COVID-19 has put many schools in a tough situation and has made it hard to bring students back to their classrooms. As a JK-12 school, Parker has many students and not enough space or time to fit them all. Following distance protocols, Parker decided to bring the Middle and Lower School back to campus while leaving the Upper School online. Starting September 8, the Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten stepped back on campus with masks on. 

Usually the SK starts slowly, transitioning into full days in order for the students to get a feel of what it is like to be at school from 8:10 to 3:10 instead of 8:10 to 11:30. With the coronavirus is still a consideration, students are unable to make that transition. The administration came up with a plan that will allow students in both JK and SK to have the option to stay longer, but it is not encouraged. From 8:10 to 11:45 the students are required to come to school and participate in pods of 10. The students don’t see anyone that isn’t in their pod. They are given one teacher per pod, and that teacher stays with them the whole day. Pods are located in hallways, the cafeteria, and classrooms. In the morning the teacher takes the students on a walk around the block using a walking rope. “We only stand like three feet apart when we go on walks,” said SK student Emme Warning. The students are also given snack time, and are allowed to take their mask off and eat their snack if they are socially distant from other students and teachers. The kindergarteners are also given the opportunity to play outside on the playground. According to Warning, they are allowed to do whatever they would like on the playground as long as they wear their mask. Some of the kindergarteners have struggles keeping their mask on. “Some kids in my pod don’t even pull their mask all the way up and their nose is showing,” Warning said. “If the teachers catch them, then they get in trouble.”

The kindergarteners have the option to stay the full day, but if they choose not to, they are dismissed at 11:45 a.m. The students who choose to stay the full day sit in the cafeteria and are monitored by the assistant teachers and Parker PM teachers. They sign into a school iPad and do online school work from school instead of home. This option is not encouraged due to the amount of time they won’t have their mask on. Since they will be staying the whole day, the kids need to have lunch, and will have to take their masks off. Many parents decided to keep their children home because they would rather they eat at home and not have the possibility of exposure to the virus while eating. Although most parents have decided to pick up their children at 11:45, the students who stay in the afternoon have more fun in the afternoon according to Emme Warning. Some parents say that the reason that the kids enjoy themselves more in the afternoon is because it is run by the Parker PM staff, and they play games and allow the kids to have more freedom.

The coronavirus has pushed the teachers and students to adapt to uncomfortable situations such as eating and drinking throughout the day. Each student brings their own water bottle that they can keep at their table for whenever they need a water break. The snacks throughout the day are provided by Quest, the cafeteria staff. Each snack is individually wrapped and sealed. The snacks are handed out to the kids mid day.

“I haven’t been inside the school,” Misha Geller, a parent of a student in SK, said. “But after reading all the emails, receiving a video about how to enter the school, and listening to what my daughter says about school, it sounds like the students don’t have freedom and are trapped in one space all day.”

“As you know, my students are predominately four years old and they require consistent reminders to keep their masks on, so they are covering their nose and mouth,” Junior Kindergarten teacher Lisa Nielsen said. “Social distancing is most problematic. The children want to work, play and engage in conversation with their friends.” 

In JK and SK children learn how to be part of a community, work together, problem solve, develop friendships and self advocate. Due to the coronavirus, kindergarten life is different and teachers have to work harder to adapt to the new situation our community is in. Lisa Nielsen shared that the teachers meet almost everyday and share their ideas, share the pros and cons of the day, problem solve, acknowledge parent concerns, record the lessons, and plan classes that are entertaining for both in person and remote students. “Overall, children seem to enjoy themselves,” Nielsen said. “We provide such a wide variety of activities that will allow the children to acquire new skills while doing so in a different format due to social distancing.”

The coronavirus has changed a lot of things around the school and has brought lots of disappointing news to our community. But bringing the kindergarteners back to school has given lots of excitement for the teachers and students. Kindergarten is where kids learn to be part of a community and where they find themselves. Teachers and students are adapting to what our new normal is and trying to make it as fun and engaging as possible for the kindergarten students.