THUNDER BAY – Starting school can be a stressful time not only for children but for their parents as well.
To aid in the transition, the Lakehead Public School Board is launching a video resource to show parents and soon-to-be students exactly what happens in a local school.
The new video was premiered at Woodcrest Public School Friday afternoon in front of the current kindergarten students, their parents and staff who were featured on screen.
Donica LeBlanc, the school board’s early years’ lead, said in the past the video has been a valuable resource.
“Parents are very appreciative of the video and seeing the video because it reassures them when the children come to school they’re greeted with a smile and their day is going to be fun-filled in a very good learning environment,” she said.
“Just seeing the classroom itself, how it’s set up, what’s in there, what the students are interacting with throughout the day are all very important for parents to see.”
The video also gives the children a chance to see the kind of environment they will be in within the next year.
“We invite parents to watch the video with their child so they can feel comfortable about what a day looks like in school,” LeBlanc said. “They can watch it over and over, as many times as they want, so they can get to know the kindergarten rooms in the school and what children do when they go outside.“
Previous versions of the film were made in 2008 and 2011.
This newest update shows different learning styles that have been adopted in kindergarten classrooms across the board, LeBlanc said.
“Within all of our schools we do what is called an inquiry or play based purposeful learning so students are experiencing science, many experiments, they’re learning through inquiry and then throughout the day there are many literacy and mathematics experiences built into the day so they’re getting a well-rounded education,” she said.
A Kindergarten information night will be held on Feb. 1 at the Valhalla Inn, followed by open houses and registration opportunities at all public elementary schools on Feb. 3. French immersion kindergarten information nights will be held next week.
More information is available online.
