Kindergarten marks the beginning of a new phase in life. It can be both an exciting and stressful time for students and parents alike. At Fair Oaks Elementary, teachers and administrators are doing what they can to make this new adventure a little less daunting with their Early Kindergarten program.
The purpose of this District-sponsored program is to positively affect school readiness for rising kindergarten students and raise the percentage of students enrolled on the first day of school. The idea is to meet the families and for students to gain familiarity with the transportation method they would use, whether bus or drop-off. It is also an opportunity for new students to meet each other and their teachers, learn their way around the hallways, and try out some of the awesome new playground equipment at Fair Oaks!
Thirty-seven students participated in this year's program, which has previously been hosted at Belmont Hills and Norton Park. Fair Oaks has a high percentage (over 66%) of students whose primary language is Spanish and often experiences a high amount of delayed kindergarten enrollment. The Summer Prep Class is designed to promote a connection with incoming families and students before kindergarten officially begins on August 1.
"The hope is that these students will become the leaders," said Program Coordinator Denise Osborn. "They will feel comfortable and confident coming in. We want to be ready to go on Day One of the new school year, and Summer Prep helps make that possible."
"Kindergarten is a really big step," said Fair Oaks Principal Cathie Seibert. "It's their first launch into the educational journey. Helping them gain confidence about things like where to put their backpacks and how to get in a line is crucial. It's easy for us to take these things for granted, but they don't know any of this. This helps make them feel like they're part of the community and sets them up for success."
The two-week, eight-day schedule of Summer Prep resembles a regular kindergarten in many ways. It is slightly shorter, but the children get to spend time in class, the cafeteria, and, of course, the playground. By the end of the second week, the daily routine has become second nature, and they're ready to begin their Cobb education.
In addition to preparing the students, Summer Prep also includes parent meetings to answer questions and give basic familiarity with Cobb's innovative teaching and learning platform, CTLS.
"The parents have been telling us how much they appreciate this and that they feel welcome," said Summer Prep Site Coordinator Elizabeth Gonzalez. They have already met Principal Seibert and the Assistant Principals, and they feel much more comfortable about the whole experience, and that is really what we wanted to come out of this. It was a really awesome experience!"
