USD 234 hosting open houses Aug. 17

(File photo)

On August 13, the local school district will conduct an open house at each of its school buildings beginning with Eugene Ware from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Winfield Scott's open house will be conducted from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Fort Scott Middle School from 6 to 7 p.m. and Fort Scott High School from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

According to Winfield Scott Principal Dave Elliott, the open house will provide students and parents an opportunity that will help them make a smooth transition into the 2009-10 school year.

"It gives everyone a chance to meet the kiddos' new teachers, and for the kids to learn the lay of the land and find out where the bathrooms and places the kiddos are going to need to use are," Elliott said.

According to Education World, www.educationworld.com, when schools conduct open houses, they provide teachers an opportunity to meet their students' parents face to face and establish a positive relationship with each of them.

"Good first impressions make a difference, and the first open house of the school year gives teachers a chance to gain parents' support," the Web site said. "It also allows teachers an opportunity to create a personal connection with parents and establish ways for continued communication throughout the school year."

Elliott said not only does open house give the students and parents an opportunity to meet the teachers, but it helps provide the parents with a little peace of mind as well.

"It's a great time for kids and parents to meet teachers in order to take the edge off of the first day jitters," Elliott said. "It's easier (for parents) to let your kids go when you know who you're letting them go to."

Also at open house, parents of students who are in grades kindergarten through sixth grade will be provided with a child identification kit, that will include a fingerprint kit, according to Elliott.

"We will also be giving out child identification kits that each parent can take home from open house," Elliott said.

According to an e-mail from the Kansas Commissioner of Education, Alexa Posny, the child identification kits that are being offered through the National Child Identification Program, are provided to children across the state of Kansas because of the support of businesses and organizations.

"The state of Kansas has the opportunity to provide a child identification kit for every kindergartner through 6th grade student," the e-mail said. "It is with our grateful thank you to Wal Mart- who totally funded this project-and the partnership of KSDE, KSBE, USA, KASA, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Attorney General and the Governor in concert with the American Football Coaches Association that we are able to provide every kindergartner through 6th grade child in Kansas a fingerprint kit for parents to use in case of an emergency."

According to the e-mail, the National Child Identification Program was developed to help more than 800,000 children who disappear each year across the United States.

Sending the child identification kits home with all of the kindergarten through sixth grade students across the state will help the state of Kansas provide protection for the many children who reside in the state, the e-mail said.

"Through this initiative, Kansas has the opportunity to become one of the leading states in the protection of children by providing Inkless Child Identification Kits for use by parents," the e-mail said.

According to the e-mail, the goal of the kits, which will include an inkless fingerprint kit, a wallet card and a DNA envelope, is to create a set of fingerprints that can be used in an emergency for every child in Kansas.

"Our goal is to have 100% of all children in grades kindergarten through 6th grade to have their fingerprints taken no later than September 30, 2009," the e-mail said.