Education

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It's exciting but a bit scary to be starting school at the age of four.

That's why principal Anne Roppel and her staff at Elgin Market Public School held Kindergarten orientation Thursday night to welcome the new students and help them become familiar with the school before the Big Day Sept. 6.

"It works well for the children and for their parents to tour the school and find out about the programs offered here," says Roppel. "They get to meet their teacher, visit the library and their classrooms, climb into the bus, check out the office, and find the milk table and enjoy a snack."

Also on hand were representatives from the School Community Council, Home and School Association, Canadian Parents for French, and the FundScrip fund-raising program.

The school has three new teachers, who are filling in for maternity leaves. Maggie Ramage has taken over for Ali MacKenzie; Sheri Zettler has Gillian Dent's class; and Julia MacKenzie takes over for Lisa Kaminski.

The school is full to capacity with 285 students, says Roppel, which is why arrangements were made in the spring to send the Grade 3 French Immersion students to Huron Heights Public School this fall.

"We didn't have enough room for another class of 11 students in Grade 3 French Immersion," says Roppel. "So, they are joining the Grade 4 students in a split class with a total of 21-22 students at Huron Heights."

In the spring, the Grade 2 and 3 French Immersion students joined their Grade 3 English-stream counterparts for a day of fun and games at Huron Heights to familiarize themselves with that school.

Roppel says Huron Heights has hired a French Immersion teacher, Leanne Lamontagne of Port Elgin, for that Grade 3-4 class, and she will share resources with the Junior Kindergarten to Grade 2 French Immersion classes at Elgin Market. The federal government also provides a start-up grant for new French Immersion classes.

More space would have to be found at Elgin Market to provide Full-Day Kindergarten, as mandated by the provincial government. Right now, adding that program would cause over-crowding at Elgin Market which prompted the development of an Accommodation Review Committee. A decision from that committee is expected Oct. 26.

Christina Nicholson (front), 6, of Kincardine shows her sister, Samantha (L), 4, how to get on and off the school bus, driven by Joyce Woods. With them is the girls' mother, Anna Nicholson. Samantha starts Junior Kindergarten next week

Ella Bishop, who turned four on Sept. 2, of Kincardine, plays with some blocks at the Kindergarten orientation held Thursday night at Elgin Market Public School



Jackson Charbonneau, 4, of Kincardine puts together variations of Mr. Potato Head

New Grade 2 teacher Maggie Ramage (L) and Bronwynn Jones, 4, of Kincardine, play with the blocks

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Friday, September 02, 2011