Pre-K, Kindergarten visitations, parent orientations, and the first day of school

SAS has a special program planned for our youngest students at the beginning of school year 2008-09.

That is when classroom teachers, counselors, academic support staff, school psychologists, admission staff, and principals from both campuses will host Visitation Days for new PK 3, PK 4, and Kindergarten students and their parents. Designed to lower anxiety levels during orientation, students will experience fun, exciting activities with SAS staff as well as make a friend or two before the first day of school. In addition to these special Visitation Days, please take note that the start dates for Kindergarten, PK 4, and PK 3 are different from the rest of the elementary school. This Visitation experience is also the orientation for both students and their parents.

Pre-K (3) Students
Friday, August 22, 2008 9am- noon
All Pre-K (3) students should attend a half-day Visitation on August 22; parents will remain with their children for this 9 a.m.- noonPK 3 Visitation. The first day of school for all Pre-K (3) students will be on Monday, August 25.

Kindergarten and Pre-K (4) Students
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Visitation Day for incoming Kindergarten and Pre-K (4) students is on August 21. The first day of school for all Kindergarten and Pre-K (4) students is on Friday, August 22.

Here's what teachers say about the new Visitation Days . . .
In August, our Early Childhood Staff will officially implement the Kindergarten Visitation Day, a new way to welcome our youngest learners and their parents into our SAS learning community. The classroom teachers, counselors, academic support staff, school psychologists, admission staff, and Elementary Principals from both the Pudong and Puxi campuses have planned these exciting events. They worked together to create a warm, inviting, and informative orientation session for new PK 3, PK 4, and Kindergarten students and their parents.

There are many advantages to this new system. First, it offers students and parents an opportunity to meet and get to know one another in small groups prior to the first day of school. Second, it allows teachers to spend time with new students to better understand them as learners and as individuals before making class placement decisions. Next, it gives teachers the chance to get a feel for the class as a whole in order to make better informed planning decisions over the summer. Finally, it is designed to lower student anxiety level as during the orientation, they will experience fun, exciting activities with SAS staff as well as have the opportunity to make a friend or two before the first day of school.

If you attended the May orientation you need not come in August.