Something old, something new

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT COAST -- Proudly sporting their navy Newport Coast Elementary

gear, kindergarten students enjoyed their old routine in their new digs

Monday.

The school’s youngest students gladly broke in their brand new

classroom throughout morning.

Some students lay on the brightly colored rug to study their spelling

words. Others sat at the small, round tables to work on their writing

journals. Still others quietly milled in between, just taking in the new

scenery.

But the excitement did not keep the children from getting their work

done.

Each wrote a sentence or two in their journals about their weekend.

“I went skiing and there was a snow storm,” said Troy Hardy, 6. “I

went down the next to easiest cut.”

On the opposite page, Troy drew a picture of a skier that he said was

his mother.

“That’s my mom,” he said. “I had to follow her down and I learned to

brake.”

He proceeded to point his toes in to demonstrate how skiers should

place their feet in order to “brake.”

When the journals were finished, it was snack time -- another

yearlong tradition that required a few new explanations.

After a little tune for attention that only a kindergarten teacher

could carry off, Pam Lookabaugh took a seat in a rocking chair in front

of a rug and gave students the rundown on the new rules.

Even snack time takes organizing with 18 5- and 6-year-olds,

apparently.

She further reminded them of the nice new carpet and that they wanted

to keep it that way.

With that said, they broke out the juice boxes, crackers and fruit

snacks.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education

writer Danette Goulet visits a campus within the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District and writes about her experience.