OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City School District (OCSD) announces a new Raider Ready Program to help prepare district pre-K students and their guardians for a successful transition to Kindergarten. The program launches this academic year with six sessions designed for children entering Kindergarten in Sept. 2019, as well as their parents. The first session on Nov. 13 is from 4:30-5:30 p.m. will introduce attendees to key personnel in the district; open up the Primary School library and LEGO Room for exploration; and cover a range of topics, including activities to teach mathematics strategies, number sense and counting.
“Research shows that the academic success of children in later years depends heavily upon their Kindergarten readiness,” said OCSD Superintendent Kathleen Taylor, Ed.D. “If we can help our youngest students and their families become ‘Raider Ready,’ then we can place them on a path toward success, even before they officially become a Red Raider.”
Among the goals of the Raider Ready Program are to help pre-K students develop primary skills that form the foundations of counting, reading and social interaction. The program also aims to acclimate both students and their guardians to the academic environment in a fun, positive way.
“We developed Raider Ready aware of four components of a quality transition program: an early start, strong relationships, increased comfort levels and a tailored transition plan that addresses the specific needs of incoming Kindergarteners and their parents,” said Ocean City Primary School (OCPS) Principal Cathy Smith. “Our program addresses these components to prepare our district students for Kindergarten. Being prepared for school establishes solid foundations for learning, and solid foundations allow students to adapt to school systems and learn successfully.”
In addition to the Nov. 13 Raider Ready session, the district will host additional sessions once a month January through May. A session on Jan. 15 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. will include a review of activities regarding reading strategies and letter identification/recognition. Participating students and their parents will review nonfiction, fiction and read-aloud books, even taking home texts to read together. Each session will include takeaways to encourage participants to continue learning at home and get them increasingly excited to become a Red Raider.
To learn more about upcoming Raider Ready sessions, or to register ahead of time for the Nov. 13 session, please call Lisa Hurff at the Primary School at 609-399-3191, ext. 6516. Registration is not required, but appreciated.
OCSD parents of young learners should also save the date for the upcoming Preschool Open House on Oct. 30 from 4-5 p.m., also at OCPS. Earlier this month, the district received Preschool Education Expansion Aid (PEEA) funding from New Jersey’s Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood Education, for the 2018-19 school year. With this funding, OCSD will offer full-day, general education preschool at OCPS beginning Jan. 2, 2019. The state funding allows the district to provide this preschool program free-of-charge for in-district families, with spots initially available for 21 children. The program will accommodate children ages 3 and 4 who will begin Kindergarten in 2019 or 2020.
Attendees of the Oct. 30 Open House will have the opportunity to ask questions about the new preschool program and pick up enrollment forms, as well as learn more about Raider Ready ahead of the first Nov. 13 session.
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