A New Adventure: Kreymer Kinders Find Their Home

The first days of kindergarten looked a little different at Kreymer Elementary this year. Kindergarteners took a slightly different path, one that gave them two days to explore, connect and get to know the teachers and students who would become part of their kindergarten family.

The Adventure Begins

When Kreymer’s kindergarteners arrived for the first day of school, they did not yet have a permanent classroom teacher. Instead, each student was part of a color group, and over the next two days, they rotated through all five kindergarten classrooms.

“We wanted to make the classroom placement process something memorable for our students—something more meaningful than simply moving students into different classrooms,” said Kreymer kindergarten teacher Sharon Wagoner.

Every teacher had the opportunity to teach every student.

While the experience was designed to be fun, it was actually a carefully planned approach to help Kreymer’s kindergarten teachers get to know their newest students before making classroom placements.

Kinder Adventure kicked off with students visiting each kindergarten teacher’s classroom; they participated in lessons and activities while teachers observed their academic skills, personalities, social interactions, behaviors and individual needs. Beginning-of-year assessments added another piece to the picture, giving the kindergarten team firsthand information to help create balanced classrooms.

“I believe Kinder Adventure is such a creative way to make sure both teachers' needs and students' needs are met,” kindergarten parent Allie Etmus said. “It also gives me peace and encouragement as a parent knowing my child's teacher chose him to be in her classroom.”

By Friday afternoon, teachers and administrators had a much more complete picture of the incoming kindergarten class

Instead of relying solely on a random classroom assignment, the team worked together to thoughtfully place students into balanced classrooms based on firsthand observations and data.

Bid Day

Kreymer kindergarten teacher Erica Carr felt like the actual class reveal needed a little something more.

“I started thinking about my own Bid Day experience as a Chi Omega at Texas State University and how special that moment made me feel,” Carr said. “It got me thinking—how could we recreate that same feeling of excitement, belonging, and finding your ‘home’ for our kindergarteners?”

Grace Ashby, another Kreymer kindergarten teacher, was also a Chi Omega, but at Baylor University. The two of them put their heads together and decided to incorporate the envelope reveal from their own Bid Day experiences. Modeled after a sorority Bid Day, the teachers’ reveal concept transformed what could have been a routine classroom assignment into an experience students looked forward to.

After two days of exploring their color groups and getting to know all five kindergarten teachers, it was finally time for the big reveal.

On Monday morning, the kindergarteners gathered in the cafeteria for Bid Day. Each color group lined up and sat together. The teachers counted down from three, and the kindergarteners opened their envelopes to reveal a picture of their official kindergarten teacher inside, one color group at a time.

“As soon as they saw their teacher’s face, they stood up and ran to their official teacher and class,” Carr said. “Watching their excitement was truly something I will never forget.”

Wagoner said the students’ reactions were priceless.

“Their eyes grew wide, and they were visibly excited and a little nervous,” she said. “There were big smiles throughout the room, and some students showed obvious relief and excitement when they discovered they had received the teacher they had been hoping for.”

What began as a two-day adventure ultimately gave these kindergarteners something more than a classroom number. It gave them a place to belong.

“That feeling of becoming part of something bigger than yourself, finding where you belong, and getting to call somewhere ‘home’ is truly indescribable,” Carr said. “Seeing our kiddos experience that feeling made the day incredibly special, and it has become one of my absolute favorite Kindergarten traditions!”

Parent Approved

For kindergartener Pierce, the experience meant getting to know each teacher before finding out which one would be his home for the year.

Pierce’s mom, Allie, said he initially was a little confused about why his color-group teacher would not necessarily be his permanent teacher, but once Bid Day arrived, the message was clear.

“He came home telling me that Mrs. Ashby was his teacher for the rest of the year,” Allie said.

More importantly, Pierce enjoyed the Kinder Adventure along the way.

“It was a fun way to get to know all the teachers and other kids,” Allie said. “He loved telling us about what he did with each teacher.”

For parents, a new approach to classroom placement naturally came with questions. Kreymer communicated about Kinder Adventure throughout the spring and summer at events and through communication with families.

Once the process was complete, Wagoner said parent feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Pierce’s mom also appreciated knowing that her son’s placement was based on teachers’ firsthand knowledge of him.

“Overall, I really loved the process, and I feel confident that the best teacher was chosen for Pierce with a class that will allow him to thrive,” she said.

For Kreymer Principal Vanessa Hudgins, that sense of connection is one of the most meaningful outcomes of Kinder Adventure.

“It creates an immediate sense of HOME for our kindergarteners and the teachers,” Hudgins said. “Our students know each teacher and immediately feel a protective family surrounding them. No teacher is a stranger because Kinder Adventure makes this house a HOME.”

When every teacher spends those first days getting to know every student, the kindergarten team becomes more than five individual classrooms.

“Teachers know students beyond the children assigned to their own rooms,” Hudgins said. “They can recognize faces, share observations during PLC meetings and collaborate to support students throughout the year.”

That collaboration also helps teachers build classrooms where students can receive the support they need, whether that means extending their learning, accommodating a need, or providing additional support for their emotional well-being.

“I am incredibly passionate about this method because it helps create a well-balanced class for the entirety of the year,” Hudgins said. “It also ensures teachers and students are matched to maximize growth, a Wylie ISD standard for pursuing excellence. Our teachers take ownership of each child that is placed in a class and therefore are committed to helping each child brought into their classroom family be successful.”

And for the students, the benefits extend beyond their own classroom.

Because they spent the first two days learning alongside students and teachers from across the grade level, kindergarteners recognize more faces and know more teachers. They have built relationships that reach beyond the walls of their own classroom.

The Kreymer kindergarten team has, in turn, gained a shared understanding of the entire grade level.

“We are no longer five separate classrooms—we are one kindergarten team, and every student feels like part of our family,” Wagoner said.

The name Kinder Adventure captures the fun of the first three days of school, but the purpose runs deeper. Hudgins sees that as the heart of the experience.

“Everything about Kinder Adventure is to create a welcoming, supportive, well-balanced learning environment for every child,” she said. “We want to extend the newly formed families to a ‘forever home’ that students are excited to be welcomed into.”

At Kreymer, finding the right classroom is about more than finding a teacher. It is about building connections, creating community, and helping every kindergartener find a place where they can learn, grow, and feel at HOME.