Thursday, August 11, 2011
N/Warren Town and County News
Page Nine
.a.4
ACTIVITIES OFFICE
Concluded from p.8
High School or at the district-wide registration evenings. Activity passes are also
available as part of a Norwalk Athletic Booster Club membership. Gold Passes are
available for senior citizens free of charge. Any retired seniors are eligible to obtain a
Gold Pass" for admission to all activities. All passes may be purchased or obtained
during the district-wide registration evenings on August 9 and August 11 from 4:30
p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Eastview Cafeteria at the Athletic / Activities Office table.
OVIATT
Concluded from p.1
trict, new kindergarteners also may be expected to know how to write their names
and how to recognize the letters of the alphabet. Knowing what your children know
will help you decide if they are ready for the next step.
Boys and Girls. There is often--but not always--a difference between boys and
girls when it comes to kindergarten readiness, which is why it is more common for
boys to delay kindergarten than girls. Some children whose birthdays are close to
the school cut-off have a hard time sitting quietly in a classroom and focusing. These
social skills are just as important to kindergarten success as knowing the alphabet.
Many times, these more active boys and girls are more successful when they delay
kindergarten.
Physical "Fitness." There are two kinds of physical skills that kindergarteners must
have: "Gross motor skills" are whole-body skills, like hopping and skipping; "Fine
motor skills" are things like dosing a zipper or buttoning a shirt or coat, cutting out an
outline from paper using safe scissors and coloring. Add to those areas the important
fact that kindergarteners need to be able to use the toilet on their own and wash their
hands afterward.
Money Matters. Public kindergarten is free. Another year of preschool or day care
is not. Sometimes moneycan influence a parent's decision of whether to send a child
to kindergarten. If your child is really not ready for school, though, either in terms of
behavior or being ready to learn, it is better to try to find affordable pre-K, Head Start,
or other programs.
Certainly, there can be advantages for children who start school a little later. They
may do better on standardized tests, especially in elementary school, and may be
seen as leaders among their classmates. But there are disadvantages, too. Children
who are "old" for their grade are at higher risk of dropping out of high school. Some-
times these older children can use their greater size and age to bully other, younger
children., And some children feel that they are being punished or have done some-
thing wrong when their preschool playmates start kindergarten while they wait a
year.
The bottom line is that parents need to think about all of the things outlined above,
talk to their child's preschool teachers and make the choice that best fits their child's
individual strengths and needs.
SCHOOL AND SPORTS PAGES b
SPONSORED BY:
*WENDY BORST MASSAGE, LMT
240-1075
*COMMUNITY BANK
285-4900
*FOUR SEASONS AUTO WASH 981-4454
*DR. DONNA GRANT FAMILY DENTISTRY
256-9000
*HASKIN CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC
981-0556
*JJ DESIGNS CUSTOM embroidery/screen
print -953.6306
*EDWARD JONES INVESTMENTS
Kevin Pearson - 285-1838
*MAID RITE SANDWICH SHOP
981-1031
*NORWALK INSURANCE SERVICES
981-0434 or 981-4293
*NORWALK LIONS CLUB
981-0432
*OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATES
981-0224
*SCOTT'S FOODS
981-0606
*NEWTON STANDRIDGE
STANDRIDGE GROUP
229-5310
*N/WARREN TOWN & COUNTY NEWS
981-0406
South Suburban
YMCA Activities
The South Suburban
YMCA, 401 E. Army Post
Road, is taking registra-
tions for the following pre-
school programs, Tum-
bletots and Art and the
parent/child programs~
Tiny Tumblers and Art
Adventurers, that begin
the week of Monday, Sept.
5. The fee is $40 per session
or $20 for YMCA mem-
bers. The fee for the par-
ent/child session is $30 or
$15 for members. Contact
Jen Merschbrock, 285-
0444, or jen,merschb
rock@dmymca.org, for in-
formation on days and
times. Ages for preschool
programs are 3-5 and par-
ent/child classes 18
months-3 years. Pre-regis-
tration is required.
Rool/ie flag football is a
program designed to teach
four-year-old and kinder-
garten age youth funda-
mental skills of YMCA flag
football. They will practice
passing, receiving, defense
and learn basic rules in
fun and energetic atmo-
sphere. This six-week pro-
gram starts Saturda)~ Sept.
17 and takes place Satur-
day mornings at the South
Suburban YMCA. The fee
for this program is $67 and
$47 for YMCA members.
Participants will receive a
t-shirt. For more informa-
~tion, contact the South
Suburban YMCA at 285-
0444, or mike.renze@dmy
mca,org.
Registrations are now
being accepted for the
South Suburban YMCA
youth flag football
leagues. Leagues are avail-
able for youth in 1st-6~
~rade. Teams will play an
eight-week session. Games
will be played Saturday
mornings and practices
will be held one or two
nights per week. The reg-
• istration deadline for this
program is Frida36 Sept. 2.
The fee is $98 or $68 for
YMCA members. League
play starts Saturday, Sept.
17, for 1~t-4~ grade and
Sunday, Sept. 11, for 5~h-6~
grade (one-time Sunday
game). Players receive a
team jerse36 mouth guard
and a medal. Volunteer
coaches are needed. For
more information, contact
the South Suburban
YMCA, at 401 E. Army
Post Road, or 285-0444, or
mike.renze@dmymca.org.
The nam~ of a number
For example,
was named aRer its
Seattle, and the Hudson
River and Hudson Bay are
bofl~ named for English
explorer Henry Hudson.
LAKEWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL
Bryce Kohls
Jordan Anderson
Nicole Alexander
Thora Petersen. Photos submitted.
