Shellsburg Elementary Tiny Vikes Three-Year-Old Preschool
AT-A-GLANCE
•Your child must be three-years-old on or before September 15, 2020
•Transportation is not provided by the school district
•Tuition cost is $75/month
•Classes are either Monday/Wednesday (OR) Tuesday/ThursdayRegistration: Shellburg Three-Year-Old Preschool
Shellsburg & Tilford Tiny Vikes Four-Year-Old Preschool
AT-A-GLANCE• Your child must be four-years-old on or before September 15, 2020
• Contact the school for transporation options
• NO Tuition cost
• AM and PM class schedules available. Monday-ThursdayRegistration: Shellburg Tiny Vikes Four-Year-Old Preschool
Registration: Tilford Tiny Vikes Four-Year-Old Preschool
The Vinton-Shellsburg school district offers preschool educational opportunities for children at both Vinton and Shellsburg, starting at three years of age. The Vinton-Shellsburg Tiny Vikes preschool program for three and four-year-olds is where children first come together to experience being together in a group learning environment. Preschool is where children learn that school isn’t a scary place but a place where learning and exploring are encouraged.
“Three-year-old preschool is a time to learn the basic skills of sharing, talking politely to each other, and taking turns, along with very basic academic skills like how to hold a pencil, use scissors, and how to take the first writing strokes to spell their names,” explains Ryan Davis, Shellsburg Elementary Principal. “The four-year-old program begins to incorporate numeracy and literacy skills as part of the kid’s development.”
“We encourage a growth mindset where students understand that their abilities aren’t set in stone, but that with time they can overcome most learning challenges by staying at it and working hard.”
Ryan Davis, Shellsburg Elementary Principal
“Preschool gives parents a place where their children can be in a safe environment while they learn to take the feelings of others into account and how to take turns while playing together. For many children, these are unfamiliar skills.”
The typical preschool day at Vinton-Shellsburg involves playtime when they arrive, and if possible, they get to play outside. After playtime, the children spend carpet time when the teacher might read a story and do some basic instruction, like talking about the letter of the day. There is playtime within the classroom at various centers. If the theme is the fall season, for example, they may have a center about apples and do a craft using things related to apples. Each classroom has a Lego center and a Play-Doh center. Children can choose what they want to do, and while the kids are playing, the teachers and associates move around supervising and helping with social skills, academics, and other developmental activities. The structure includes a lot of play and also a lot of small-group work.
Both Vinton’s Tilford Elementary and the Shellsburg attendance center offer four-year-old programs that are free to all families. The three-year-old preschool program is only offered at the Shellsburg attendance center, where the Early Childhood Special Education staff (ECSE) is located. There is a cost for the three-year-old preschool program, while the four-year-old program at both locations is tuition-free.
Most three or four-year-olds with an individualized education plan (IEP) begin preschool at Shellsburg, where children with IEP’s are included as much as possible with their general education peers. “We think the best learning happens when kids stay in the classroom where they have the opportunity to interact with same-age peers of all abilities,” says Ryan.
“I think it’s important for parents to know that we don’t change the general education curriculum to make it easier for some kids to keep up,” explains Ryan. “What we do instead is find ways to modify instruction for the children with special needs so they can meet the same expectations we have for all students.”
A big change in the entire district has been a shift away from time-based proficiency and toward a model of learning that says all kids can learn to be proficient at a high level, but that it might take some longer to get to that level. “We all have experiences with learning where we eventually understand something that didn’t come easily at first. We think there is power in the word ‘yet,’ as in, ‘I don’t get it yet,’ says Ryan. “We want students at all levels to say, ‘I haven’t figured it out yet’ instead of ‘I’m not good at math,’ for example. With a fixed mindset, a student might say, ‘I don’t understand it, and I’m not going to get it because I’m just not good in that subject.’ The student has internalized their inability and made it an attribute of themselves rather than a reflection of the speed with which they can understand a specific learning challenge on the first try. We encourage a growth mindset where students understand that their abilities aren’t set in stone, but that with time they can overcome most learning challenges by staying at it and working hard. We believe an attitude of believing you can learn, continuing to strive, and working hard will pay off for kids the rest of their lives. ”
Enrollment for V-S preschool programs information for the 2020-2021 school year is now available:
• Shellburg Three-Year-Old Preschool
• Shellburg Tiny Vikes Four-Year-Old Preschool
• Tilford Tiny Vikes Four-Year-Old Preschool
It is important to note that space is limited, so those with a preference for morning or afternoon classes will want to sign-up early.
Parents or anyone with questions about the VSCSD pre-school programs may contact the elementary school principals. The elementary building secretaries at either Shellsburg or Tilford Elementary are also great resources for questions and additional information. They can be reached by calling the school’s main phone number and choose (5) for Shellburg Elementary or (2) for Tilford Elementary when prompted.
Shellsburg Elementary
Ryan Davis
email address: ryan.davis@vscsd.org
phone: (319) 436-4728, ext. 5903
Tilford Elementary
Jim Murray
email address: jim.murray@vscsd.org
phone: (319) 436-4728, ext. 5803
