The new academic year got underway Aug. 22 for kids in first to eighth grade at schools in Lake Forest School District 67, but the new kindergarteners started a little later and over the course of few days.
“There is nothing like the first day of school for teachers, it is the same for principals,” said Cherokee Elementary School Principal Jeff McHugh.
This year marks a change at School District 67, as Cherokee, Sheridan and Everett elementary schools offer full day kindergarten for the first time ever, tuition free. Previously, the afternoon portion of the day was tuition-based, but the school board changed the policy last spring.
After welcoming students in other grades to the first day of school the week before, it was time Monday for the school district’s new kindergarten kids to start. The three elementary schools started them with a walk-through.
McHugh greeted parents and students who walked through Cherokee Monday morning, helping them to get familiar with their new surroundings.
“I absolutely love days like this. Events like where you are meeting the kindergartners is the reason we all got into education because we love working with children,” the principal said.
As the school district implements the full-day kindergarten, attendance was staggered. On Tuesday half of all the kindergartners — at each of the three elementary schools — had their first day of school, the other half were set to start Wednesday. Then, by Thursday, all of the kids attend.
“We have reached (a point) where the majority of our families are using full-day kindergarten,” said School Dist. 67 spokeswoman Anne Whipple.
Specifically at Cherokee, McHugh noted an enrollment spike, up from 51 in the 2017-2018 school year to 60 children this year. He said that with the full day, there would balance for the students, both in terms of study and play time.
“Our curriculum is extremely rigorous and we had to pack it all into the morning because if you were a half day student, you needed to get all the curriculum,” McHugh said. “It is better for kids to be able to stretch that out over the course of the day.”
Katherine Hamming brought her son Henry for the kindergarten walk through, and agreed with McHugh’s assessment.
“I think it will be easier for the kids to not have such an intensive work load during the first half of the day,” she said.
Marie Moore arrived at Cherokee Monday with her daughter, Marley. It is the family’s first experience with kindergarten at the elementary school because they moved into the district when Marley’s older brother, Madden, was starting first grade.
“We are excited about the full day option with no charge,” Moore said. “The programs looks great and the teachers look excited.”
Also new at Cherokee this school year is playground equipment: slides, swings, a zipline, basketball hoops and a rubber surface.
“It is what everybody is talking about,” said McHugh.
That new playground intrigued Ann Marie Colletti, whose daughters Ava, and twins Katie and Izzy, attend Cherokee.
“It is so great to have the new flooring instead of chips,” Colletti said. “I know my kids are very excited about the zipline. That is their favorite part.”
With the children about to start their full-day experience, there was some acknowledgement there could be some uneasiness. That being the case, Colletti liked the way the walk through was organized.
“My kids felt very welcome,” she said. “They gave them tasks such as putting the supplies away or finding things around the room so they are busy and can’t think about being nervous.”
Hamming said she was pleased by the school staff’s approach.
“The whole school, especially the teachers,” Hamming said. (They are) very supportive and really take each child under their wing and make each child comfortable.”
