Heather Latter
With the first year of the full-day Early Learning Kindergarten Program complete at two of the schools in town, educators at both school boards indicated the program was certainly successful.
“It was a wonderful year,” stressed Rae-Ann Wood, an Early Learning teacher at St. Michael’s School.
“I think it worked out very well,” echoed Sylvia Parker, School Effectiveness Leader with the Rainy River District School Board, explaining that school boards have the option to organize the program differently.
Robert Moore School chose to run a blended program, meaning Year 1 and Year 2 students (formerly known as JK and SK) were grouped together, while St. Michael’s School opted to keep the first-year students in a class of their own.
“[Teachers] said they couldn’t believe how quickly the new students came in and learned the routines and seemed to get involved in the program much sooner than they have in the past, perhaps, when there was a whole class of just JK students,” Parker voiced.
Meanwhile, Wood indicated the approach at St. Michael’s School also worked well for the students.
“The children had many opportunities for hands-on learning and were involved in many inquiries,” she reported.
“From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, it was amazing the progress they made both socially and academically,” added Wood.
She stressed having the young students at school five days a week was a real benefit.
“We were able to cover so much of the curriculum in terms of the oral language goals, math, science,” she noted.
“[Teachers] really noticed the difference having everyday contact with the students,” added Parker. “They know their students much better and they have a better handle on their learning needs and where they actually are in terms of their learning.”
Both Parker and Wood also praised the program’s incorporation of Early Childhood Educators.
“Certainly they’ve learned a lot from each other because the ECEs bring a different perspective to the classroom,” Parker expressed.
“We really benefited from having an Early Childhood Educator in the room with different sets of knowledge,” Wood echoed, citing there also were a lot of training opportunities with the Northwest Catholic District School Board, such as visiting classrooms in Thunder Bay to help bring play-based learning to light.
“I think the kids really blossomed in the program,” enthused Parker. “Having gone through the program on a number of occasions, seeing the kind of reading and writing that’s already happening with our earliest learners is just amazing.”
She noted there is flexibility in the program.
“I know a lot of parents had fears about the long day and would they be able to cope with it,” noted Parker. “We have been able to make some adjustments to meet the needs of students in the program.”
And within the Early Learning Kindergarten Program, both schools were able to offer a before and after school program, run by the Fort Frances Day Care, which was beneficial for students and helpful for parents.
While there won’t be any changes made to the program at St. Michael’s School, educators at Robert Moore School have decided to make a change regarding the start of school for the first-time students.
Instead of a staggered entry, where the new students will begin school in smaller groups in order to adjust to the new environment, the youngest students will begin on the first day of classes—Aug. 28.
Parker noted the change was suggested by the teachers who indicated it would be best to start with the whole class together right from the beginning. And that the staggered entry wasn’t needed, especially when the Year 1 students picked up things quickly by being with the Year 2 students.
“It really is a step forward,” she admitted. “But when you see the thinking and the work they are achieving, it is really amazing,” she enthused.
Students set to attend St Michael’s School will still see the staggered entry approach, however.
“This was a good learning year,” Wood expressed. “We’ve had this year as our first step into it and next year we will build on what we learned this year. We’re looking forward to another great year to come.”
No other schools in the district will be taking on the full-day Early Learning Program this year, but J.W Walker, Donald Young, and Sturgeon Creek Schools are set to start the program for the 2013-2014 school year.
Crossroads School, McCrossen-Tovell School, and Our Lady of the Way School are expected to take on the program the following year.
