![\"Walker_SunnyStart_Fuller](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.flovalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Walker_SunnyStart_Fuller-pg-470x383.jpg?resize=470%2C383\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Summer learning is great fun for new kindergarten students in the Sunny Start program in the Hazelwood School District.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
On a recent morning in Kaila Fuller\u2019s class at Walker Elementary School, kindergartners sat on a big carpet on the floor, legs criss-cross, and listened as Fuller read \u201cHurray for the Fourth of July.\u201d As she read, she asked the children questions about the story, and several raised their hands to give an answer.<\/p>\n
After the story, the literacy lesson continued with students working at different tables on activities associated with the story \u2013 creating fireworks as art, writing and tracing words and making a wreath with a red, white and blue pattern.<\/p>\n
While waiting to work with Fuller on his firework activity, Ezra Sargeant shared what he has been learning at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have math workshop,\u201d said Sargeant, explaining that they play Go Fish with \u201ca lot of cards. If you have a match, you can put it in a pile.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also talked about going to centers. \u201cWhen she says computer, we go to computers and we listen,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have treasure hunt and writing and music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brendan Hudson enjoys school, but had trouble remembering why. \u201cI forgot why but I like it,\u201d he said, following with \u201cI think kindergarten is going to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fuller has taught kindergarten at Walker for the last two years, but this is her first year teaching Sunny Start.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to incorporate fine-motor skills as well through writing,\u201d said Fuller.\u00a0 Academically, the children are already making progress. Fuller noted that in the past few weeks, the students have shown growth and understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a good head start for kindergarten,\u201d said Fuller.<\/p>\n
As a teacher, she has \u201cabsolutely\u201d noticed a difference in students who attend Sunny Start. \u201cThe students understand simple routines, the things you don\u2019t think about having to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what advice she would offer to parents, Fuller said that Sunny Start \u201cis going to give your child a head start, and they\u2019ll be more confident for kindergarten in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt eases parent\u2019s minds, too. It\u2019s 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,\u201d said Fuller.<\/p>\n
For the 2009-2010 summer session, more than 400 children are participating in Sunny Start.\u00a0 The 2010-2011 school year begins Aug. 16. (story courtesy of Hazelwood Communications Dept.) <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-school-news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n