Yes-Kids are already in full-time pre-school, why go backwards in Kindergarten?! Also, I think many parents would appreciate full-day Kindergarten for their work schedules. The only problem would be the need for bussing and paying teachers and we know how that is not supported in this town by some...

Yes, I we have actually chosen to send our daughter to private school for K for just this reason. She is getting more now in preschool than she my son got in his half day of K. His teacher was excellent but there was just not enough time for them to get much out of it. Seems like we are way behind the times on this one!

The fact that Portsmouth does not offer full day schooling at this grade level is a con for the town and it's school system. Portsmouth and Harrington are the only school systems with half day kiinderfarten. This is crazy. Many kids go full day preschool already so a half day kindergarten does not make sense. Portsmouth once again needs to get with the times.

Let's make this an agenda item for the next school committee and town hall meeting. What can be done to get kindergarten to be full day? Why is it that Portsmouth only has half day kindergarten. I have never gotten a straight answer

Please, I wish that there was a full day kindergarten. My son goes to daycare full time due to my wife and I working. I still have no idea what we are going to do in September.

This needs to be addressed at the state level as well. I'm passionate that the town is pushing kids to private schools and losing kids along the way while at the same time reducing property values and families as they move to other towns because of this. It's a terrible secret and needs the highest visibility

Yes, they should. Newport does and I believe they do because of the low income. What you don't realize is that Portsmouth is becoming low income too. We just don't have as many low income housing as Newport but the people are sure struggling just as Newport. Why do you think we who live in Portsmouth are better off than those in Newport. We are all in need, no matter what town or state. You make it very tough for those who work and have to pay more money to have their kids bussed to a after school program or a daycare facility. Makes no sense what so ever.

My current 1/2-day kindergartener would have benefited from a full-day program. The new common core standards will make it a challenge to cover all the material. I would expect writing tasks like these would be difficult to master in a 1/2-day program:
a. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
b. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
The School Committee approved the Strategic Plan with full-day K as an objective. But it was an unfunded goal. Currently, Melville and Hathaway do not have empty K classrooms. Therefore, both funding and space restrict us. The State does not require full-day K. But I think these new common core standards will change the public's opinions of full-day K from nice-to-have to must-have.

Yes, Even I had full day kindergarten way back in the '40's!! With all that they have to learn, there isn't enough time in a half day program. Actually the pre-school half day is more hours than K.

So even though Portsmouth is on the top end for scores the execution and reality of the school board in how they currently operate is substandard to other towns. Makes regionalizion a positive as locally we are not doing a good job education are young school children.

I think children and parents would benfit at kindergarden having extended hours. I think these hours need to be spent teaching real basic life copeing skills . Classes in Study skills please, and let music and art flurish. Basic Money Management/telephone manors or how to save our Birds.
Of course there is the budget problems and My answer is let Grandparents and Business leaders,Sunday School teachers and aRep from the coast guard for some examples of the pool of volenteers to draw upon in our comunity..
My concern is that the children are not getting the life and social skills which they need.
I believe the homework that weighs down parent and children could be left to school alone so that parents might be able to bypass McDonalds or the like and actually sit down with their children for dinner.
It is not how much time are the children in school, but how is time spent in school hours. The scores tell us something is broken.We don't need to sit around board rooms letting the children be unprepared for life in so many ways. We need to just Getter done! Rev. Rebecca Normaine

How could anyone say no?

Full day K would be a wonderful thing! Problem being, how can it be funded? The SC and Dr. Lusi are saying there is no money, so where /how do we get the extra classroom space and pay for more teachers to instruct? What a mess!

It's lack of people with proper budget and finance skills. Full day classes are the norm and is what should have been part of the budget. The problem is that the state allows this and it is a sneaky way to by pass costs. This is a mess and the town needs to stand up to the folks in the school committee the town council and the state.

I have a child in Kindergarten and a number of parents volunteer to help make up for the very short time allowed in the teaching plans for kid-writing (1.5 hours per week total). While most of the children I help are doing very well, there are some who clearly would benefit from more time. At a recent meeting of the school commitee, ome of the members commented on the number of children in various remedial situations, and the cost of such extra help. I wonder how much full day kindergarten would reduce this number. The earlier we reach these kids the better. I would even venture to guess that the short term cost increase would be paid back in savings on costly IEPs.

This question is a no brainier - of course full day classes. Why are children in Portsmouth K classes being penalized? Portsmouth and the State have an educational requirement for all K students - yet Portsmouth school system prefer jamming all the requirements into these little children within a 2 1/2 hour school day. Where as other town schools provide the same requirements utilizing a full day. What is wrong with this picture!!! All the Portsmouth K teachers are doing a tremendous job with what they have to deal with. Yet, who is receiving the short end of the stick? Not the teachers for they still receive pay for a full days work. Of course, the children are the ones who are the losers. Stop and think - a five-year-old going to school and all that is jammed down their throat is work, work and more work. Recess is not even considered and lets not even talk about PE classes. OMG – let us not think of trying to release some of these children’s built up energy. They do not need any physical exercise. Not all five year olds can learn at the same level, but Portsmouth thinks so by providing 1/2-day K classes. Sorry Portsmouth K students - I guess Portsmouth Officials do not feel you are worth the money to provide full day classes. Moreover, you wonder why certain parents are sending their children to private schools. ONLY IN PORTSMOUTH

I know this thread is almost a year old, but I want to leave a comment that I WAS searching for a home in Portsmouth, but once I found out Kindergarden was only 1/2 day, I will not be moving to Portsmouth. Both parents work full time AND I cannot see how children benefit from only 1/2 day. My son, who will start Kindergarden in the Fall of 2012 is in a full time pre-K now so this is moving backwards and I suspect makes the time at home all about homework instead of all about family time.