Submitted by:
CBF Christian School Board |
Starting in the fall of 2019, we are adjusting our Junior Kindergarten program. We feel the new schedule will better suit the needs of the students and allow them to get the most out of the program.
Tuesday/Thursday – mornings only (9:00 a.m. drop-off, 12:00 p.m. pick up)
Wednesday – full day 9:00-3:30
Bussing is available in the mornings and for the Wednesday after school (at a fee of $400 to the SVSD), so it could mean only 2 noon pick-ups for parents.
Research from the Early Development Institute Report (EDI) shows that students in the Swan River Valley are not coming to school in Kindergarten with the same readiness skills compared to previous years. (This is from data collected from 2005 until 2017). Kindergarten students had the strongest readiness skills in 2008/09 and were above the provincial average in all 5 core areas. Since then, scores have slowly been decreasing. As of 2016-17, Swan Valley students are below the provincial average in 4 out of 5 categories. The core areas include: physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and thinking skills, communication skills and general knowledge. As an entire province, the trend is similar.
We are finding these statistics to be true with our 4 year old JK students as well. These statistics evaluate how children are doing developmentally prior to coming to school. Why the trend is happening is not for us to say, but what we do about it can make a difference.
In our small school context, we are finding students get the most out of the morning. Their best learning is happening then, they have better social and emotional abilities, and are more successful at absorbing what is taught and experienced. We also find that the students do better when they attend for several days in a row, where the consistency in routine encourages further growth. We do feel that it is important that the students have at least 1 full day, to adjust to a full school day, prior to Senior Kindergarten when they come to school for 5 full days in a row. It is for these reasons we are going to try this new format for our JK program for the 2019-20 school year.
We have approx. 8 JK spots available for the coming year. Tuition for JK is $1279. Tuition for Senior Kindergarten- Gr.8 is $2709. There will be an open house on Monday April 8th from 4:30-6:30 p.m. where you and your child(ren) can meet the teacher, learn about the program, and explore the school. Stop by the school during school hours to pick up an application package if you are interested, or call Jocelyn Beehler (principal) to get more information. Registrations are requested by April 30th.