Getting Ready for Kindergarten

1. Children need lots of practice to become good at cutting. 

2. Don’t hesitate to show your child how to cut, holding the paper with one hand and the scissors with the other
3. Make sure your child realizes that scissors are only to cut paper. If you fear that hair, clothes, curtains, etc. may get cut, make cutting a supervised activity. Have your child cut while you are working at the table.
4. At first, let your child cut paper freely. Cutting over a wastebasket will prevent a lot of the mess. The cut pieces can be pasted together to made a picture or collage.
5. Later draw shapes to cut (circles, squares, triangles) or draw lines for your child to cut on. Your child could trace lids or small boxes or draw his or her own shapes to cut out.
6. Many parents say their children have become a good at cutting by cutting out coupons in magazines or newspapers.
7. Pictures can be cut out of old magazines or used coloring books.

Eye examination for kindergarten entry (letter and form)

Make sure your child is holding his or her pencil this way when printing or drawing.

• The pointer finger and thumb should grasp the pencil on its point part (about 1inch above the point).
• The pencil should rest on the middle finger.
• The shaft of the pencil should rest on the hand.
   

Visit the Health Services page and scroll down to find information on immunization requirements by age.

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February 2023

Dear Family Member,
Before your child enters kindergarten this fall, please be aware that the Wisconsin Immunization Law requires a booster dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or the date your child previously had the disease. Although thought by some to be a harmless disease, Varicella can result in serious complications including bacterial skin infections, Reye Syndrome (a neurologic disorder), encephalitis, meningitis, and can be fatal. Also, please be aware that one dose DTaP vaccine is required after the 4th birthday.

For children who are “up to date” with their preschool DTaP series, this will be the final (5th)dose that is recommended to ensure prolonged protection, primarily against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. For children who are “up to date” this dose may be the 3rd or 4th in the series and no further doses are required. Because of a 4-day grace period, DTaP vaccine received 4 days or less before the 4th birthday is also acceptable. Please follow the link above for immunization requirements.

The date (month, day, and year) of each immunization must be entered on the Student Immunization Record. This form should be submitted to the school your child will attend. Waivers are available for religious, health, and personal conviction reasons. However, in the event of an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease, students with waivers may be excluded from school until the outbreak subsides. You are encouraged to have your child immunized well  in advance of school opening to avoid the late summer rush at immunization clinics. For immunizations, contact your primary care physician or nearest public health department.

If you would like further information on immunization, please see the following websites:
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/immunization/childhood.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html#contentArea

Thank you.

Krista Nelson, BSN, RN Kristin Hafner, BSN, RN
District Nurse District Nurse
920-983-9174 ext. 4114 920-983-9174 ext. 4133
knelson@depere.k12.wi.us

khafner@depere.k12.wi.us

Visit our Boundaries, Maps, Busing page for information on bus transportation provided by Lamers Bus Lines.

Questions about busing for your kindergartner? Check out Lamers Bus FAQs.

The development of literacy, like all language learning, begins at birth. It’s a continuous process starting at home with parents playing a key role along the road to literacy. The following are some things parents typically do to promote development of beginning literacy skills. 

Children are given opportunities to observe others reading and writing every day. Your child might see you reading:

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Recipe books
• Novels
• Your child might see you writing:
• Letters
• Grocery lists
• “To Do” lists
• Checks
• Notes

Parents tell us that they leave notes for their child(ren) in strategic places to remind him/her that they are thinking of them.

Parents provide opportunities for children to enjoy a variety of types of books.
Stories

• Nursery rhymes
• Fairy tales
• Alphabet books
• Taped stories with books

Parents read to their children every day.  They ask questions to develop understanding.

• What’s that?
• What’s he doing?
• Who’s that?
• Where’s she going?
• What do you think is going to happen next?

Parents use comments to help their children react to stories, to understand the character’s feelings, and to relate the story to the real world.

• If you know that your family has had an experience like the one found in the story ask, “Does this remind you of anything?” or “Do you remember the time we . . . “

Parents encourage their children to chime in and read the parts of the story they know.  

• The parent leaves out a word, a sentence, or a repetitive part of the story, like “and the big bad wolf said . . . “

Parents watch educational programs with their children and discuss interesting parts of the show.

• Sesame Street
• Reading Rainbow
• Dora

Parents sing songs and say familiar rhymes with their children to develop awareness of rhythm, rhyme, words, and sounds.

• Pat-a-Cake
• Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
• One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
• Mary Had a Little Lamb
• ABC Song

Parents encourage exploration of books featuring sound play, like rhymes or words starting with the same sound. Parents draw attentions to the sounds in words.

• House-mouse - these words rhyme    
• Big bumblebee - these words start with buh    
• Tyrannosaurus - this is a big, long word    
• Jack and Jill - these words start with the letter j    

Do not under estimate the importance of this item.  Your child will need to eventually understand that sounds make up words and later on that letters represent those sounds.

• Parents point out letters and words in their child’s environment.
• Child’s name on bedroom door (This is ____________’s room)
• Posters with printed captions
• Labels on cans, cereal boxes, shampoo, toothpaste
• Logos on clothes
• Alphabet noodles, alphabet cereal
• Mail
• Notes (See number one.)
• Road signs, billboards, restaurant signs

Parents help their children learn the alphabet letters and their sounds by sharing alphabet books.  Parents provide repeated opportunities for their children to hear the letter names and words that start with each letter.

How often does your child see you reading? When you read, you are showing your child that reading is an important and enjoyable experience. Another enjoyable experience is reading to your child. This can be a valuable part of your daily routine. The more you read to your child, the more they will develop a desire to read.

When you read to your child, the child is learning much more than just what happens in the story. As children hold and handle books, they learn how to turn the pages, where the story begins and ends, and how a story is told. As children become interested in books, they become curious about the words and pictures in the books. This is a first step in their becoming readers. Children who have a favorite book often ask for re-readings of that book. Re-readings help them become familiar with words and their meaning – an important step in learning to read. Children love guessing what will happen next in a story or what will appear next in the pictures. Books with short, simple, repeated words allow children to do this.

Here are some suggestions for where and when to read to your child:

• Find a quiet place so your child will be able to listen without distractions.
• Get comfortable. Sitting together on a coach, a bed, or the floor promote a feeling of closeness while reading.
• Read every day, even if it's only for 10 to 20 minutes. You and your child can look forward to this happy time together.
• How to read to your child:
  • Begin with a smile. As you begin to read, let your child know that you enjoy the time together.
  • Read slowly.
  • Read in a low, relaxed voice, using expression where it is called for in a story. Your child will enjoy repeating favorite phrases with you.
  • Encourage your child to join in the reading.
  • Repeat words.  Your child may learn words that are repeated in a story.  Call attention to words that are repeated frequently and encourage your child to say them with you as he or she recognizes them.
  • Ask questions.  Children enjoy being involved in a story.  As you read, ask “What do you think will happen next?”  or “Why do you think the bear is mad?”  The conversation that goes with reading aloud is as important as the reading itself.  Discuss the story with your child and ask questions that draw attention to pictures, require thinking and interpretation, elicit prediction, and relate the story to everyday life.

• What to read with your child

  • Read enjoyable books.  Select book that you and your child will enjoy.  Thinks about your child’s interests and experiences as you make selections. The public library will be happy to help you find and choose good books for your child

  • Read a variety of books.  Sharing storybooks, wordless books, pop-up books, nursery rhymes, and poetry will give your child a sense of the wide variety of enjoyment that reading can bring.

  • Use picture books.  Children like picture books with large illustrations that they can examine in detail. They like to recognize objects from their own experiences.

  • Read predictable books. Predictable books are books with predictable, repetitive texts. They can help children make predictions, draw conclusions, and retell stories.

  • Reread stories.  Read your child’s stories over and over again.

Early on, children become familiar with words by seeing them in the world around us. This "environmental print"  includes exit signs, billboards, labels on cans and boxes of food, words on game boards, and so on. Very young children can identify these common words and add them to their vocabulary through clues like colors, pictures, letter shapes, and logos. 

Environmental print is responsible for early learning of words such as “exit,” “start,” “on,” “off,” “stop,” and the names of places you frequently visit such as the grocery store or gas station.

You can do things around your home to add print to a child's environment:

• Label lots of things with post it notes, or labels taped on to cupboards, drawers, etc. Involve your child(ren) in the labeling.
• Help your child(ren) start scrapbooks of favorite words. One scrapbook can be pages filled with labels from favorite food packages. One scrapbook can be pages filled with words about favorite sports team or player.
• Play identification games to call attention to the great variety of environmental print.Who will be the first one to see the word “exit?” to see “stop” or to see “sale?”
• Take a printed article or handout and a bright marker. Have your child(ren) circle all the words or letters they know. Or you can write or cut out one word ("dog" for example), place it in front of them, and have them circle the word each time they find that word in the article.
• Have new reading material be in the home at all times (magazines, papers, library books, book club books)
• Reading materials can be placed in the bathroom too.
• A light that can be attached to the bed is helpful.
• Start discussions about what everyone in the family is reading to make connections when possible.
• There are many new and old books that you may have missed along the way. Now is your chance to enjoy them.
• Talk about what you do when you come to an unknown word. Do you really only “sound it out?” (Give that some thought.) What do you do when you realize that you can’t remember what you read? What happened? Share your strategies.
• Talk about things that you have recently learned. Explain how you go about learning new things.
• Encourage writing stories at home and celebrate them. Have writing and drawing materials available.
• Slip notes to your child(ren) encouraging them and telling them how proud you are of them.
• Do a family research project on an interest area (family, trips, new pets, new purchases, etc.)
• Encourage help from your child(ren) when preparing your shopping list.
• Look for at join in story times at local libraries and bookstores.
• Read daily with your child. Just fifteen minutes can be very effective.