Students in the Kindergarten 4 program interact in Elizabeth Kavicala’s classroom at St. John the Baptist Catholic School. (CONTRIBUTED)

The new wing at St. John the Baptist Catholic School was built to serve the growing educational needs of four-year-olds in the community.(CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – St. John the Baptist Catholic School has opened a new wing of classrooms that will accommodate the school’s expanding Kindergarten 4 program.

Construction started on the wing last spring and was completed just after the 2014-2015 school year started.

“St. John’s welcomed 21 new faces this year to the Kindergarten 4 program and also brought about the opening of a new wing of classrooms to house these students,” public relations committee chairperson Wendy Evans said.

The classrooms’ decor uses vibrant colors with many visual learning aides. “Educational toys, puzzles and books can be found scattered about the rooms to enrich each student’s learning,” Evans said.

Students have access to computers and iPads in their classroom to supplement their lessons during classroom study. “Classrooms were designed specifically for this age group with counters and tables at student height,” Evans said. Each room is equipped with a water fountain and restroom facilities.

“The new wing was added to fulfill a need to expand on the K4 program and accommodate the growing educational needs of the community in this age group,” Evans said. Heretofore, St. John’s had one K4 classroom at near or full capacity during each school year.

Currently, 21 students use the two K4 classrooms. Each classroom is staffed with an accredited teacher and supported by a teacher’s aide. The curriculum is tailored to four-year-olds’ learning needs.

In addition to a full curriculum for these classrooms, the students participate in many of the same classes as other St. John’s students, such as Spanish, art, computer study and music.

Fully accredited, St. John’s enrolls children in K4 through eighth grade and offers a summer enrichment program for K4 children.

The school’s address is 1057 Hughes Road and is adjacent to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. For more information, call St. John’s Principal Sherry Lewis at 256-722-0772 or visit stjohnb.com.