Full Day Kindergarten at John Ross Robertson P.S. - jrr-npa

Full Day Kindergarten at John Ross Robertson P.S.
Questions and Answers for Families
February 2014
1. Which schools will be offering Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK)?
The Ministry of Education has implemented Full-Day Kindergarten in phases, starting in September
2010 with full implementation in all schools by 2014-2015. Therefore, for the 2014-2015 school
year (beginning in September 2014), John Ross Robertson will have Full Day Kindergarten and all
Kindergarten programs in TDSB will be full-day.
2. How do children enrol in the Full-Day Kindergarten?
Kindergarten registration begins in February and is ongoing. At John Ross, appointments to register
your child will take place February 3 – 7, 2014, and can be made by calling the school office at (416)
393-9400. The Board’s registration process and practices are the same for all new kindergarten
registrants. Please note that there is also a form for parents/guardians to express interest in a feebased cost recovery Before- and After- School Program. This form is part of the kindergarten
registration material and is due at the end of February. Here at John Ross, we are also asking
families to complete a Kindergarten Readiness Checklist to help our staff better support your child.
3. What are children learning while in a Full-Day Kindergarten Program?
The Full-Day Kindergarten program provides a balance of direct instruction, play-based and inquirybased learning. There is ongoing and intentional focus on reading, writing, communication and
math skills as well as the development of social skills through group interaction, science, healthy
physical activities and the arts.
4. Does the Full-Day Kindergarten include lunch?
Similar to students in other grades, students are welcome to go home over the lunch break.
Students will eat lunch in their classrooms under the supervision of a Lunchroom Supervisor in each
room. Students will also have some time to go outside for some play or gross motor skill
development. Our lunch period will be 11:45 am until 12:45 pm, which is when the afternoon will
begin. Students who stay will be expected to bring their own lunch. Students will have the
opportunity to have snacks (provided by parents/guardians) during the school day. We ask that
snacks be nut free and we encourage healthy snacks to be sent with the children.
5. Can parents/guardians opt for a half-day of Full-Day Kindergarten?
All FDK schools will be offering a full-day program. JRR is no different. We are encouraging all
students to be at JRR for the full day to fully benefit from the FDK Curriculum. The Full-Day
Kindergarten program is a wonderful opportunity for kindergarten aged children. At times, there
may be an individual child who requires some additional time to transition into a full-day of
learning. School staff will support our youngest learners as they transition into school.
6. Which rooms will be used for FDK?
For the 2014/2015 School Year, John Ross Robertson P.S. is projected to have 5 FDK classes. We
plan to use Rooms 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 as those classrooms. This will create a “Kindergarten
Wing” at our school. There will be some renovations and retrofits made leading up to September
2014, with bathrooms in each classroom, as well as sinks at a Kindergarten child’s height.
7. How does Optional Attendance apply to Full-Day Kindergarten?
Unfortunately, for the 2014/2015 School Year, John Ross Robertson P.S. is closed to Optional
Attendance. Only those families who are in our catchment area will have the opportunity to register
at our school.
8. If a student was accepted into a school through Optional Attendance in JK for the 2013-2014
school year, can he/she remain in the school or does he/she need to reapply each year?
Once a student has been accepted into a school through Optional Attendance, he/she can remain
without reapplying, if the reason for staying continues to follow the Optional Attendance Policy.
9. What will the day schedule look like and will there be recess?
School will begin at 9:15 am for our Full Day Kindergarten program. There will not be recesses
during the day but there will be opportunities for outdoor play and outdoor educational
investigations, inquiry, and experiences. Our lunch period will be 11:45 am until 12:45 pm, which is
when the afternoon will begin. Our day will end at 3:15 pm each day.
10. How will teachers and ECEs be supported through the transition to a full-day program in
partnership?
The TDSB Early Years staff team provides a leadership role in developing professional learning
activities and online resources to support school Kindergarten teams within the Full-Day Early
Learning Kindergarten Program. Here at JRR we have been working with our Kindergarten team to
prepare for next year as well.
11. Will there be FDK Before and After School Programs at JRR?
Parents/guardians will be surveyed annually as part of the February kindergarten registration
process for interest in a program during the following school year. Generally, Before- and AfterSchool Programs would run on school days, before school from 7:30 am until school start and after
school until 6:00 pm. Sufficient interest is considered 20 or more confirmed students in order to
provide a program.
The rates for 2014-2015 are as follows:
Both before-school and after-school $29-36
Before-school only $10-$12
After-school only $19-$24
12. Join us for the Kindergarten Welcome Workshop on Wednesday May 14, 2014.
The JRR Kindergarten Team presents an interactive information session from 7pm – 8 pm. You will
have an opportunity to learn more about the school, visit the Kindergarten classrooms, have your
questions answered, and have specific topics addressed by our Kindergarten Team and TDSB staff.

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