Kindergarten Information

The AASD believes that a successful and effective five-year-old kindergarten program:

  • Provides an environment that meets and responds to the academic, physical, social and emotional needs of the whole child and is developmentally appropriate
  • Respects the family and culture that shapes the child’s life
  • Integrates curriculum to promote active engagement, language and literacy
  • Promotes language, cognition, and social competence through child guided learning
  • Tailors instruction so that classroom experiences are accessible and responsive to each and every child
  • Uses play to build the child’s social and imaginative capacity
  • Fosters an enjoyment of learning and builds a foundation to become a life-long learner 


Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Registration

If your child is enrolled at an Appleton Community 4K site, most Kindergarten registration paperwork is already completed. Additional information about Kindergarten registration and orientation will be provided through your home school.  

If your child is eligible to attend kindergarten this fall and is not currently enrolled in Appleton Community 4K, please contact our Welcome Center to enroll in the AASD. They will help you determine your home school, talk through your options, and they can even help you enroll and set up school tours.

If you are unsure which neighborhood/home school your child should attend, please call the Attendance Office at (920) 852-5308 or view our school boundaries.

Orientation 

Elementary Meet and Greet events usually take place the week before the first day of school and is an opportunity for families to meet their child’s teacher, principal, and other staff members, as well as drop off school supplies. Date and time information for meet and greet events can be found on each school website under Our School and then Annual Student Registration.

Screenings

3-5 Year-Old Developmental Screenings offered through the Appleton Area School District are highly recommended. The Appleton Area School District encourages families to participate in screenings for all children ages 3 to 5 who are not enrolled in kindergarten.

The purpose of the developmental screenings is to check on the child's overall development and to determine if the child may need further testing or services prior to kindergarten. The district offers many programs and services for children who may need support before kindergarten. This is your child's "other check-up" to make sure your child's development is on track so when the time comes, your child will be ready to transition to kindergarten.


Ten Steps to Get Ready!

  • Create a routine over the summer. Give your child a bedtime (7:30 or 8:00 PM is great) and stick to it.
  • Have your child practice writing their first name. If they can do this, try your last name or practice lower case letters.
  • Use counting in your daily activities. Count how many steps it takes to get to the mailbox or the park. Count out fruit, place mats, napkins and so forth.
  • Take your child with you to the grocery store, post office, library and other errands.
  • Talk with them about what they're seeing, hearing and touching. It’s all part of learning!
  • Visit your local library and help your child get a free library card. Then use the card to visit the library each week and borrow a book. Talk about the books you read. Ask questions like, “What was your favorite part of the story?” or “Which part did you like least?” Halfway through, ask your child what they thinks will happen at the end.
  • Let your child practice their independence by allowing them to make limited choices. “Do you want an apple or a banana?” Encourage them to try new things.
  • Set a limit to the amount of TV your child watches (1-2 hours daily). When possible, watch TV with them and talk about what you see.
  • Prepare a “study spot” for your child in the kitchen or living room and supply it with crayons, paper, scissors and other kindergarten tools. Let your child draw there while you make dinner. Once school starts, this can become the time and place where she does her homework.

Help your child know or be able to do the following before he enters kindergarten: 

  • Name, address and telephone number
  • Use the bathroom on their own and button and zip their clothes
  • Share and play with other children - this will help them to adjust to their new classroom


Kindergarten, Here I Come

The Appleton Area School District offers a summer school program called “Kindergarten, Here I Come” to all incoming kindergartners.

This highly recommended program is designed to introduce and/or reinforce basic skills for kindergarten. Students have a lot of fun and meet new friends while becoming familiar with the school setting. 

Read more about this year's schedule and offerings on our Summer School page. 


Welcome Visits

Welcome visits are offered to families with children birth to five and also incoming kindergarten students. The Birth - Five Outreach Program offers a welcome visit (at the Community Early Learning Center, at home, the neighborhood school, or any community building like the Appleton Public Library, etc.) to parents of children ages birth to five-years-old.

A folder of information is shared with the parent or guardian during the visit and includes information about school and community programs, activities and resources. Please call TODAY to set up an appointment with one of our Resource Coordinators at (920) 852-5300 ext. 61016. 

Requirements

  • Kindergarten is a prerequisite to first grade
  • Children must be five-years-old on or before September 1st
  • Kindergarten is a full day program. However, if you are interested in a half-day option, please discuss this with your home school principal before deciding.