Building Community in Kindergarten

Walk into any Kindergarten classroom at the start of the year and you will find students and teachers immersed in building community.  Walk into Jessica Lack's Kindergarten classroom and you will meet two essential members of the "Lack Pack" who help foster a community spirit within her class.  These key members are Mack and Jack, two ducklings who are the official "Lack Pack" mascots.

How do Mack and Jack fit into the community?  Within the first two weeks of school, the students in the Lack Pack enter the classroom one day to find a duck's footprint with a special message on it.

This footprint contains the first clue that leads the class on a scavenger hunt around the school.  On their travels they will meet other important members of the CES community such as their specials teachers, the administration, the library media specialist, and the nurse.  Students get to collect the duck prints as the Lack Pack searches for their owners.  Eventually, the prints lead them back into the classroom, where they get to meet Mack and Jack!

Who are Mack and Jack and how do they relate to the community?  Jack is a duckling who sits in a nest near the thinking chair.  Sometimes Kindergarten students need to sit in the chair because they miss home or they want to tell a secret to someone, and Jack is always ready to listen.  Mack hangs out in the Peace tree on the other side of the room.  He often helps Kindergarten students when they are problem solving a situation with a friend.  Both Mack and Jack are valuable members of the Lack Pack and the students learn to rely on them throughout the year.

Building a strong community is the foundation for success in any classroom.  The members of the Lack Pack are well on their way to establishing a strong, caring, and successful Kindergarten community this year.