By: Carissa Decker
DMS Math Teacher
Building relationships is an integral part of middle school, and this year, we started a new program to build important relationships with young students. Each month, my 7th-grade PEAK class looks forward to visiting Heart River Elementary to spend time with our kindergarten buddies. It has become a unique and heartwarming routine for us.
Every month, my 7th-grade students and I bus over to Heart River Elementary and visit students in Mrs.
Hill's, Miss Glock's, and Mrs. Koffler's kindergarten classrooms. It is important to me to give students experiences beyond the confines of our classroom, fostering connections with others. The Kinder Buddies has proven to be a great addition to the list.
From engaging in science experiments and math projects to shared reading sessions, both age groups have thoroughly enjoyed these collaborative experiences. What adds an extra special touch is the opportunity for my students to gift each kindergartner a book after every visit—a small token they can keep and add to their home library.
As the months unfold, we look forward to upcoming visits and spending a couple of hours bonding with our buddies. It's not just about the academic activities; it's about building lasting relationships and creating memories that will extend far beyond the school year. We can not wait to see all the things the kindergarteners and 7th graders get to experience together, but even more, we cannot wait for the memories they will have made and get to hold onto for much longer than the school year.