ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Kindergarten is a major time of transition in a child’s life and education, and soon, USD 480 will be helping with just that.
USD 480 is currently taking sign-ups for the Kinder Camp for the Class of 2037, and sign-ups will be taken through July 25. Kinder Camp will take place Aug. 1 and 2, with a morning session from 8 to 11 a.m. and an afternoon session from 12 to 3 p.m., and Kinder Camp will be located at whichever elementary school the child will be enrolled in. As Newcomers Center Coordinator Noemi Chavira tells it, Kinder Camp is a very good experience.
“Each building will have its own activities, but the overall idea is for the students to come in and get to know their building a little as well as their teachers and their future classmates, not entirely unlike an orientation,” Chavira said. “Kinder Camp is very much meant to be a welcoming experience for the students and their parents so everyone is on the same page of where everyone and everything is located, and it's also meant to smooth that transition. I know for some parents it can be a little hard letting their child go to school – I've got a little one of my own who will be starting school, so Kinder Camp is a great way for the parents to also get to know the lay of the land. Anyone needing to sign their child up for Kinder Camp can visit the Newcomers Center at 615 W. 7th Street, and we also have a Google Form parents can fill out, and we've also put together a QR code for parents to scan and register that way. It really depends on what the parents want to do, they can fill it out online or come to the Newcomers Center and register in person, so whichever way is easiest, go for it.”
Chavira added there has already been a big response to this year’s Kinder Camp.
“We have already gotten quite a few registrations done, but with this coming week being our official enrollment week, I feel like those numbers will continue to grow. As the parents come in, once we let them know about Kinder Camp, they're enthusiastic about it and immediately sign their little one up, because it is a great opportunity for these children, and it'll also be fun,” Chavira said. “Kinder Camp is just so, so beneficial to students and their parents. The students learn their building and get to meet other students their age, and they also get to know who their teacher will be, and the main goal is, again, to help ease the students' transition to being in kindergarten and in a school setting so they're more comfortable. And the parents also make some of those connections because they get to know their child's teacher and get to meet everyone who will be in charge of caring for their children every day for the school year. The children will definitely have a fun time, I know each school will have a bunch of activities prepared for them to take on, and Kinder Camp is just an overall great opportunity.”
Overall, Chavira said, there are many benefits to the children who participate in Kinder Camp.
“For the little ones, they tend to make friends more easily, but there are some children who are more prone to shyness, so Kinder Camp is a great way for them to start coming out of their shell and meeting other children their age,” Chavira said. “And with kindergarten being such a new school experience, they can also be a little nervous about their surroundings and they'll be wondering where the bathrooms are and who their teacher is and other logistical stuff like that, so we want to help them start knowing their surroundings so they won't be quite so nervous on their first day of school. At this age, children want to know everything, so if they know there's someone they can go to with their questions, school ends up going much more smoothly, and the transition to school will go really well.”
Overall, Chavira said, she hopes many parents will take advantage of the Kinder Camp opportunity.
“The USD 480 Web site also has some information about Kinder Camp if people want to look at that, and if a parent has a question specifically for their child's school, those phone numbers are also available, or they can call the Newcomers Center at (620) 604-1620 or (620) 604-1621,” Chavira said. “But come out and get your child registered for Kinder Camp, you definitely won't regret it.”
