The Washington Elementary School is holding its annual Kindergarten Round-Up on Thursday, April 21. The event is for parents and children that will be in kindergarten next fall and at least the age of five years old by September 1. The event will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with doors opening and pre-registration beginning 15 minutes before the session’s start.
The event is meant to show these children and their parents what it will be like going into kindergarten. “We get to tell parents and show kids that will be in kindergarten next year what kindergarten is like at Washington School.” Washington Principal Denice Oliver explained, “Our ultimate goal is to help parents learn more about Kindergarten at Washington School and then help children with that transition into kindergarten, which takes many steps along the way to help them feel comfortable in our environment. But our goal is that by the end of Round-up, families and children feel like they are a part of our school family.” Oliver explains that the introduction to kindergarten is very important for the children to feel comfortable and welcome on their first days in kindergarten and encourages any parent with a child going to kindergarten next year to come to Kindergarten Round-Up as it will help the students feel like they’re going to a safe place and that the teachers are there to help them.
At the Round-Up, the children will participate in some fun activities with their parents and teachers, while the parents can ask the teachers any questions they may have about kindergarten. The families will first go to the Washington School Gym, where they will fill out some paperwork they need complete to have their children be eligible to begin kindergarten. The students will then go with the teachers to the classrooms while the parents attend a brief program about the Crookston Public Schools Kindergarten program with Principal Oliver. The parents will then join the children in the classroom for activities with their children and teachers. The children and their families will also receive items for the class and fun activities they can do while waiting for the school year to start. “You can expect your child to receive a free “Kindergarten Toolkit” item to get ready for kindergarten.” Kindergarten teacher Monica Parenteau explained. “Each toolkit has a T-shirt, scissors, a nameplate with a number line, some nursery rhymes, and things like a “Countdown to Kindergarten” calendar with little things they can do to get ready for the school year.” The parents then will ride the school bus with their children, which has become a personal favorite event to the teachers and families. They can also take part in a small photo booth to capture the memories of their child’s first time in their kindergarten classroom. She also emphasized the importance of the event, with it being a time the parents can meet the teachers that will be teaching their children next year, as well as the programs and curriculums Washington School offers them.
The school will then follow up with the families that come to the event for the rest of the spring and summer to learn their thoughts and figure out the enrollment for next year. The school will then start making class lists and send out information to all the families to connect with them and help them with what to do next. “For instance, in the Parent Toolkit they receive from the Round-Up, it will have a calendar of events that parents need to be aware of.” Principal Oliver explained, “For instance, our August Crookston Public Schools Registration Day, so they know that that’s the day. Even though you’ve come to Kindergarten Round-Up and filled out a bit of paperwork, there’s more paperwork in the fall that we need. So, all of that is information that we can give to those families along the way.” The parents are also allowed to bring in their child’s early childhood screening records, birth certificates, and immunization records if they did not get them completed in Crookston.
The Washington Elementary School’s annual Kindergarten Round-Up event will take place on Thursday, April 21, in the Washington Elementary School gym and kindergarten classrooms from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., with doors opening and pre-registration beginning 15 minutes before the event’s start (3:15 p.m.). Children that are looking to enter Kindergarten must at least be the age of five years old by September 1 in order to take part in the Round-Up. For more information about Kindergarten Round-Up, you can contact the Washington Elementary School during its school hours at 218-281-2762.
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