Massapequa Welcomes Kindergartners For Their First Day

MASSAPEQUA, NY — In keeping with a Massapequa School District tradition, the second day of school was actually the first day of school for kindergartners, who arrived at the six elementary schools on the morning of Sept. 9 eager to learn and ready to make new friends.

Many were guided by their older siblings who have “been there, done that,” while others became the first of their families to start school. Outside of the buildings were welcome signs and sidewalk chalk messages. Teachers enthusiastically greeted the kindergartners, the future Massapequa High School Class of 2033.

A school setting during the COVID-19 pandemic that seems unusual to older students may feel more normal to kindergartners who begin their school career wearing masks, sitting behind desk barriers and having classmates learning from home. There are numerous precautions in place to keep them healthy and safe throughout the school day, including some socially distant mask breaks. In addition to typical first day getting-to-know-you activities, teachers reviewed the importance of these protocols.

Kindergartners attended a one-hour orientation program on Sept. 8 in which they got to see their classrooms and meet their teachers to get them prepared for the first full day of school. When they arrived the following morning, either by bus, by car or on foot, it was if they already had “been there, done that.”