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Summer learning is great fun for new kindergarten students in the Sunny Start program in the Hazelwood School District.

Sunny Start is designed to help prepare children for school in the fall. The program includes language skills, pre-reading activities, basic math concepts and fine- and gross-motor skill development.

On a recent morning in Kaila Fuller’s class at Walker Elementary School, kindergartners sat on a big carpet on the floor, legs criss-cross, and listened as Fuller read “Hurray for the Fourth of July.” As she read, she asked the children questions about the story, and several raised their hands to give an answer.

After the story, the literacy lesson continued with students working at different tables on activities associated with the story – creating fireworks as art, writing and tracing words and making a wreath with a red, white and blue pattern.

While waiting to work with Fuller on his firework activity, Ezra Sargeant shared what he has been learning at school.

“We have math workshop,” said Sargeant, explaining that they play Go Fish with “a lot of cards. If you have a match, you can put it in a pile.”

He also talked about going to centers. “When she says computer, we go to computers and we listen,” he said. “We have treasure hunt and writing and music.”

Brendan Hudson enjoys school, but had trouble remembering why. “I forgot why but I like it,” he said, following with “I think kindergarten is going to be great.”

Fuller has taught kindergarten at Walker for the last two years, but this is her first year teaching Sunny Start.

“In kindergarten, they know all the routines. Sunny Start is preparing them for the routines of going to centers, raising their hand and walking in line,” she said.

The focus of Sunny Start is literacy and math. Fuller begins each day with a read aloud. The students work on math, participate in math workshops and are learning number identification and patterns.

“We try to incorporate fine-motor skills as well through writing,” said Fuller.  Academically, the children are already making progress. Fuller noted that in the past few weeks, the students have shown growth and understanding.

“It’s definitely a good head start for kindergarten,” said Fuller.

As a teacher, she has “absolutely” noticed a difference in students who attend Sunny Start. “The students understand simple routines, the things you don’t think about having to teach.”

When asked what advice she would offer to parents, Fuller said that Sunny Start “is going to give your child a head start, and they’ll be more confident for kindergarten in the fall.”

“It eases parent’s minds, too. It’s not as overwhelming with all the students at the beginning of the year. Sunny Start makes parents and kids more comfortable because they will have met some of their teachers and classmates and will have developed relationships,” said Fuller.

For the 2009-2010 summer session, more than 400 children are participating in Sunny Start.  The 2010-2011 school year begins Aug. 16. (story courtesy of Hazelwood Communications Dept.)

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