New England Country Club, located at 180 Paine Street in Bellingham, MA, beginning at 1 pm with a shotgun start.

State to conduct review of charter school in Franklin

The Department of Education will conduct a coordinated program review of the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School during the week of May 6 through 10.

Franklin offers summer program for incoming kindergartners

Franklin Public Schools Summer Program 2013 is offering Ready Set Kindergarten.