Community Connections
4K Newsletter | Issue 3 | October 2026
As a family member or caregiver, you are your child’s first teacher. Long before children enter a 4K classroom, they are learning from you through everyday conversations, shared experiences, questions, play, and the routines you build together. The encouragement you give, the curiosity you nurture, and the time you spend together all help shape how your child sees the world and approaches learning.
When children begin school, that learning continues in a new way. Families and teachers become partners, working together to support each child’s growth, confidence, and development. Your insight into your child, your communication with their teacher, and your involvement in their school experience all make a difference. We know that strong partnerships between home and school help children feel supported and create a strong foundation for future learning.
As we move through the school year, I encourage you to keep those connections strong. Ask your child about their day, celebrate the little things they are learning, share questions or concerns with their teacher, and remember that even the smallest moments at home can support your child’s growth.
We are excited to partner with you during this important first year of school in the Appleton Area School District. Thank you for trusting us to be part of your child’s learning journey. Together, we can make every moment count!
Warmly,
Jennifer Morkin
Principal
It is not always easy to decide if your child is sick enough to stay home or well enough to be in school. Children who come to school are expected, with few exceptions, to participate fully in school activities.
Here are some guidelines that might help in a parent’s decision-making:
- Fever: A fever of 100.4 degrees or more signals an illness that is probably going to make a student uncomfortable and unable to function well in class. Your child should stay home until his or her temperature is less than 100.4 degrees (without the use of fever-reducing medication) for 24 hours and he/she is feeling better.
- Vomiting, Diarrhea, or Severe Nausea: These are symptoms that suggest a student should remain at home until a normal diet is tolerated for 24 hours.
- Infectious Diseases: Diseases such as impetigo, pink eye with thick drainage, and strep throat require a health care provider’s visit and possibly a prescription for medication. Contacting the health care provider and using the medicine as directed for the full recommended length of time are necessary. A student may return to school 24 hours (or as advised by a healthcare provider) after the first dose of an antibiotic and if he/she is feeling well.
- Rashes: Rashes or patches of broken, itchy skin need to be examined by a health care provider if they appear to be spreading, draining, or not improving.
- Injuries: If a student has an injury that causes continuous discomfort, the student should not attend school until the condition is checked by a health care provider or it improves. Injuries that interfere with class participation need a medical evaluation. If participation in physical education classes is not recommended, a health care provider’s excuse is required.
If your child becomes ill in school, we will need to be able to reach you. Please make sure to notify the office of any work or phone number changes as they occur.
If you have further questions, please contact your school nurse through the school office.
Here are some things you can do to help:
- Frequent handwashing
- Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or sleeve
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Get adequate sleep
Ball Study: Children will investigate balls through hands-on activities that build skills in literacy, math, science, social studies, and the arts. They’ll ask questions, make predictions, solve problems, and test their ideas.
*Head Start follows High Scope Curriculum- study units may look different.
Pyramid Model: Classrooms will continue to focus on 3–5 positively stated classroom rules, practicing what expectations look like in different settings, and using positive, descriptive feedback to encourage children’s learning and behavior.
Early Literacy: Children will build early reading skills through rhyming, identifying beginning and ending sounds, blending and clapping syllables, counting words in sentences, exploring nursery rhymes, and practicing letter names and sounds.
Early Math: Children will build early math skills through exploring sizes, measurement, comparisons and describing where objects are in space.
Kindness Curriculum: Through Mindful Bodies and Planting Seeds of Kindness, children will practice mindfulness, kindness, and skills for building positive relationships.
October Read-Alouds:
- I Like Breakfast
- Kitten’s First Full Moon
What You Can Do at Home: Extend your child’s learning through everyday moments! Explore balls together by rolling, bouncing, and comparing them. Practice kindness by noticing helpful actions and talking about ways to be kind. Build early literacy skills by playing rhyming games, clapping out syllables in names, identifying beginning sounds in words, and reading together every day.
Living and Learning in the 4K Classroom
Strong literacy-rich 4K classrooms are joyful, engaging places where children build early reading and writing skills through play, meaningful conversations, storytelling, exploration, and shared experiences.
4K classrooms offer children opportunities to learn literacy in many important ways:
- Listening to stories and participating in read-alouds
- Exploring books and developing a love of reading
- Playing with rhymes and hearing patterns in words
- Identifying beginning sounds in words
- Building vocabulary through conversations and play
- Sharing ideas, asking questions, and telling stories
- Recognizing and writing their names
- Drawing, scribbling, and writing to share meaning
- Connecting spoken words to print
- Exploring environmental print, such as signs, labels, and classroom charts
- Singing songs, reciting nursery rhymes, and playing word games
- Engaging in pretend play that encourages reading and writing, such as making menus, signs, and lists
- Learning to listen, take turns, and communicate with others
We know that every child arrives at school with a unique set of experiences, skills, and understandings. Children develop at different rates, often showing strengths in some areas before others. In Appleton Community 4K, it is our responsibility to provide every child with a literacy- and language-rich environment that nurtures confidence, respect, and curiosity while supporting their individual growth and development.
This month’s book recommendations for at home include:
- Pumpkin Eye by Denise Flemming
- Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
- Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
In all of our Appleton Community 4K classrooms, we use the Wisconsin Pyramid Model for Social and Emotional Competence, a framework similar to PBIS, which is used throughout the AASD K-12 system. In our Pyramid Model classrooms, teachers use a wide variety of activities and tools to promote social and emotional development. Through this framework, our 4K students are learning to follow classroom routines, identify and express their emotions, and play, share, and take turns with their peers.
Tucker Turtle is our Pyramid Model mascot and can be found in several locations throughout our Appleton Community 4K classrooms. Tucker is an important friend in 4K. He teaches our students how to solve problems and manage their behaviors when they experience strong feelings of anger, frustration, or disappointment. Each month, Tucker will be featured in our newsletter to share some of the strategies and activities we are using at school that you can also try at home.
This month, we encourage you to ask your child about the three classroom expectations or rules at school. By this point in the school year, all of our children should know Be Safe, Be Kind, and Be Helpful. One activity many of our teachers use is asking children to identify someone in the classroom and describe something they noticed that demonstrated one of these expectations. At home, you can ask your child to name one or two ways they can demonstrate each expectation at home.
Tucker is a friendly reminder of our expectations and the strategies we use to help children manage their growing feelings. Keep an eye out for him around town and at 4K family events. You never know where he might show up, always ready to give high-fives and congratulate our students for Being Safe, Kind, and Helpful!
📅 Friday, October 23, 2026
⏰ 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
📍 Sandy Slope Elementary School Parking Lot – 2625 E. Edgewood Drive, Appleton
All families are invited to enjoy a fun, safe, and inclusive evening at a sensory-friendly Trunk or Treat, along with a Community Resources Fair!
Families can:
- Connect with local agencies and learn about services and programs for families of students with disabilities.
- Enjoy activities and giveaways at each decorated trunk, with both candy and non-candy options available.
- Explore community resources and connect with organizations that support students and families.
The event is free and open to families. Monetary donations are welcome and will help support inclusive elementary extracurricular opportunities. This event is organized by the AASD Special Education Parent Advisory Council.
We hope to see you there! 🎃