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BACK to Grapevine HOME | Shen HOME KINDERGARTENOn this page: AM/PM Kindergarten, Kindergarten Screening, Rules for Entering Kindergarten, Full-day Kindergarten; EDK-Extended Day Kindergarten
Posted on February 26, 2010 My son is in full day pre k in private school. My concern is that I don't want him to go from full day pre k to half day kindergarten can I put him in the private school kindergarten and switch him to first grade after he is finished with his kindergarten there?
Posted on May 26, 2009 I heard that there is a 4 week program for entering kindergarteners at Chango elementary. Why isn't there the same program for ALL entering kindergarteners at ALL of the elementary schools. It is afterall ONE district.
Years ago, Chango PTA developed a short afterschool program for pre-k students getting ready to enter kindergarten at Chango. Parent Volunteers organize and supervise the activities. Chango Staff members associated with Kindergarten will share information at the conclusion of the program in the form of a "Kindergarten Parent Information Meeting." AM/PM Kindergarten
Posted on February 5, 2008 How do you decide if a child is enrolled in AM or PM kindergarten? Are neighborhoods grouped together in the same session? I think you should be more accommodating to parents and they should have a say in which session their child attends.
Shen is a mobile community with many families moving in and out or within the district throughout the school year and during the summer. The number of kindergarten students registered varies from year to year, as well as the numbers from various neighborhoods across the district. Assignment to AM/PM kindergarten ultimately depends on the number of classes in each school and the need to balance enrollment within those classes. Neighborhoods are typically grouped together for transportation efficiency. It is our intent to treat each student and family as fairly as possible, therefore we cannot make exceptions for some and not for others.
Posted on September 18, 2008 My daughter will be going to Kindergarten. Is it true that if she is assigned to go to in the am in the Fall that she will be switched to pm for the Spring or vice versa? If so, what is the purpose of this switch. Thank you.
No. Your child is given a yearly assignment. If he/she is assigned AM in the fall, then he/she will attend AM in the spring.
Posted on August 13, 2008 Has the district ever explored the idea of switching neighborhoods each year for AM and PM Kindergarten assignments? Several area districts do this. It seems to be a more fair way to decide AM and PM assignments.
Each year we look at the number of kindergarten students, where they live, determine how many of the students will be a.m. and how many p.m. to achieve a good balance, and finally set up routes to get them to and from school in the most efficient and shortest bus ride possible. Kindergarten Screening
Posted on September 30, 2010 Why does Shen not do a true screening for kindergarten? Along with not having a full-day kindergarten, the children aren't really screened like they are in the other districts. And by the time it is September - it is really too late to plan appropriately. These two areas of kindergarten (no full day and no real screening) have to either be setting the kids back or really boring a lot of kindergartners - especially since most pre-schools already cover what seems to be happening in the 2.5 hours the kids are in kindergarten.
Posted on February 29, 2008 How will I know if my child is ready for kindergarten? Do you test children?
Posted on July 9, 2008 Why is Kindergarten screening done in September? Wouldn't it make sense to screen incoming Kindergarten students in the Spring prior to their entry, so as to create more balanced classes?
Kindergarten screening is done in September to give the children the maximum amount of growing time prior to screening. This past year we piloted a standardized screening in June for three schools, but found that the data we accumulated was not distinctly more informative than the screening done in previous years in September.
Posted on July 9, 2008 Someone told me that kindergarten screening now catches not only kids with concerns but also gifted kids, which it did not a few years ago. Is that not true? Is the screening the same in all the schools? How many gifted kindergarteners were identified during this year's screening? Were their parents notified? How was their school program changed?
The State requires kindergarten screening for learning concerns and for potential giftedness. If a child is found to be potentially gifted, programming is differentiated within the classroom. Parents who have concerns should discuss them with their child's teacher.
Posted on June 17, 2008 I heard Shen is changing the way kindergarten screening is done. Will it be different in all the schools in September or just piloted in some schools? How is it different from the old screening? Will it be done during the first week of school? Will all the parents receive a copy of the results?
Kindergarten screening will be done as it has been in the past, during the first few days of school. Information gleaned from the screening will be reported to parents if there are any concerns raised during screening.
Posted on April 10, 2008 Why doesn't Shen offer kindergarten screening during the spring of the previous school year like other districts? The meeting in August with student and teacher before the start of school is too late and lacking. This would help parents decide if there child is ready, especially one with possible learning disabilities and whether a parent should consider a Pre-K program.
We actually did screen last year at three of our schools using a national screening process and we found that the number of children who were identified as possibly needing intervention was no more accurate than our own screening in September. If an entering kindergarten child has learning disabilities, the child may be better served in school where there are resources available for instruction. If a parent has concerns about a child, please call the Deputy Superintendent's office at 881-0640 to go over expectations and concerns regarding entrance to kindergarten. Rules for entering Kindergarten
Posted on July 24, 2009 What is the cut off age /date for entering kindergarten?
Children are eligible to start kindergarten in September if they turn five years old on or before December 1st of that same school year.
Posted on April 10, 2008 Is the Dec. 1 cutoff date for kindergarten established by the district or by the state?
The December 1 cut off date is established by the district in accordance with state guidelines. Since kindergarten is not mandated in New York State, guidelines are in place to help inform school boards in order to set district policy.
Posted on March 27, 2008 My child's birthday is Dec 14th. The cut off for kindergarten is turning 5 by December 1st of that current school year. Is there an exam they can take to see if they are "kindergarten ready" instead of waiting a whole year? Why isn't it based on calendar year?
There is a process. Contact the assistant superintendent for curriculum, learning and instruction for details about the formal evaluation process. The December 1 cutoff date has been in place for decades (and is the same date as many neighboring districts and districts throughout NYS). Generally, children any younger are simply not ready to begin kindergarten in terms of social, intellectual and other attributes.
Posted on March 18, 2008 Who should I contact regarding the cut off date of Dec. 1 for kindergarten eligibility possibly being moved to Sept.? I have a 2-year-old and I am trying to decide whether to start preschool next year or hold her until the following year.
There are no plans to move the kindergarten eligibility date - the policy currently states "a child must attain 4 years of age on or before December 1 of the year prior to entering school." Full-Day Kindergarten
Posted on December 15, 2010 It was stated a few years ago that Shen would not introduce a full day Kindergarten program due to a lack of space. Now, with enrollment shrinking, does the district have plans to revisit this? Many other NYS districts, especially those found locally, with space issues have found creative ways to make full day Kindergarten programs work. Isn't it time that Shen, a district that is "Committed to Excellence", puts it a few of the district level administrators to the task of finding a solution? Although our Kindergarten staff does a wonderful job, it is clear that our students entering first grade do not stack up to their neighboring districts counterparts in reading, writing and math.
Our enrollment is not projected to drop enough over the next five years to accommodate full day kindergarten. Statistically, our students perform very well compared to their peers around the area and within the state.
Posted on February 20, 2008 Why doesn't Shenendehowa have full day kindergarten?
At this point, the district has discussed full-day kindergarten but we simply do not have the space. We would need approximately 18-20 additional classrooms to accommodate a full-day program. Most schools who have implemented it are experiencing enrollment decline. That is not the case here.
Posted on February 4, 2008 I heard that Shen no longer has the land to build another elementary school. This is creating problems, especially with the start of full day kindergarten. Is Shen going to have full day kindergarten before 2010 when the state mandates it?
Point 1: The Shenendehowa campus is at capacity. The district is in the process of looking at possibilities for acquiring land in Halfmoon to accommodate future growth projected particularly in the eastern part of the district. Point 2: The state is not mandating full-day kindergarten by 2010. It was a proposal from the Board of Regents but it requires legislative approval. Point 3: At this point, the district has discussed full-day kindergarten but we simply do not have the space. We would need approximately 18-20 additional classrooms to accommodate a full-day program. Most schools who have implemented it are experiencing enrollment decline. That is not the case here.
Posted on February 4, 2008 If Shen cannot accommodate full-day kindergarten, what will they do when all the 1/2 day children go to full day for first grade?
First grade is already full day. Each elementary school capacity is based on approximately 2-3 classrooms for kindergarten and 4-6 classrooms for grades 1-5.
Posted on February 29, 2008 Regarding full-day kindergarten, since Shatekon was opened, didn't that free up enough room to offer it?
Posted on February 20, 2009 Has Shen considered the use of portable classrooms to provide full-day kindergarten? Perhaps kindergarten or "specials" such as art or music could be offered in the portable classrooms.
The amount of classrooms needed to cover our K needs you be approximately 17-19. That would mean at lot portable classrooms and, quite frankly we wouldn't have the land available to house that many.
EDK - Extended Day Kindergarten
Posted on November 20, 2008 Can you please tell me why not all schools have the EDK program? This should be a district-wide program. It is not fair that some kids at one school are gaining the benefit of this program and others are not simply because they attend the wrong school. How can this be resolved?
All schools have an EDK allocation of .5 (which is an Academic Intervention Service). The schools use their EDK allocation to serve the children as they deem most beneficial to the students in their buildings.
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