While Tahoma School District students headed back to class Sept. 1, Glacier Park Elementary School kindergarten teacher Keri Heggenes has a few more days to prepare before her students arrive.

The first day of school for kindergarten students is Wednesday, Sept. 7 when 24, seemingly, anxious students arrive for day one in Heggenes’ class.

This is her fourth year teaching at Glacier Park and will be her last. Next year with the boundary changes, Heggenes will be moving to Tahoma Elementary School.

So, what does a kindergarten teacher do with their final days of summer as they prepare for the new school year?

For Heggenes, her classroom is ready to go and she finishes one on one interviews that she holds with each student and their parents.

These short interviews gives the student and their parents the chance to meet Heggenes before the school year begins. This meeting allows Heggenes to learn about the students and it also gives families the chance to learn what to expect from the first few days of school.

“It helps ease the anxiety from the little ones and mom and dad,” Heggenes said. She added, it gives her a “snapshot of who the students are.”

The students also bring in their school supplies so they don’t have to do that on day one of school, she said. Adding that on day one, the students come with just their backpack and lunch, so the first day isn’t about putting away their school supplies.

Another thing that Heggenes does at these meetings, is works with the students on their counting and name writing. That way she is able to access each students abilities and skills prior to the first day, she said.

Another thing that the Tahoma School District did this year with their kindergarten students was Kindergarten Camp. It was a four day experience where the district hoped it would “reduce the anxiety of starting kindergarten (for both parents and students),” according to the school district’s website.

This camp allowed, “(The students to) get used to going (to school) and saying good bye to mom and dad,” Heggenes said.

This was the first year that the district held this type of event. Due to fundraising and help from the Tahoma Foundation, this event was offered to families at no cost.

Because it was the first year, there is no evidence yet to suggest Kindergarten Camp was a success, but Shelly Gaston, instructional coach at Glacier Park and Rock Creek Elementary, said “everyone, parents and principals, were thrilled” by the camp.

During the four days, teachers worked with small groups of 15 students. Heggenes said they worked on sharing, walking in a line, sitting on the floor in a group and other activities they will continue to work on throughout the school year.

As the first day of school draws closer, Heggenes said she and the other full day kindergarten teacher will get together and discuss their plans for the first few days of class.

“The focus for the first couple of days is to create a positive classroom culture,” Gaston said.

The main goal for her class this year, Heggenes said is “literacy as a whole.” That includes reading, writing, letters and sounding out words.

She said throughout the school year, she will work with her class on being independent and teaching them to make good choices.

When it comes to setting up her classroom, Heggenes has a camping theme and her students are ‘happy campers.’ This has been her classroom theme every year she has been at Glacier Park.

Heggenes said her classroom is set up in ways to engage the students in various social skills. There are areas for structured play and the students have to learn to get along with one another, she said. The placement in her classroom is strategically thought out, she added.

Gaston and Heggenes said a new science program that was piloted last year in fifth grade classes will come to full day kindergarten classrooms starting in October.