Schools
Benefits of District's SAIL Program Explained
Saucon Valley School District Supervisor of Assessment and Instruction Jim Deegan discussed the SAIL program for incoming learners at the school board's Oct. 9 meeting.
Saucon Valley is one of the only districts in the area to have a progam that helps children transition from pre-school to kindergarten, school board members were told Oct. 9.
School district Supervisor of Assessment and Instruction Jim Deegan explained the Summer Academy for Incoming Learners (SAIL) program, which he said he introduced after realizing there was nothing like it available for incoming learners.
According to a flyer about the program, it helps give children an opportunity to:
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- Develop friendships.
- Interact with peers.
- Familiarize themselves with a new building.
- Familiarize themselves with a new daily routine.
- Enjoy learning.
This year the program was held on seven weekday mornings in late July and early August, and it helped the incoming kindergarten class become better prepared for the first day of elementary school, Kutztown University professor and SAIL advisor Kathy Buschan told the board.
"Just getting used to a classroom setting I think gave them a heads up," she said. "It was really great to see them adjust. No one was afraid or scared. ... They remembered their way around the halls."
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"I really feel it is needed to help preschoolers," Buschan said of SAIL.
Deegan said he hopes to expand SAIL in the future by involving parents, grandparents and guardians to a greater degree in the pre-kindergarten transition process.
"One goal for me is to expand the training and support to be inclusive for those parents/grandparents/guardians caring for preschool children," he said in an email about the program. "As part of the Saucon Valley community, I want to provide training to support their efforts and enhance parental involvement to assist with their child's transition to kindergarten."
Deegan also told the board that information about SAIL and its resources will be posted on the school district website in the future.
Board member Sharon Stack commended him for the work he's put into developing SAIL, which she praised as a "great, great program."
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