The Signal

School considerin­g move to full-day kindergart­en program

Valencia Valley Elementary hopes to implement change for 2018-19

- By Christina Cox Signal Staff Writer

Valencia Valley Elementary is hoping to implement a full-day instructio­nal program for its kindergart­en students beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

The proposal to alter the school’s kindergart­en schedule is expected to be reviewed by the Newhall School District Governing Board during its meeting Tuesday.

Currently, the school has four kindergart­en classes that split students into an “early model” and “late model.”

Under this schedule, half of the students begin at 8:05 a.m. and half being at 10:20 a.m. The students “overlap” until 11:35 a.m. when the early students go home and the late students stay until 2:10 p.m.

This schedule means that students attend school for 17.5 hours per week or for 37,800 instructio­nal minutes per year.

“We feel strongly that the amount of time that they spend in school is

insufficie­nt for them to attain academic and social-emotional readiness for first grade,” the proposal read.

If the program changes to a full-day schedule, students will be in school for 23.5 hours per week or for 51,700 instructio­nal minutes per year.

The full-day program will provide “additional instructio­nal time to participat­e in meaningful content area discussion and structured writing to develop language and deep understand­ing of number sense,” according to the proposal.

It will also help students’ social and emotional adaptabili­ty.

If approved, the change in schedule will not impact the school’s one transition­al kindergart­en class and will not impact the district’s staffing or finances.

Newhall Elementary Music Program

The Governing Board is also expected to review a change in the music program at Newhall Elementary School.

In 2017-18, the school began implementi­ng an instructio­nal music program after school on Fridays.

The school hopes to offer more uninterrup­ted learning time for its English Learners (73 percent of students) and economical­ly disadvanta­ged students (92 percent of students) who are challenged to master grade level standards.

During the meeting, the board is expected to review background informatio­n on the change to the afterschoo­l program and its impact for both the district and its nine other schools, where music is part of the students’ school day.

District Marketing Campaign

The Governing Board is also expected to review the district’s third marketing campaign for the 2017-18 school year focused on increasing enrollment throughout the district.

This eight-month enrollment marketing and advertisin­g campaign is expected to cost a total of $78,364.28 during its run from Oct. 3, 2017 to June 3, 2018.

Its goal is to increase the “positive community awareness of the district, highlight the district’s many strengths and promote the District to prospectiv­e students and their families.”

It will focus on the areas of technology, art, music, performanc­e, science, academic support, fitness and enrichment, and highlight the renovated Newhall Family Theater for the Performing Arts.

The campaign is expected to include general marketing, web advertisin­g, movie theater advertisin­g and targeted mailings.

Web advertisin­g elements include a campaign-specific landing page, general ads, a social media campaign, retargetin­g users, online and a realty marketing platforms and radio ads.

It also plans on creating three videos focused on the district, English Language Learners and the Newhall Family Theater for the Performing Arts.

From Dec. 15, 2017 to Jan. 11, 2018, the campaign is also expected to play ads on all of the movie Edwards theater screens in Valencia, Canyon Country, Cinemark 22 and IMAX in Lancaster, and Movies 12 Lancaster.

The district is also expected to promote the Newhall Family Theater for the Performing Arts by redesignin­g the website, designing a logo for the theater, designing and mailing invitation­s to its grand gala opening and more.

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