The Morongo Unified School District will be moving to full-day Kindergarten this fall. Reporter Kristy Lockhart visited a classroom at Friendly Hills Elementary to talk with teachers about the extended day…
Melissa Franz has been teaching for 25 years. “I am extremely excited to see just how far I can take these kids with a couple of extra hours a day.” With core standards going up, these students are working harder than ever before. “They have to be able to write a complete sentence, mathematics, they’re learning how to add and subtract by the end of the year, counting. Read sight words, patterns. These kids they’re doing what I used to teach in first grade 10 years ago now in kindergarten.” Principal Jennifer Sands believes the full day will result in stronger first and second grade students. “The goal will be to have less students in intervention. If we are able to start at a younger age and have them for a longer period of time, the end result we will see in years to come.” Sands adds the extra hours may be a challenge at first but she has no doubt students will adjust quickly.
SCHOOL DISTRICT TO START FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN THIS FALL
