Q: What lead to the change to full day UPK?
A: In the 2023-24 NYS School budget, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that there will be additional money available to schools if they switch to a full day UPK model. With these additional funds, the district decided to switch from a half day to a full day UPK model.

Q: What changes will take place?
A: We will  have six classrooms.  Three will continue to be housed at Moreau and one classroom will be at the other three elementary buildings. Students will follow the building daily schedule. Days off will be the same as the district calendar.

Q: Will the UPK building assignment be my child's building for kindergarten?
A: Students do not get an official home building until Kindergarten but we will do our best to get your child in a school that is close to your address. 

Q: Can you go watch the lottery? Where, when and what time?
A: Yes, you can! The lottery will take place on April 12, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Moreau Elementary School.

Q: How is attendance tracked?
A: There is an expectation that your child should be in attendance every day unless they are ill. Because we will have a waitlist, you will be contacted if your child misses an excess amount of days.

Q: Teacher to student ratio?
A: 18:1:1 (18 students to one to teacher and one aide - the same as it is now)

Q: Who will be overseeing the roll out of the new program? One “person” for all schools/how is consistency across classes/schools monitored?
A: We are working with the administration to finalize a plan. For right now, the superintendent will be coordinating the transition.

Q: Is potty training required?
A: Toileting is a developmental skill that is learned by each child at an individual rate and is not a skill that can be developed overnight. We will work with each family in developing a plan that supports the child using the toilet independently. Toilet training is a learning experience for the child and that they should never be embarrassed when they have an accident.

Q: We have twins. If they both make it into the lottery (fingers crossed) will they be able to be in the same class?
A: Yes, unless there is a specific reason that a parent does not want this. A phone conference can be scheduled to review your specific requests.

Q: How are IEP services (ex. Speech) fit into the UPK day?
A: The county is who provides services to our 3 and 4 year old students and we will coordinate that with them (same as past years).

TRANSPORTATION

Q: Will our kids have to ride the bus with all grades ?
A: This is a current practice and when the UPK rides the bus, they sit in the front and there is an aide on the bus with them.

Q: If students are in a school outside of their home area, will they still be transported?
A: Yes, at age 4. The district will NOT be transporting any children under age 4. For those who are still 3-years-old when the school year starts, families will need to transport them to and from school.

THE SCHOOL DAY:

Q: What will the hours be for the kids' day?

For the 2024-25 school year, start and end times will be as follows:

Q: Will there be nap time? Will SGF have this and if so, what will be expected of children who no longer nap during this time?
A: Programs serving prekindergarten students provide a regularly scheduled nap or rest time for all students who attend a full-day program. During this time, students are encouraged to rest, relax, and nap. Quiet activities will be provided for students who do not nap.

Q: Will they have “specials” taught by other special area teachers?
A: They will not have traditional specials but will be exposed to PE, Art, Music, Library, and STEM in various ways. If a schedule permits in each building, students will have guest teachers to assist the classroom teachers in these areas.

Q: What would the day to day curriculum look like?
A: Summer curriculum work will be done and a full scope of the curriculum will be shared with parents at the beginning of the program. We will be following the NYS Standard for UPK while writing this scope.

Q: Will they eat in the cafeteria?
This will be a work in progress. Once a teacher believes that their students are ready for this, we will slowly put them in the cafeteria.

SCREENING/PROGRESS MONITORING/EVALUATION

Q: Will the screening for placement still be done like it used to, i.e. to develop recommendations for speech etc?
A: Yes, this will be done in June. A follow-up letter/email will be sent to you.

Q: How will kids be evaluated in school? Will there be progress reports, report cards and parent teacher conferences?
A: There will be progress reports and a parent conference in the fall. Students will be progress monitored throughout the year and reports will come home to you.

Q: What will Kindergarten screening look like for my child?
A: We will be completing a screening process in March and details will be communicated to you midyear.