Hi Families! My name is Janell Small and I am one of the two UTK teachers at McKinley. I heard there were many questions regarding the UTK classrooms this year. I’d like to clarify and answer some of your questions.
In the past, Transitional Kindergarten (TK) kids would be enrolled if they turned 5 by December 1st. So all TK kids had birthdays between September 1 through December 1. Last year I had 18 kids that fell into this category.
This year, because of the new Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) program, we have accepted kids that turn 4 by September 1st. Meaning that we can accept many more students in UTK. The district has allocated 2 teachers for UTK at McKinley. Each class will have 24 students. In addition to the 2 UTK teachers (Ms. Small and Ms. Zapasnik), each class will also have an early childhood educator (preschool teacher) with 24 students total. The students will range in age in both classes – they will not be separated into “older UTK and younger UTK”.
Some children were unable to secure a spot in the UTK program at McKinley this year. Both classes are at capacity. The district has only allocated us 2 UTK teachers. This is a new program and maybe in the future we will be able to have more teachers.
Any questions that you may have I am happy to answer during our UTK orientation on Friday, August 26th at 11 am at McKinley. If your student is in a UTK class this year, you will receive more information soon.
I look forward to meeting all of your kids and I know that we are going to have an amazing year together!
Janell Small
UTK Teacher, McKinley Elementary School 2022-23
For more information about additional UTK enrollment options, please contact the district rep directly: Neighborhood Schools and Enrollment Options: Phone 619-260-2410, email eoptions@sandi.net. Hours Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.