Prekindergartners at Brayton School created a book for the classes following them.
NORTH ADAMS — Starting kindergarten can be a tough time for children — new schools, new playmates, new teachers.
In the city, it's become traditional for preschoolers and parents to attend orientation sessions and visit classrooms. Bedecked in yellow T-shirts declaring "I'm going to kindergarten" provided by the parent-resource LINCS Center, the children are usually given fun activities and introduced to teachers.
But prekindergarten teachers Dina Poplaski and Michelle Nicholas came up with an innovative idea for the youngsters to learn about the next step in their educational journey — and then pass it on to the next year's class.
The result was a PowerPoint presentation with photos and narration by the children and a book filled with pictures and descriptions of all three elementary schools that state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing read aloud at the project's presentation at Brayton Elementary School on Thursday. The 46 Brayton pupils also sang about how "School Is Cool."
It was the first time prekindergartners had been involved in a Community Service Learning project.
"You're the first. You're the first that's ever done this," Mayor John Barrett III told them. "You're going to be helping other kindergarten enrollees in the years to come."
The mayor, a former schoolteacher and chairman of the School Committee, praised the teachers, staff, parents and volunteers who had helped bring the project to fruition. He also lauded the school system's getting-ready-for-kindergarten program.
"I think what's so nice about it is it has been going on in younger grades in the city for a long time now," he said. "Getting preschoolers involved and letting kindergarten teachers find out what the next block looks like. I think it's a great experience for the kids, too."
The assembly was open to all children entering kindergarten in the fall and their parents. School system staff were on hand along with parents and grandparents and many thanks were made to all involved, including Conte Middle School teachers Melissa Quirk and Joan LaRocca and their sixth-graders who helped create the PowerPoint presentation.
Along with Barrett and Downing, School Superintendent James A. Montepare and radio show host Sherman Burbank were among the local dignitaries invited.
(The children discussed who might be important enough to invite; the president was included but ended up not making the final cut when it was decided the mayor was better. Burbank was chosen to represent media, though there was some confusion over whether he'd take them to a restaurant.)
Seated in a circle on the floor in their yellow T-shirts, preschoolers from around the city were told what they should expect come fall.
Such as, you might ride in a bus named butterfly, that the ladies in the lunch room are nice, that big machines are used to clean the floors, that the secretaries can speak to the teachers through boxes on the wall and "recess is the best."
Lee and Elise Koloc
And that there are school adjustment counselors — in case you need some adjustment.
"No matter where you go to school, school is cool," read Downing.
"We just had a great experience going around the city learning about the kindergartens," said Poplaski. She and Nicholas had come up with the project while taking a class with Anne French, the service-learning coordinator for the North Adams Public Schools.
Some 140 families will receive the PowerPoint presentation CD of pictures of the schools and the children's narration and the "A Journey to School" book.
Five-year-old Elise Koloc, one of the children involved in the project, had a positive experience, said her mother, Lee Koloc.
"She's learned very much. She constantly wants to do the song," said Koloc. "She's very excited about kindergarten. They really did a good job here."
"I wish they had this when she was a kid," said Koloc's mother, Colleen McClain. "I remember when I dropped her off it was, 'OK, we'll take it from here, we'll see you later.' I'm glad the way they're doing it now because the kids are less afraid."
Montepare said the project brought in an element of mentoring with the older kids and allowed the younger ones to look beyond their classrooms.
"This lets even the youngest kids see a bit of the big picture," he said. "I think it's just a good learning experience and gives them the idea there's a lot out there ... it taps into their creative side."
.JPG)
The mayor, a former schoolteacher and chairman of the School Committee, praised the teachers, staff, parents and volunteers who had helped bring the project to fruition. He also lauded the school system's getting-ready-for-kindergarten program..JPG)
.JPG)
"I wish they had this when she was a kid," said Koloc's mother, Colleen McClain. "I remember when I dropped her off it was, 'OK, we'll take it from here, we'll see you later.' I'm glad the way they're doing it now because the kids are less afraid."