By Gary Lloyd
Paine Primary School is scheduling full-day student orientations on Aug. 19-21.
Principal Betsy Schmitt said the orientations are being held in an effort to ease the transition to kindergarten for students.
Schmitt said students will be divided into three groups and assigned to attend one of the orientation days. The assigned day will be given to parents at the parent-only chat night, which will be indicated on the teacher letter slated to go out in mid July.
On their assigned day, students will report to school, where the teacher will explain playground, bathroom and lunchroom procedures, daily routines and complete some initial assessments. Students will also get a tour of the school and practice their dismissal procedures. Bus drivers will become acquainted with the kindergarten students in small groups and more easily learn their names and bus stops.
“Hopefully, by allowing students to begin school in a small group, much of the confusion and misunderstandings that can occur during those first few days can be alleviated, if not eliminated altogether,” Schmitt said in an email.
All kindergarten students will begin their regular daily schedule Aug. 22. The first day of the 2013-2014 school year for Trussville City Schools is Aug. 19.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.