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Woodside kindergartners ride Polar Express
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Jennifer Kalouris' Kindergarten class listened as she read them The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg before taking them to watch the movie Dec. 18.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Kalouris read her students the Polar Express before taking them to see the movie Dec. 18.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Kindergarten students wore pajamas to celebrate watching the Polar Express Dec. 18. Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Kalouris also wore her pajamas to watch the movie.
By NATALIE SCOTT
Kindergarten students at Woodside Elementary School experienced the magic of “The Polar Express,” written by Chris Van Allsburg, Dec. 18 with a pajama and movie day at their school.
After having read the book the previous day, kindergarten teachers brought the magic to life with hot cocoa and bells given to the students from Santa Claus.
“We actually had the opportunity to listen to the audio CD, rather than me reading the book,” said kindergarten teacher Jennifer Kalouris. “It came with this kit on the book that I got and it has the author reading the book. I think that adds something to the reading that I couldn’t give. You get to hear it read the way the author intended it to be.”
In addition to spending some time in the classroom working with “The Polar Express,” Kalouris’ class was also watched throughout the week before Christmas by an Elf on the Shelf, that moved to random places in the classroom when the students were out of the room. These little things added to the charm of the Christmas season in Kalouris’ class.
“I just feel like it brings the spirit of the season and learning alive for these students,” said Kalouris. “It makes a magical moment that will last for them through the future. This year, especially with everything that’s been going on in the world, it’s important to take them back to the basic stuff and make magical moments.”