Work’s well underway on Thomson addition

Construction on Thomson Elementary School is moving ahead. The addition should be ready in September.

By Monica Dufour
INDEX Staff Writer

DAVISON TWP. — Construction is underway at Thomson Elementary School’s 6,600-square-foot addition for four new classrooms and a new junior first grade program. The new area should be ready by September.

Supt. Clay Perkins said while the construction of the new section will be finished, only one classroom, the girls’ and boys’ bathrooms and the kitchen area for the junior first grade will be functional this fall.

Siwek Construction of Flint began working on the $1.27 million project in March.

Perkins said more first grade classrooms may be added in the 2009-10 school year. He said he’s excited about Thomson offering the pilot junior first grade program in the district.

Over the years, the district has noticed some children weren’t quite ready for the transition from kindergarten to first grade. Instead of retaining children for another year of kindergarten, students can enroll in the junior first grade, which is a full day of learning similar to a full-day first grade class.

The program is similar to Thomson’s Early Five program, Perkins said, “except it’s not age-based like the early fives. I think a lot of kids who enter the program will come out strong and charge into first grade, and be at the top of the class.”

Thomson Principal Sandra Hynes said she is excited about the new junior first grade. “I think it’s a needed program, because kids don’t all develop in a neat package in terms of readiness,” she said. “I find that some little ones just may not be quite ready for a full-fledged first grade.”

Hynes said the junior first grade will be a full-day program that focuses heavily on literacy and math. Perkins said 19 students already are enrolled in the program. “We’re hoping to have a class size of about 24,” he said.

Hynes said the students are selected for junior first grade by a panel of professionals that include counselors, teachers, a speech pathologist and herself.

No students are made to enroll in the program, Perkins said. Hynes said students who may qualify for the junior first grade may also be promoted to a first grade class, depending on their ability.
“I think this program will make kids feel good about themselves,” she said.