All Aboard the Big Yellow School Bus!

Growing up in the Rochester School District, I'm pretty comfortable with the system and am glad to have the history Brent and I both have in Rochester as we approach the school years with Luke.  He'll be a kindergartner at Gibbs Elementary beginning Fall 2011 and he's very excited! 

Up until the past school year, when we started learning more about kindergarten for Luke, we have been engaged in the Rochester Public Schools through Community Education and PAIIR, Rochester's Early Childhood Family Education Program.  Both of which offer great classes for kids and families. 

Luke attended one of his final PAIIR classes yesterday called All Aboard the Big Yellow School Bus.  I didn't know exactly what to expect from the class, but I was hoping that Luke would get some idea of the expectations of the kids riding the bus and get familiarized with a school bus.  Well, he got both and much more!  The kids stayed with a PAIIR educator while the parents had a session with the Transportation Manager for the Rochester Public Schools.  We got to ask all of the questions we had about transportation while the kids learned the rules of the bus, practiced boarding the bus, rode around the block on the bus, and learned the emergency procedures.  Apparently I had forgotten what sponges five year olds are when they are learning something they are excited about from an engaging teacher:)  When the kids were reunited with their parents after about an hour, they were all rattling off the rules of the bus down to very minute details.  I heard "We need to use the railing on the left side when we get on the bus" and "We need to be 10 feet away from the bus to be out of the danger zone".  So cute:) 

Anyway, it was a very good experience and I would recommend it to anyone in the area with a kindergartner.  While we were at the class on Friday, KAAL news happened to be doing a story on bus safety.  Check out this link for the written story and a link to the news clip from the Friday, May 27, 10pm news.  You'll see Luke in his Twins jersey learning school bus safety:) 

I have to say, I'm very grateful for classes like these that help ease the minds of first-time-school-ager moms like me!