Photo by Duay O'Neil

Vickie Vassar Central Office staff member, spent Friday preparing supplies for next week's kindergarten camps. This is the third year the camps have been held to help transition children entering kindergarten for the first time.

NEWPORT-Technically the 2008-2009 school year hasn't ended for Cocke County students, but starting Monday, June 1, preparations for the 2009-2010 year get underway.
Cosby Elementary School will welcome parents and children on Monday, June 1.
Bridgeport, Del Rio, and Northwest Elementary Schools will have their camps on Wednesday, June 3.
Grassy Fork Elementary School's kindergarten camp will be held over a two-day period, June 3-4.
On Monday, June 15, Parrottsville Elementary School will host a kindergarten camp, and Smoky Mountain Elementary School's kindergarten camp will be held on Monday, August 3.
Edgemont will not be hosting a camp.
Times of the camps differ, so parents need to call the school where their children will be enrolled to find out the correct hours.
"While entering kindergarten is an exciting time, we realize that it can also be a time of nervousness for both students and parents," said Kathy Holt, Cocke County Schools Curriculum Supervisor.
"These short camps allow parents and incoming kindergarten students to visit the schools and participate in fun academic activities. In addition, families receive valuable resources which focus on transition activities for both parents and children."
According to Holt, the objective of the kindergarten camps is to provide a "positive transition for the students."
"Our goal is to increase family involvement in the school," she added. "Parents and students will meet the teachers and, in most cases, the principal. They will tour the school and receive information on expectations, rules, and procedures."
Holt also stressed that the camps will be the final time for parents and teachers to make sure all the necessary requirements are met for the child to enter kindergarten, such as birth certificates and medical records.
"If your child will be attending kindergarten next year," said Holt, "and has not already registered, you should contact the school immediately."
Such registration needs can be taken care of at the kindergarten camps.
"Hosting the camps also helps us plan for next year," said Holt. By knowing the exact numbers of students to expect, we're able to have the correct number of teachers, materials, and other needs already in place."
"If your child hasn't been pre-registered for kindergarten, they can still come to the camp," she concluded.