Students given a ‘jump start’
When Pam Whyel of Markleysburg took her daughter for kindergarten at Marclay School some years ago, they both entered the building that first day of school with anxiety. A new group of students will enter Uniontown Area School District schools next week to begin kindergarten, but they got a “jump start” on the school year during a new program offered to parents and students this week.
“Jump-Start Kindergarten” was held at Wharton School on Monday for mountain area parents and students, Iowa Street Kindergarten Center on Tuesday for city parents and students, and Menallen School on Wednesday for Menallen and Franklin School students.
The program, developed by Whyel and assisted by district teachers, is designed to help students but also to encourage parents to take a more active role in their children’s education.
“It gives them an opportunity to experience the first day of school prior to the first day. Parents get an opportunity to ask questions and children get an opportunity to meet the teachers,” Whyel said. “It gives them a feel for the kindergarten experience.”
Wednesday’s event began with an introduction from Whyel, followed by a story read aloud by Denise Cicconi, district Reading Recovery teacher.
From there, students were broken into groups and taken with teachers to classrooms to go over phonemic awareness, letters and numbers, and comprehension. Later in the day, they got a chance to ride the school bus, most likely their first time on a bus.
While students were away, parents spent time with teachers and the school principal going over some of the district policies and procedures. The parents also got a glimpse at how their child’s day at school will be structured.
Whyel said the project came about through her participation in the Parent and Community Leadership Program, an 18-month initiative developed by Good Schools Pennsylvania to develop local leaders who will organize others in the community to help boost student achievement.
She said the idea for a kindergarten project came after recalling her experiences and hearing about a “Kindergarten Kickoff” program used in the Connellsville Area School District during a REACH (Reaching Educational Achievement with Community Help) meeting last year.
“I saw that presentation and my heart started beating hard. I thought it was so cool, we could do this and we should do this,” Whyel said.
Not long after that meeting, she and other district officials met with Connellsville Area administrators to go over their program to see how a similar program could be implemented in Uniontown Area.
“They were so gracious and helpful and they let us take what we wanted,” Whyel said.
At the beginning, she said she wanted to pilot the program at Marclay School, but after meeting with Debbie Rittenhouse, district curriculum director, it was decided that the program would be implemented districtwide.
Nearly 300 students and parents participated in one of the workshops this week, she said.
Since her daughter entered school, Whyel has been actively involved in her children’s education and still volunteers at Marclay, even though her children no longer attend class there.
“Develop a relationship with your school and the different organizations,” she said. “It can only enhance your child’s educational journey.”
Plans are already in the works to continue the program next year, Whyel said.
She said the program would not have been a success without the help of Cicconi and fellow Reading Recovery teachers Linda Price and Margaret Smalley, and the cooperation of the administration, faculty and volunteers.
“This program has absolutely met and exceeded our expectations,” she said.
“Everybody who has been involved with it has grasped it and enhanced it.
“They love the idea and love doing it.”