Students, Kindergartners Share Time Together, Cookies Once-A-Week ‘Buddy Reader’ Program Provides Big Benefit To New Vision High Schoolers As Well As Younger Kids

Post Falls schools

In the family and consumer science classroom at New Vision Alternative High School, Peggy Harriman’s students were making peanut butter cookies with Kevin Krieger’s kindergarten class.

Krieger, who has been teaching for three years, initiated a “buddy reader” program with the high school students. Once a week, the high school students read one-on-one with the students in Krieger’s two classes.

Most of the time the young students choose a book for the older students to read. In the final class meeting of the year, they made cookies together. They read while the cookies baked.

Krieger said it’s a common practice at many schools to pair slightly older students with younger ones for reading. This pairing of high school students with kindergarten students may be more unusual.

Because the kindergarten and New Vision share the Frederick Post Learning Center, it’s convenient for both groups. Krieger says that initially, his students are “in awe” of the “big kids” but that, “they warm up right away. The high school students are definitely not excited about the shared reading in the beginning but now look forward to it.”

The program has benefits for both groups of students. According to New Vision teacher Harriman, “Oral reading is not so intimidating when they read to the young students. It helps them prepare for speech class, have some fun with little kids and teaches them that they are not ready to be parents yet.”

Krieger said that while the high school students get a hint of the role and challenges of parenting, they also learn some of the skills needed to teach reading.

As the high school students read aloud, they follow the words with their finger on the page. In that way, the kindergartners learn some of the mechanics and conventions of reading.

At the table of New Vision student Heidi Quincy, kindergartners Dawn Jordan and Alicia Sailas took turns stirring the dough. Jasmine Kalb ran up to the teacher, jumping up and down and telling him, “I’m having fun making cookies!”

Kyle Blaski demonstrated a more high-powered approach by using an electric mixer. As the dough flew, Harriman cautioned the youngsters against eating raw dough.

John and Craig Moore (“We’re not brothers, just friends,” said Craig.) start building with it instead.

Students at the other tables helped to measure, mix and roll the dough into balls. For the final step, students took turns flattening the balls of dough with a fork to impart the traditional peanut butter cookie design.

Krieger noted that during kindergarten registration, some parents expressed concern about sending their children to a kindergarten in which high school aged children also attend. In this class, parents and students see an example of how well it can work.

In other school district news

The last day of school for Post Falls School District is Tuesday. Classes will be dismissed at the regular time.

On Monday and Tuesday, KinderCenter teachers will host a picnic in the park for their classes and their families. Kevin Krieger’s class will hold its graduation program on Tuesday evening in the multipurpose room at Frederick Post Learning Center. Call the KinderCenter at 777-0479 for more information.

On Monday, Seltice Elementary will have an awards assembly at 9:30 a.m. In the afternoon, the fourth and fifth grades will have a field day. Tuesday morning, the first, second and third graders will have field day activities. Call Seltice at 773-1681 for more information.

On Monday, New Vision Alternative High School will host a school barbecue. Call 773-3541 for information.

Monday, at Ponderosa Elementary, the third grade will be at Ross Point Camp for the day. The fifth grade will have field day in the morning, and the annual softball game between the fifth graders and the staff will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Grades 1 and 2 will have a barbecue picnic lunch, and at 11 a.m., fifth-grade graduation will be held in the gym. Dismissal on Tuesday, the last day of school, will be at 3:05 p.m.