Center, Justice Davila, 6, inches up to get a closer look at the illustrations in the book "The Iguana Brothers" by Tony Johnston as Brenda Lowry reads aloud to her kindergarten class Wednesday.
As kids depart for their very first day of school, saying goodbye can be a little rough.
“Well,” said local mom Angie Cantu, whose twin boys Caleb and Cory attend pre-kindergarten, and will start kindergarten in fall, “I’m the one crying when I drop them off. They’re like, ‘See ya, mom.’”
The twins have an older brother and sister in elementary school, Cantu said, and all four are jazzed about riding the school bus. For the little ones, she said, new supplies and the switch to full-day classes with their playmates are icing on the cake.
“I’d give anything for them to be babies again, insane as it sounds, but I see how happy they are now that they have friends,” she said. “Each morning, they say, ‘What time is it? Is it almost time for school? When are we going to get dressed?”
Brenda Lowry, who teaches kindergarten at Memorial Primary, recommends parents establish an early bedtime and day-to-day routine well before the first day of school. Bringing a child to meet the teacher and see his or her classroom in advance helps too, she said.
Colorful carpet, work stations for painting and other activities, and shelves of personalized bins — one for each student — round out Lowry’s room, where on Wednesday she read to about 20 five and six-year-olds from an illustrated storybook.
Her voice rose and fell emphatically, mingling Spanish with English as she turned each brightly colored page.
“‘Si, si’” Lowry read. “OK, what does that mean?”
The response — a resounding “yes!”
As kids get ready for the first day of school, Lowry said later, “parents can talk to them about how exciting it’s going to be — things like, ‘this is where you’ll get to stay during the day when school starts. Look how fun it is!’ and ‘this is where you’ll learn to read.’”
She’s only had one or two youngsters break into tears, Lowry said, and a little anxiety is normal.
Besides, she said, “teachers get nervous, too!”
Parents in New Braunfels Independent School District can register their children early next week, and all are welcome to attend two informational meetings prior to registration on Monday and Tuesday.
Early registration has passed for Comal Independent School District, but parents of kindergartners, pre-kindergartners and transfer students haven’t really missed the boat, said Kari Hutchison, CISD communications director. Paperwork still can be turned in, and “if they’re going to be new next year, they can still visit the campus,” said Hutchison, who recommends scheduling an appointment first.
For school contact information and a list of later registration times in August, visit CISD’s Web site at http://www.comalisd.org/.
Identification, proof of residency and other documents are required to register in any Texas district, including immunization records.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, every child entering kindergarten must have four to five doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis), four doses of polio, two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, three doses of hepatitis B, and one dose of varicella vaccine. Booster shots are required in certain cases.
For more information about school immunizations, including recommended vaccine schedules, visit http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/school/.
• New Braunfels ISD parents can ask questions and review paperwork prior to kindergarten and pre-kindergarten registration at two evening meetings next wee: 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lamar Primary, and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Memorial Primary.
•NBISD registration is 4 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at all elementary school campuses:
• Lamar Primary (Pre-kindergarten available), 240 N. Central Ave., 830-627-6890
• Lone Star Elementary, 2343 W. San Antonio St., 830-627-6820
• Seele Elementary, 540 Howard St., 830-627-6750
• Carl Schurz Elementary, 633 W. Coll, 830-627-6680
• Memorial Primary (Pre-kindergarten available), 1200 County Line Rd., 830-627-6610
• Memorial Elementary, 1900 S. Walnut Ave., 830-627-6540
• Memorial Intermediate, 1911 S. Walnut Ave., 830-627-6470
• Klein Road Elementary (to open fall of 2008), Kindergarten students will register on Thursday, May 15 at Memorial Intermediate, 4-7:30 p.m.
•When registering their child for pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, parents or guardians should bring: Two documents showing proof of residency, such as a picture ID with a current address and a utility bill, lease or mortgage agreement, or building contract. The child’s birth certificate or hospital birth record, his or her Social Security card and up-to-date immunization records.
