Monday, September 08, 2008
Published Tuesday, August 05, 2008 in Local
Photo by Brenda Pedraza-Vidamour
Ashley Miller shows a visitor her desk in Nancy LeVeau’s kindergarten class at Canongate Elementary School.
Schools hold orientation for Wednesday's start
The Times-Herald
Hundreds of parents, students and assorted other family members flocked to Coweta County Schools Wednesday for orientation, and thousands more will arrive this morning for the first day of school.
For many it'll be the first day of school, and parents like Amy Miller of Sharpsburg started preparing for this day more than a year before by enrolling her oldest, Ashley, in Georgia's pre-kindergarten program. Her excited 5-year-old will be attending Nancy LeVeau's kindergarten class at Canongate Elementary this year.
The mother of three -- her youngest one born just 10 days earlier -- had her daughter practice saying her teacher's name and reviewing what she's supposed to do to get home in the afternoon.
Today, Ashley's father will go to work a little later, and watch over their newborn and a younger toddler so Miller can take Ashley to school on her first day.
"We had to juggle his schedule so I could bring her in," she said.
While Miller will be walking Ashley to her classroom door on the first day, Ashley will be left on her own to find Mrs. LeVeau's classroom by herself on the second day.
And that's the best thing for Miller to do, advise some Canongate teachers.
"Just let them go," said Sonya Matthews, an aide in Kristin Richard's classroom. The little ones will be greeted and helped along the way. It's the only way for the 5-year-olds to learn independently how to find their way to their classroom, she said.
Richards agreed, adding that while it's best for parents to bring their child to the classroom on their first day, they should also say their farewells quickly. Some parents will want to stick around and assure themselves that their child is comfortable, and that's understandable and OK, but "when they linger, it just makes it harder," she said.
Other advice for parents of kindergartners is to keep their child on a routine and ensure that they are on time to school.
On their first day, the kindergartners in Richard's class will be introduced to some of the rules and will get oriented on where the gym, cafeteria and music classes are located. They'll learn some letters, like the ones in their names, and they'll get the opportunity to explore things on the shelves, but that's about the extent of some of the learning the first day.
"We like to play with them first," Richards said.
LeVeau encourages parents, as soon as they get over their nervousness, to also start allowing their children to ride the bus home.
She said the car lines are especially long for elementary children. If the child's ride home is waiting in cue in the school's car line, the children, waiting in the hallways, tend to get anxious. Meanwhile, kindergartners who ride the bus are the first to board.
Coweta County school operation times are:
Elementary schools, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Middle school, 8:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
High school, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Central Educational Center, 8:15 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. for the first and second blocks, and 12:30 to 3:10 p.m. for the third and fourth blocks.