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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Local Schools bus drivers taught in-coming kindergartners about school bus safety and then gave them a ride to their respective elementary schools during Canfield PTO’s Kindergarten Safety Day on Aug. 13.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.During Canfield PTO’s Kindergarten Safety Day on Aug. 13, the Canfield Fire Department covered fire safety and described the firefighter’s gear and equipment they use during a fire and the children were also able to get an up close look at the fire truck.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Local Schools Resource Officer Steve Garstka of the Canfield Police Department focused on teaching in-coming kindergarten students pedestrian safety and stranger danger during Canfield PTO’s Kindergarten Safety Day on Aug. 13.
By ABBY SLANKER
Ninety-five in-coming Canfield Local Schools kindergarten students came together for a day of safety instruction provided by Canfield PTO on Aug. 13. The soon-to-be kindergartners from Hilltop Elementary School and C.H. Campbell Elementary School participated in Kindergarten Safety Day at St. Michael’s Church.
Kindergarten Safety Day was designed to teach and inform the children about important safety guidelines and included presentations from the Canfield Police Department, Canfield Fire Department, Canfield library, Hilltop Elementary third-grade teacher Marie Rupert and Canfield Local Schools bus drivers. The children were scheduled to visit the four stations for 15 minutes each, rounding out the event with a bus ride to their respective elementary schools.
The children were given name tags that were color coded and were instructed to follow the color coded corresponding schedule in the Safety Day informational handout they received at the registration table.
Canfield Local Schools Resource Officer Steve Garstka of the Canfield Police Department focused on teaching the children pedestrian safety and stranger danger. The children were also able to check out the inside of a police cruiser. The Canfield Fire Department covered fire safety and described the firefighter’s gear and equipment they use during a fire and gave the children tips on what to do if there is ever a fire at their home. The children also checked out all aspects of the fire truck and were given plastic fire helmets and stickers.
Hilltop Elementary third-grade teacher Marie Rupert talked to the children about staying healthy in kindergarten and gave them a lesson on how to not spread germs, while a representative from the Canfield library read the children school safety books.
The Bus Drivers Association provided four buses and eight bus drivers to educate the children and their parents on school bus safety. The drivers focused on showing the students how to get safely on the bus, the rules that need to be followed while on the bus and how to safely get off the bus. This year, one parent was able to ride with the student so both the student and the parent were educated on bus safety and procedures. The bus drivers also handed out a Bus Safety Rules brochure.
Once the students and their parents boarded the buses, they were taken to either Hilltop Elementary School or C.H. Campbell Elementary School, where they were shown how to exit the bus and enter the school.
When the buses returned from students’ first bus ride, all attendees gathered back in the Family Life Center for the conclusion of the program, which included each soon-to-be kindergartner receiving a Safety Day gift bag and a personalized Safety Day certificate. Inside the goody bag was coloring books donated by State Farm Insurance Agent Jason Reckard and crayons, the book “The Night Before Kindergarten” and a snack, all provided by the PTO.
Shannon Eddy serves as C.H. Campbell PTO chair, with Shannon Raptis serving as C.H. Campbell PTO co-chair. Julie Kwaiser-Miller serves as Hilltop Elementary PTO Chair.
“Kindergarten Safety Day is a collaborative effort between Hilltop Elementary School and C.H. Campbell Elementary School. We have PTO volunteers here from both schools helping out,” said Julie Kwaiser-Miller.