The ABC School Board met once in August to discuss an upcoming transitional kindergarten program, which allows underage students to prepare for kindergarten after preschool curriculum.
Board Administrator Valencia Mayfield explained the specifics of the transitional kindergarten program, which adheres to the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010. This act changes the required birthday for kindergarten, 1st grade and establishes a transitional kindergarten program.
Age Requirement for Kindergarten
Students shall be admitted to kindergarten if his or her 5th birthday is on or before the following dates:
2011-12 school year the date is Dec. 2nd
2012-13 school year the date is Nov. 1st
2013-14 school year the date is Oct. 1st
2013-15 school year and each school year thereafter the date is Sept 1st
Transitional kindergarten acts as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten. The program includes a report card, specified curriculum and instructional materials, the same staffing credentials as current kindergarten and parent participation. English and math curriculum will be age appropriate.
Satellite locations for ABC's Transitional Kindergarten will be , , Furgeson Elementary School, Juarez Elementary School, Melbourne Elementary School and .
High School Diplomats - Whitney High School
student, Akash Patel, participated in the High School Diplomats Program, which according to the program's website, is "a cultural enrichment experience that brings together high school students from Japan and the United States." Spanning from July 31 to Aug. 11, Patel traveled to New Jersey's esteemed Princeton University, where he and 39 other American high school students stayed with 40 Japanese students.
Together, each student learned about each others cultures, while indulging in typical--but very special--teenage fare. The Japanese students were treated to a Halloween Night and Country Fair Day, where they experienced American traditions with their new American friends. Conversely, the American students were treated to a day learning about Japanese culture.
"When you're in High School Diplomats, you can't explain it to anyone who's not," Patel said.
Patel described the last night with the his fellow diplomats as emotional, as each student went without sleep, talking and enjoying their last hours together.
