Full-day 4K is a hit in Fredonia

If you’re wondering where the action is at Ozaukee Elementary School, you don’t need to look much further than the school’s all-day 4K program.

“We have a lot of fun,” teacher Jenny Gasser said, as evidenced by the number of boys and girls engaged in various art projects and going in and out of playhouses, such as an igloo last week.

Not that academics are neglected.

Last week, for instance, the letter “i” was the star as students studied different words and pronunciations that feature the letter — hence the igloo.

The school’s 4K program will be the star when the Northern Ozaukee School District will host a 4K registration for the fall semester at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, in the district Fine Arts Center.

Gasser and 4K teacher Wendy Stephanie will be on hand, as well as Principal Lynn Kucharski, to answer questions.

The 4K program is seen as a key entry point to the district for new families, including those living outside the district who come to NOSD through the state’s open enrollment process, which begins Monday, Feb. 1, and runs through April.

“Because it has a built a reputation as such a high-quality program and has such strong leaders, it has allowed us to bring students into the district and we have found that when they join in 4K, they are more likely to stay with the district,” district Supt. Dave Karrels said. “It really has worked to our advantage to have a full-day 4K. We have seen a steady and if anything an increasing number” in the program, even during Covid-19.

That’s because many school districts’ 4K programs are only half day. The difference is not lost on parents or their children, Gasser said.

“We really can work with them and give them a head start academically on full-day school,” she said. “They also get used to the rhythms of school like going to lunch and attending assemblies.”

Besides classroom time with Gasser and Stephanie, 4K students also rotate between other special classes where they gain exposure and learn music, art and STEM — science, technology, engineering and math subjects.

Another attractive feature of the 4K program is that it’s joined with a “wrap-around” program that offers on-site day care  before and after school, operated by the Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA.

“The wrap-around program is really beneficial for families,” Karrels said.

Families are asked to register for Tuesday’s event by filling out a Google form at tinyurl.com/2tp8flg5. The event also will be available remotely via Zoom.

For more information, call the school at 692-2401.