Want a free week of summer camp? If you live in Montclair, and your kid is going to kindergarten next fall, you can get one. But you better act fast (see registration details on the next page).
The Montclair Public Schools are offering a Summer Screening Program (i.e. free summer camp). It’s a week-long, half-day session where a teacher observes your child and assesses her language, cognition and motor development skills. Your child’s new teacher will receive results in September.
I think it’s great for little ones making their big transition. My daughter, for example, takes her time to warm up to new people and experiences, so her week at school in the summer will be a perfect way to get her more familiar with her new school. We chose Nishuane as our first choice (and those who choose Nishuane tend to actually get it). It’s one of the schools running the sessions.
And like I mentioned before, the best thing about the program: It’s free. It will save me the $155 for a week at summer camp. That makes me very happy!
Registration is going on now. Pick up the application at the Montclair Board of Education and return it by May 1st. There are only three sessions and they are filled on a first come, first served basis. I went last week, filled out my application and turned it in on the spot. I’m not missing my chance for anything free, especially a program that sounds so beneficial.
Here’s what you need to know:
Has anyone out there attended these sessions before? What did you think?
Wait. The kid is “tested” and the “results” are given to the real teacher in the Fall?
The idea of the teacher reacting first to the results of a “test” in forming an opinion of your child aside, what if the kids hates the Summer program?
September back to school will be lots of fun.
Or the opposite, suppose the kid loves the Summer program, but then hates school in Sept. because it’s not like the Summer program?
Finally, other than the cost– which is the only reason I would even think of something like this– I’m at a loss to see any real benefit.
(Although it may make nervous parents “feel” better…..)
Georgette,
Congrats on the school selection! Our son attended the Kindergarten summer screening at Nishuane last year. I’m not quite sure any assessment results were used in any meaningful way past that week, but I don’t think that you’d want them to be anyway – it’s the first week for your child in a new school – they may be getting used to things and not necessarily showcasing their abilities. Anyway, the important thing is that he really enjoyed the week-long experience and it was a nice, low-key intro to the Kindergarten classroom.
At the end of the session you get this list of skills that I guess outline what kinds of things are good for your child to know going into their first public school year. If the teacher checks off a skill, that means your child didn’t demonstrate that skill during the week and may benefit from some extra reinforcement in that area.
Overall, a nice (and free!) intro to the Land of Kindergarten for your child, and a way for you as a parent to get used to trying to find parking around Montclair’s elementary schools during drop-off and pick-up time. 🙂