Post by title1parent on Aug 24, 2009 5:14:28 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1731091,2_1_AU24_STCSCHOOLS_S1-090824.article
SC schools ready all-day kindergarten programs
August 24, 2009
By PAUL DAILING For The Beacon News
Adding to the usual flurry of preparation schools must make each August, the St. Charles School District has the extra rush of preparing two brand-new programs for the 2009-2010 school year.
This year, the district rolls out its new all-day kindergarten and gifted middle school programs. Both programs were based on community input during outreach meetings that started last year.
"The teachers who are going to be teaching it have been here every day all summer planning for it," said Melissa Dockum, principal of Wredling Middle School, where the new gifted classes will be taught. "They're so excited about it."
Gifted middle school -- called the Infinity program -- will be a magnet program bringing the top 3 percent of students to Wredling. Wredling had the space, spokesman Jim Blaney said.
Under previous plans, the gifted students' state test scores -- used to determine federal funding through the No Child Left Behind Act -- would have stayed with the students' home schools. If a student would have normally gone to Haines, their scores would have stayed with Haines, and so on.
But the Illinois State Board of Education said otherwise. The gifted students' scores will go to Wredling.
"The state makes that decision and the state decides that when you have the program that's a magnet program those kids go to your school," Dockum said. "It was out of our hands."
Of the three St. Charles middle schools, Wredling came in second with the 2007-2008 test scores, the most recent available. In 2006-2007, it was the lowest-scoring of the three.
However, all three schools tested above the 90th percentile -- well above the state average.
While the Infinity program will not charge parents extra, parents of all-day kindergarten students will pay $250 a month.
"The community wanted to include all-day kindergarten but they didn't want it to impact the School District's budget," Blaney said.
Students will attend from 8:40 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regular kindergarten classes run from 8:40 to 11:15 a.m. and 12:25 to 3 p.m.
Two grade schools -- Lincoln and Richmond -- did not have extra rooms to house the all-day kindergartners. All-day kindergartners from Lincoln will go to Fox Ridge. Students from Richmond will attend Munhall. As of Friday, 358 students had enrolled in all-day kindergarten, Blaney said.
In May, School Superintendent Don Schlomann said he did not expect Infinity enrollment to reach 75 students in the first year. As of Friday, about 85 students had enrolled in Infinity, Dockum said.
Several of the students live in the district, but had attended private schools until the gifted option became available, Dockum said.
"They've been paying for their students to be placed outside and now they feel we can meet their needs," she said.
SC schools ready all-day kindergarten programs
August 24, 2009
By PAUL DAILING For The Beacon News
Adding to the usual flurry of preparation schools must make each August, the St. Charles School District has the extra rush of preparing two brand-new programs for the 2009-2010 school year.
This year, the district rolls out its new all-day kindergarten and gifted middle school programs. Both programs were based on community input during outreach meetings that started last year.
"The teachers who are going to be teaching it have been here every day all summer planning for it," said Melissa Dockum, principal of Wredling Middle School, where the new gifted classes will be taught. "They're so excited about it."
Gifted middle school -- called the Infinity program -- will be a magnet program bringing the top 3 percent of students to Wredling. Wredling had the space, spokesman Jim Blaney said.
Under previous plans, the gifted students' state test scores -- used to determine federal funding through the No Child Left Behind Act -- would have stayed with the students' home schools. If a student would have normally gone to Haines, their scores would have stayed with Haines, and so on.
But the Illinois State Board of Education said otherwise. The gifted students' scores will go to Wredling.
"The state makes that decision and the state decides that when you have the program that's a magnet program those kids go to your school," Dockum said. "It was out of our hands."
Of the three St. Charles middle schools, Wredling came in second with the 2007-2008 test scores, the most recent available. In 2006-2007, it was the lowest-scoring of the three.
However, all three schools tested above the 90th percentile -- well above the state average.
While the Infinity program will not charge parents extra, parents of all-day kindergarten students will pay $250 a month.
"The community wanted to include all-day kindergarten but they didn't want it to impact the School District's budget," Blaney said.
Students will attend from 8:40 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regular kindergarten classes run from 8:40 to 11:15 a.m. and 12:25 to 3 p.m.
Two grade schools -- Lincoln and Richmond -- did not have extra rooms to house the all-day kindergartners. All-day kindergartners from Lincoln will go to Fox Ridge. Students from Richmond will attend Munhall. As of Friday, 358 students had enrolled in all-day kindergarten, Blaney said.
In May, School Superintendent Don Schlomann said he did not expect Infinity enrollment to reach 75 students in the first year. As of Friday, about 85 students had enrolled in Infinity, Dockum said.
Several of the students live in the district, but had attended private schools until the gifted option became available, Dockum said.
"They've been paying for their students to be placed outside and now they feel we can meet their needs," she said.
