Kindergarten orientation is set for Aug. 19, two days before the first day of school.
Perkiomen Valley School District is poised and ready to begin its inaugural foray into full-time kindergarten across its four elementary schools on Aug. 19.
Superintendent Dr. Barbara Russell updated the school board during her education updates portion of the board’s work session Monday night.
“Classrooms being put together, we have new supplies … and teachers participated enthusiastically in Responsive Classroom,” Russell said.
She showed off a PowerPoint showing colorful kindergarten classrooms, complete with sensory tables, classroom libraries with new books, and many other resources.
PVSD/YouTube screenshot “New books and resources have been provided to teachers across the board as we prepare to host students for full-day kindergarten this year,” Russell said.
In addition to classrooms being cleaned and furniture being assembled, the district is ramping up full-day kindergarten with instructional preparation. Teachers received training in the materials being used for instruction and kindergarten teaching approaches, per Russell.
Teacher assignments, she said, were released Monday at noon. Middle school schedules and assignments were released Tuesday, and high school details being released Wednesday at noon.
Russell said kindergarten orientation occurs Aug. 19, two days prior to the first day of school in Perkiomen Valley. There will be an orientation and meet the teacher event.
This week, parents will receive welcome letters on ParentVue, sent by the elementary building principal.
“Teachers are very excited,” Russell said. “(We) are invested in having students for the full day.”
A sensory table on the left inside a new full-day kindergarten classroom at PVSD.All schools will have four full-day kindergarten classrooms. In the 2024-25 school year, there will be 294 total kindergarteners: Evergreen has 72, Schwenksville has 80, Skippack has 73, and South with 69 students.
According to PVSD Elementary Enrollment and Staffing figures from Aug. 2, 2024, Evergreen Elementary will have a class size of 18 students each. Kindergarten is the fourth-largest enrollment at the 465-strong K-5 school.
Using the same data set, Schwenksville Elementary School will have 20 kindergarteners per classroom. Kindergarten is the third-largest enrollment at the 467-strong elementary school.
Skippack Elementary School has an average class size of 18 students, per PVSD data. Kindergarten is the lowest enrollment at the school.
South Elementary School will have about 17 students per classroom, according to data. Kindergarten is the fourth-largest enrollment at the school. A kindergarten teacher was added to South Elementary in July due to increasing enrollment numbers.
“It’s a new program, so we will progress and monitor and fine tune as needed, but we feel ready to go and we are really excited at this opportunity with students,” Russell said.
A look at the new PVSD full-day kindergarten classrooms.PVSD endorsed full-day kindergarten as a “wealth of educational research and student experiences.”
According to the district, there has been a significant evolution in the Pennsylvania Core Standards, leading to a heightened focus on rigorous academics from an early age. Per PVSD, the content and expectations for kindergarten and first-grade education have undergone substantial transformation over the past decade.
Furthermore, according to the district, students require ample opportunities for collaborative engagement in activities appropriate to their developmental stage, fostering social and emotional learning.
“Establishing strong relationships with peers and adults during kindergarten is crucial for students’ long-term success in both academic and personal spheres,” states the district on its website. “It is imperative that all students achieve proficiency in reading by the third grade. This ensures a solid foundation for future academic endeavors and overall educational success."
