soft start for kindengarten

We are excited to announce our district will be implementing a soft start for kindergarten students beginning this fall. Because these children have not been in school yet, this practice will help support kinders in transitioning into the school setting successfully by:

  • Helping to build stamina with shorter initial days
  • Better absorption of learning routines (classroom, playground, lunches, pick-up, dismissal, etc.) when taught in smaller groups
  • One-on-one parent/teacher conferences the first week making it easier for teachers and other school staff to address questions/challenges families might have during the first few days
  • Smaller class sizes the second week allow teachers to give more individualized attention to students and build a stronger classroom culture for the remainder of the year
  • Aligning with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) best practices 

For many years, Kelso School District has had a soft start for 6th and 9th grade students in which those grades alone are in school buildings for the first day. This transition of easing them into a new environment has been a great benefit for our older students, and we are confident this best practice will have the same effect for our youngest learners. 

Click here to read the letter to kindergarten families with more information.