Parents Gather At Kindergarten Boo Hoo Breakfast

There were plenty of tears and red eyes Thursday.

But there also were some “woo hoos” at the Kindergarten Boo Hoo breakfast at’s Chesak Elementary School.

The school’s PTA hosted the breakfast for kindergarten parents sending their little ones off to elementary school for the first time.

After parents loaded their kids onto the bus Thursday morning, many then raced over to the school to meet their child at their classroom for one last goodbye and first day of school picture.

Once they were sure their children had made it to the classroom, and the teachers were ready to get on with their day, the parents were invited to the school’s cafeteria for the Boo Hoo breakfast.

The PTA started the tradition last year as a way to help parents – some of whom were sending their first child off to school, some of whom were sending their babies off, and some of whom were sending the second or third in line to their first day of kindergarten – join together that first day.

For many, the breakfast was a nice way to take their minds off of their children heading to school, and share in either their joy or sadness with other parents.

“As a parent with a child going into kindy, I think it is a great way to bond with other parents having the same sadness of seeing their little ones go,” parent Lynn Miller of Huntley said.

For those parents who did have tears, the PTA handed out a little pack of Kleenex, with a poem entitled “First Day of Kindergarten,” attached.

Some parents had to push the poem aside, waiting to read it when they were back home alone, for fear it would make the tears come again.

There were also some parents who said they were happy to see this day come.

One mom said she’s already sent four other kids off to kindergarten, and she was used to it now.

Another said she greeted the morning with happiness.

“My son has been ready for so long. I didn’t know what to do with him any more at home,” she said. “I’ll be happy to see him come home this afternoon on the bus, but this will be nice to have him in kindergarten.”

Overall, the PTA said the breakfast with a success.

“As an organizer, it was a huge success,” Miller said. “We had a lot more people (than last year) and were happy to be there for those parents that were having a hard time - including me.”