ROCHESTER — The Rochester School Committee heard an outline of a slightly modified process for Kindergarten orientation and had the chance to ask questions and give feedback on March 12. 

Doreen Lopes, the district’s coordinator for early childhood education, presented to school committee members on the process, which starts with a recently standardized and streamlined registration process and ends on the third day of school. 

In April, student will have a chance to ask “a real live Kindergarten teacher” some questions about what it might be like to ride the bus or eat in school, Lopes said. Families would leave that event with a book. 

In May and June the school will hold screening sessions to have teachers and other education specialists evaluate children while parents tour the school. This will also give parents and teachers a chance to see how children separate from their parents. 

Over the summer, the early childhood office and libraries would host a series of transition-to-Kindergarten related activities. Class lists will be mailed home in August. 

On the first day of school for other students, Rochester Memorial will hold a second screening for students who may have struggled with the first screening or for students who moved into the district over the summer. Lopes said both Marion and Rochester have a significant school population that moves in just before the school year. 

The second day of school would be a chance for parents to ride the bus with their student for the first time and otherwise help them to acclimate. And the third full day for everyone else would be the first full day for Kindergarteners. 

School Committee Chair Sharon Hartley asked if the process represented a change in how students learned of their teachers. Derek Medeiros, the school’s principal, said it would, as the school had a social event late in August to announce teachers last year. 

Hartley also asked that the school think carefully on that first bus ride, as it can be a major anxiety moment for students or can alleviate anxiety if handled well. 

One school committee member asked if an “ages and stages” assessment that parents will complete is consistent with the responsive classroom technique that the district uses. Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Student Services Michael Nelson said that he could check, but thought that it was. 

School committee members also wanted to check that students who moved into the district or otherwise missed the first screening would be able to get the two books that the school provided as part of the process. Lopes said those would be available at the library as well.