Kaleideum North, formerly SciWorks, located at 400 W. Hanes Mill Road, was transformed into a one-stop shop for everything Kindergarten last Saturday as hundreds of parents, students, teachers, principals, administrators, and other educators came together for Countdown to Kindergarten.
The event hosted by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is part of the district’s Ready, Set, K! program, which is designed to ease the process for parents and students when preparing for the transition from Pre-K to kindergarten or to the classroom for the first time. The event on Saturday, Jan. 12, included several different stations for parents and students.
According to Vanessa Osborne, transition coordinator for WS/FCS, “This event marks the beginning of the enrollment process for children who will be five on or before August 31, 2019. It is a way for families and their children to experience a bit of what school will be like, from the bus ride to the lunch line and on to the classroom. It’s a great way to meet and chat with teachers and administrators from our schools, as well as district and community representatives,” Osbourne said.
Along with informational sessions on how and when to register, transportation options, and immunization information, representation from every school in the district was also on hand to answer any questions parents may have.
“I think this is a awesome event. Before today I had a lot of questions about the process and most of those questions have been answered,” said Janet Wilcox while visiting the various vendors last weekend. “This eases the mind a lot. I’m glad the district is doing what they can to help parents and students.”
Students had activities to enjoy at the Countdown to Kindergarten event as well, including opportunities to board a school bus, go through a practice lunch and nap time, explore the exhibits at the museum, and the chance to meet Ready Freddy, the Countdown to Kindergarten mascot.
For more information on Countdown to Kindergarten, or the Ready, Set, K! Program, contact Vanessa Osborne at (336) 748-4000, ext. 34245 or Kelley Bendheim at (336) 341-0539.
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