Date: Fri 05-Sep-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

schools-kindergarten

Full Text:

with cuts:

Kindergartners Get A Preview Of School

Karen Wilk watches from the rocking chair while principal Donna Page gets to

know the new kindergarten children.

Janet Vollmer listens while Devon Miles adds up all the animals in her

picture.

A new kindergarten class sings "parents on the bus go shhh, shhh, shhh."

Vincent Powell stands in front while Deborah Lubin attends to the next child

in line.

B Y M ICHELE H OGAN

With a few tears and a look of bewilderment, a young school boy tries to

pretend this isn't happening. Meanwhile a classmate, bright eyes filled with

anticipation, energetically bounds off the school bus, ready to see what's in

store for her in her new school career. Both, along with their peers, are

getting a sneak preview of kindergarten.

For several years now, children entering kindergarten at Sandy Hook School

have been invited to participate in a mini school day, bus ride and all, the

week prior to the start of school.

Riding the bus and meeting their classmates ahead of time helps the children

understand what kindergarten is all about. This can do much to alleviate the

first day jitters.

As the children disembark from their buses, Principal Donna Page welcomes

them, turning the few tears to smiles. Teachers and parent volunteers guide

them to their new classrooms.

In Janet Vollmer's class the children sing familiar songs, and play a

jumping-into-the-circle game before getting down to business - coloring a

picture of funny animals riding a bus.

Mrs Vollmer asks the class, "What animals do you see in the picture?" Several

hands go up. The teacher pauses and looks encouragingly at the children and

sees a new hand go up - it's the boy who was teary-eyed on the bus.

Mrs Vollmer picks him and starts by telling him, "I like the way you raised

your hand." The boy, now looking surprised instead of scared, says, "I'm just

stretching," and he smiles. He extends both his arms now, in an even bigger

stretch, looks at the picture again and answers the teacher's question.

Certainly for this boy, his mini-day assures him that he'll be comfortable in

kindergarten.

For the child who loved kindergarten at first sight, there are still questions

to be answered. Jennifer asks her teacher if she knows her name. Her teacher

smiles and answers, "Yes, you're Jennifer." Jennifer points to her name tag

and says, "Yes, it says so here. Do you know my Daddy's name?"