School board considers program for three-year-olds

Hot Springs County School District’s Board of Trustees discussed starting a program for three-year-olds at their meeting last week.

Amy Ready, who coordinates the early childhood program for the district, said surveys had been sent out to the caregivers and child care providers in the community to get their feedback on the possible start of such a program.

There are, of course, pros and cons to the move, and a big part of the discussion is not wanting to create competition or bad feelings with the other providers in town.

“We want to make sure all three-year olds have the opportunity to be in a program of some kind,” Ready said. “This is something the parents have asked for.”

Ready said she was willing to look at a program, what it would entail and what classes would look like as well as what changes she would need to make in her current program schedule to make it happen.

Superintendent Dustin Hunt said they are still gathering information to make sure everything is correct before going through with a program.

The board agreed to make a decision at their September meeting, giving Hunt and Ready the time to finish putting together the information. If everything looks good, the program would start in October.

Spanish Language educator Korinne Thoren, spent six weeks of her summer vacation studying in Mexico.

Thoren told the board she is excited to begin implementing some of the techniques she learned into her classroom.

Thoren said the main focus is going to be on conversational Spanish, actually speaking the language.

“We won’t just be learning the words and the grammar,” she said, “they’ll be learning actual, real world phrases they can use, common phrases.”

While learning the basics of the language, the grammar and such is great, Thoren feels using the language in a conversational manner inside the classroom will encourage the students to use it more often outside the classroom and be better prepared if they intend to travel or continue their foreign language education.

The new student trustee, Jeffrey VanAntwerp, gave a brief report on student activities during the meeting as well. Homecoming is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29, and this year’s theme is Casino Night. The dance will be held in AG building starting at 9 p.m.