THOMASVILLE- Jerger Elementary School kicked off the new school year with an open house for Pre-K and Kindergarten on Thursday afternoon, featuring Kona Ice and Dog World for kids and parents to enjoy.
Principal Emily Newman explained the tradition behind this unique open house is to create a more welcoming atmosphere for kids who may be unsure about school.
“Our Pre-K students have not seen the campus before, so we just like to minimize the overwhelming nature of the first day of school,” she said. “This is coupled with our Kindergarten, where we typically see a rise in new students.”
Newman shared there are five Pre-K classrooms, but six Kindergarten classrooms, due to many preschoolers having attended church programs or investing in other opportunities for their four-year programming.
However, the school is now at maximum capacity, drumming up excitement for both the teachers and the students to meet new faces.
Newman is also excited for the students to embrace Jerger’s theme of the year: A recipe for success.
“We are really excited about that because most of the grade levels have been able to partner with a local business or restaurant and they (the business) have been very receptive to supporting the teacher’s initiatives,” Newman said.
Some of the businesses have even offered up coupons or treats for Jerger Leaders, who are students chosen monthly for displaying the three R’s: respectful, responsible, and reliable consistently.
The connections made with the local businesses are all part of Jerger’s school improvement plan.
“One of our improvement goals is community connectivity,” she said. “We want to make sure our students know about our community and are aware of their role in our community.”
They hope to show students different business models through learning experiences, such as how businesses advertise and connect through the school.
“We want to show this in math and literature and across the curriculum,” Newman said. “It will maybe get them outside of the school building or hopefully draw community members into our school building.”
Newman concluded by sharing she is excited for all the great things to come this school year. Jerger, along with all other Thomasville City Schools, will open their doors for the 2024-25 school year on Monday morning.