Watermelon Welcome introduces Mars kindergartners to school
ADAMS TWP — Five-year-old Emry Delp was too excited to stay asleep last night.
According to her mother, she woke up at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning in anticipation of the Mars Area School District’s Watermelon Welcome, a celebration and open-house event for children who will be heading into kindergarten in the fall and their families.
The event, held in two sessions on Wednesday for the morning and afternoon kindergarten classes, introduced families to the rules, policies and curriculum of kindergarten, as well as to the building and classrooms of Mars Area Primary Center.
Over 250 students and parents explored the gym, library, classrooms, hallways and playground, while receiving information from teachers and administrators. Kids even had the chance to take a ride on a school bus as they learned about school rules, and of course, they had a healthy watermelon snack at the end of the afternoon.
“This is just such a great transition,” said Stacey Delp, Emry’s mom. “This will be her first time to ride a school bus today. They get to come in and ride a school bus and see the school, and just kind of get a feel. It’s a nice transition day that they do for the incoming kindergartners.”
Mars Area Primary Center principal Dale Sleva described the event as a chance for students to come into the building for the first time, as well as for parents to meet teachers and officials.
“When we have the parents here, then that’s the first battle,” he said. “It’s welcoming everybody here.”
The event had been put on pause the past two years because of COVID-19, but returned this year.
Amy Zollner, reading specialist at Mars Area School District, said the program helps introduce students to the idea of being in kindergarten.
“It’s a big day,” she said. “They get to come in, get a chance to meet some kids, and get familiar with building. Hopefully, they’ll recognize a buddy.”
Families created a “watermelon” out of paper to list the special subject classes that they will attend during the school day. While parents learned about curriculum from Sleva, students planted seeds in soil and made other crafts.
Kindergarten teachers created videos, accessible by QR codes, that parents could scan and view a message welcoming them and their child to kindergarten.
“It’s always exciting to get to go and experience things with your kids,” said parent Will Cole, who was visiting with his young daughter. “This will be her first time here.”
