SWAMPSCOTT — Some of Clarke Elementary School’s youngest students got their first taste of kindergarten on Thursday.
Clarke started its mandatory kindergarten screening on Wednesday, which identifies children who are exhibiting developmental delays in order to better inform instruction and individualize learning plans.
The purpose of the state-required early screenings is to determine which incoming students need to be referred for further evaluation.
But for many children who attended Thursday’s screening session with their parents, the day was about finally getting to see their new school.
This year’s screening experience at Clarke is unique not only because it was conducted in a socially distant outdoor environment, but because it will provide incoming kindergarteners with their only glimpse of their new school for weeks since Swampscott is starting the year remotely.
Clarke parent Courtney Bennett said her 5-year-old daughter, Lila, is disappointed that she won’t be in the building when she starts kindergarten next Monday, but was making the most of her experience on Thursday.
“Lila was excited to just get out and see her school,” said Bennett, noting that she was confident that her daughter would do well academically, but was concerned that the remote start would result in missed social growth opportunities.
Stephen Lento said his 5-year-old son, Toby, who was screened on Thursday, was excited to start the school year.
“It’s going to be different,” he said. “I don’t really know what to expect. We’ll see what it looks like, but I think it’s going to be fine.”
Clarke Principal Marybeth Shea said all children entering kindergarten in Massachusetts are screened each year for developmental delays. In order to allow for social distancing this year, all Clarke families had to make a 30-minute appointment for their screening, which was conducted under a tent outside the school, she said.
Screening activities were aimed at testing the children’s balance, checking for delays and speech problems, and assessing their gross and fine motor skills, Shea said.
A total of 38 children will be entering kindergarten at Clarke next week, Shea said, noting that only two of the 40 families who were initially registered opted to hold their children back due to the remote start to the school year. If health metrics allow, the district plans to shift to a hybrid model on Oct. 26.
Shea said school staff wondered how the children would adapt to the screening being held outside, with social distancing and mask requirements, but they were pleasantly surprised at how easily they adapted.
“(The) children are responding as they normally would,” said Shea.