By Stefanie Jackson
The Northampton school division’s annual pre-K camp helps prepare students to start school and teaches families how to support their children’s education at home.
Pre-K camp sessions were held once a week for four weeks this August at each student’s home school, either Occohannock or Kiptopeke Elementary.
At Occohannock, the last night of pre-K camp, Aug. 28, teachers, staff, students and families celebrated all they had learned with dinner provided by the school.
Volunteers at the event included Principal Shirley Auguste and Assistant Principal Michelle Buell.
There were free backpacks for children who attended pre-K camp for at least three of four nights, but Buell said the participation was so overwhelming that every child would receive a backpack.
After dinner, children and parents were separated into groups. The rising pre-K students went to their classrooms to practice the skills they had learned and listen to their teachers read a story, while their parents met in the library to learn and discuss parenting tips to use at home.