Schools
Castle Rock and Vejar Elementary Schools to Offer Transitional Kindergarten Next Fall
Transitional Kindergarten is for children born between September 1 and December 1, who enter Kindergarten right before turning five.
Starting next fall, the Walnut Valley Unified School District will offer transitional Kindergarten at Castle Rock Elementary School in Diamond Bar and Vejar Elementary School in Walnut.
SB1381, a new state law called the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010, is slowly changing the entry date for Kindergarten students from December 2 to September 1. For the 2012-2013 school year, to enroll in Kindergarten a child must be five years old by November 1. For 2013-2014 it is October 1, and 2014-2015 September 1.
The affected students will have the year of transitional Kindergarten followed by one year of standard Kindergarten. For the first year, transitional Kindergarten will just be offered at Castle Rock and Vejar, and within the next few years will be implemented district wide.
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According to a brochure on the district’s website, transitional Kindergarten is a program blending pre-school and Kindergarten standards, with a student to teacher ratio up to 24:1.
“Transitional Kindergarten will provide our young learners with the gift of time by giving them the opportunity to learn and grow in an environment that is tailored to meet their developmental, emotional, academic and social needs,” said Jackie Brown, director of educational services for the WVUSD. “As educators, we are pleased that we now can give our youngest students a bridging year to grow developmentally as well as academically to be ready to meet the standards of kindergarten."
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The district will hold several parent information nights to explain transitional Kindergarten. The first meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. January 17, 2012 at the Walnut Valley Unified School District office board room, 880 S. Lemon Ave., Walnut. Four additional meetings will take place at school sites: 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. January 18 at Castle Rock Elementary School, 2975 Castle Rock Rd., Diamond Bar, and 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Vejar Elementary School, 20222 Vejar Road, Walnut.
For more information, call Jackie Brown at 909-595-1261 ext. 31215.