[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Woodson 
Kindergarten Center, in Austin, MN, which recently earned an Award for 
Excellence in Education for its exceptional and innovative achievements 
in educating children.
  The Woodson Kindergarten Center, which is funded by Austin Public 
Schools, is truly a model of educational success. The district 
recognized the advantages of joining together all of its 
kindergarteners in a single building. This made economic sense and also 
improved the students' experience, allowing all kindergarten teachers 
and specialists to work together and to benefit from the expertise each 
person brought to the team. Currently, 390 children attend Woodson 
Kindergarten Center, which provides special education services and 
English language learner services for children of all ages.
  At Woodson Kindergarten, students are grouped for reading and math 
based on skill level. A student who has not mastered all of the skills 
needed for first grade attends 6 weeks of summer school. Woodson 
emphasizes reading to children in school and at home and also focuses 
throughout the day on building children's social skills, including 
conflict resolution.
  Woodson Kindergarten Center better prepares students for first grade 
and provides a stronger foundation for at-risk children. Its full-day 
curriculum offers more time for hands-on discovery, for experimenting 
and making mistakes, for reading the whole story, and for richer, more 
developmentally appropriate learning.
  Much of the credit for Woodson Kindergarten Center's success belongs 
to its principal, Jean McDermott, and her dedicated teachers. The staff 
at Woodson Kindergarten Center understand that, in order to be 
successful, a school must go beyond achieving academic success; it must 
provide a nurturing environment where students develop the knowledge, 
skills and attitudes for a lifetime of success. All of the faculty, 
staff, and students at the Woodson Kindergarten Center should be very 
proud of their accomplishments.
  I congratulate Woodson Kindergarten Center in Austin, MN, for winning 
the Award for Excellence in Education and for its exceptional 
contributions to education in Minnesota.

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