Kindergarten Plus

An Intensive Early Learning Program

Self-regulation is the ability to regulate one’s attention, emotions and behavioural impulses and is key for success in school and in life. For some early learners, self-regulation is difficult. Our early intervention program, Kindergarten plus, focuses on the development of social and emotional competencies and skills.

Positive, supportive relationships between teachers, children and families is at the foundation of this program. In order for it to be successful, it is expected that families will participate in training and in-service provided by the school and community professionals.

The Kindergarten Plus program is modeled after the Teaching Pyramid, Fox and Dunlap, et al. There are four levels of practice to address the needs of all children, including children with persistent challenging behaviour. These include:

• Building Positive Relationships
• Implementing Classroom Preventative Practices
• Using Social and Emotional Teaching Strategies
• Planning Intensive Individual Interventions

It is expected that by following the practices outlined in the Teaching Pyramid, students will develop foundational skills in self-regulation to successfully transition to their local school within the year.

Details and Eligibility

Students will be identified by their school-based support team in consultation with their families, and by community professionals in some cases.

Eligible students require significant self-regulation support and exhibit challenges in two or more of the following areas.

• Social skills: not be able to interact and engage in play appropriately with other children
• Behaviour/Temperament: act aggressively or unsafe with self and others.
• Communication Skills: exhibit moderate to significant language delays

Program Support Team

Your child’s program support team will include teacher, Education Assistant(s), Speech & Language Pathologist, School Psychologist, District Behaviour Analyst, and District Learning Support Teacher.

Location

Kindergarten Plus is held at Morley Elementary School.

Transportation

Students who are outside of the Morley Elementary catchment will be provided with transportation.

NOTE: Students must be a resident of Burnaby to be considered for the program.

Self-regulation can be defined as the ability to stay calmly focused and alert, which often involves – but cannot be reduced to – self-control. The better a child can stay calmly focused and alert, the better he integrates the diverse information coming in from his different senses, assimilates it, and sequences his thoughts and actions.

For someone who thinks that self-regulation is really just a matter of a child’s getting in control of his negative emotions, there is very little different between self-regulation and compliance. But, unlike compliance, self-regulation nurtures the ability to cope with greater and greater challenges because it involves arousal states, emotions, behaviour, and thinking skills.

– Stuart Shanker

 

For more information:

Morray Genge, District Principal

604.296.6900

morray.genge@burnabyschools.ca

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose of the Home Communication Folder 

Hello families, 

Welcome to the Kindergarten-Plus (K+) District Program located at Morley Elementary in Burnaby.  We are so happy to have your child in our class! 

This is our Communication FOLDER.  The folder is important as it will help us communicate with each other throughout the school year. 

 

In the folder, you may find: 

• Notices & newsletters 
• Reminder notes from Ms. Fortin 
• School work and/or art work 

The folder will be sent home at the end of each school day.  Please check the folder, remove the contents and return it to school every morning. 

You can use the folder to communicate information such as: 

• early pick up/known absences 
• a change in adult picking up your child 
• Important information about your child (e.g. did not sleep well, difficult time getting to school, refused to eat breakfast, etc). 

The folder will be checked by Ms. Fortin every morning.  

We look forward to keeping in contact and collaborating with your family, to ensure your child has a safe, happy school year full of opportunities to learn, play and grow. 

 

Much appreciated, 

Ms. Fortin
K+ Program Teacher
nicky.fortin@burnabyschools.ca
Mobile #604-985-3279 (Please text during school hours)   

 

 

 

 

 

The K-Plus Giving Tree

Within the K-Plus classroom, we have a Giving Tree. This tree was created to teach and encourage our students about being kind to others, the school, and the spaces they use. When one of our students is displaying kindness, an adult in the room may acknowledge and reward their behaviours or words by writing it down on an apple and placing it on the tree where a “Kindness Karma” token hangs. The student will then be rewarded with 10 minutes of bonus apple time! They will get to choose between a few fun activities offered which they can do for 10 minutes on top of all the other exciting activities and play time they get.

 

The Texture Wall

One of the core competencies your child will learn for art is textures. The K-Plus team has set a texture wall for our students and students at Morley to feel and explore. This gives everyone a fun way to see and understand the differences between textures such as, squishy, rough, bumpy, and silky. There are also questions to prompt thinking and discussion like, “What is it made of?”, “How does it feel?”, and “What does it look like?”.