Geneva preschoolers ready, excited for first day

GENEVA – Wearing pink dresses stating “Hello Preschool,” 4-year-old twins Abby and Erin Zweig stood outside Fabyan Elementary School, waiting for the first day of preschool to begin.

“It’s so exciting,” their mother, Kim Zweig said. “We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. The day has come – and it’s a really big day.”

About 60 children lined up and filed in with teachers and aides leading them on toward their classrooms.

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Brenna Gustafson , 4, waves to her mom during the first day of school for the Geneva Early Learning Program on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@sha)

Among those waiting were Abby Ogilvie and her mom Brittany Ogilvie. Both wore masks and Abby was in a wheelchair.

Abby had attended five days last year, but was good to go this year, Ogilvie said.

“She is so excited to see all her friends and get to know her teachers and see the classroom,” Ogilvie said. “So I’m happy she gets to have that experience.”

Early Childhood CoordinatorJen Seaton said about 50 3-year-olds had already attended the morning session.

“Four-year-old preschool is super exciting, because we are returners,” Seaton said. “So any kinks we had to work out this morning are done and these guys are just pumped to be back.”

But for 4-year-olds like the Zweig twins, for whom this is the first day of school – ever – Seaton said their friends have done this before and will be peer models to help them get settled.

“It’s our first example of being a peer model in preschool, and part of what we really practice here,” Seaton said. “We work on learning – all of our academics – but the big thing here is learning how to be a student. Be a friend, problem-solve, and really into that Geneva Viking way early on their educational career.”

But that’s not all.

“We do letters, numbers, sounds, colors, sorting. We look at everything with an overarching social-emotional kind of component,”Seaton said. “Because we want to make sure that they know how to be a learner and be a friend, and get things done here at school.”

Outside their classrooms, the children put their backpacks away in their assigned cubbies and then lined up again, each one standing on an orange dot.

They put down their water bottles for a moment to and get their hands sanitized, then they were on the move again.

The dozen students in Ashley Girard’s class came in and sat on colored circles in the carpet for – Circle Time – flanked by aides Krystin McGahan and Carrie Buetow.

“Criss-cross applesauce,” Girard said, directing them to sit with their legs crossed, then relied on Mr. Potato Head to illustrate the rules for Circle Time: His eyes are open, his ears are ready to listen, his arms and legs that are calm, he uses his brain and has a heart that is loving, kind and caring to all his friends.

“Give me a big thumb’s up if you think you can listen just like Mr. Potato Head,” Girard said.

The children responded with their thumbs aloft.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! I think we are almost at 100%,” Girard said. “Good job.”