‘New connections and new friends’: PTO event at Oakmont school welcomes back students, families

Many of Oakmont’s youngsters returned to school a bit early.

The occasion was 10th Street Elementary School’s meet-and-greet event for returning and incoming students and their families, featuring free snow cones from Kona Ice’s truck and a menu of Mediterranean-style food for sale from Ash and Kris Kitchen.

The festivities, sponsored by the school Parent Teacher Organization, took place on Aug. 23, two days before the scheduled start of classes. This was the second year for the event, and the crowd was large, with around 150 to 200 people in attendance.

Children were invited to play on the playground and in the recess yard, where several students organized a touch football game in addition to a pickup soccer match. The PTO also offered a tent with information about the school’s book fairs, as well as sidewalk chalk, art, crafts and sticker activities for the younger kids.

Parent Bill Bowers, whose children Kian and Rayegan are both in the elementary school, with Kian starting kindergarten, said, “It’s really nice for the kids, especially the young ones just going to kindergarten, to get to meet their friends before the year starts.”

Staff members at the Riverview School District building were present to greet the families, including 10th Street principal David Zolkowski.

“Last year PTO thought about, is there way we can draw families back in (after covid-19) and welcome them back to the school? And this was the idea. It was so successful that we had families asking us to do it again, and we got lucky that the weather held up,” he said.

“It’s just nice for the families to come together in an informal way, and it’s especially convenient for working families to be able to come and get some food from the food truck, sit down at one the outdoor tables and eat, and still be involved in the event.

“Our PTO is really good about making connections with families and an event like this decreases Day One anxiety for the kids, and allows them to make new connections and new friends before the first day of school.”

Emily Aftanas, PTO president, echoed a similar sentiment.

“The principal is here, and some of the teachers are also roaming around to meet the students and their parents and families,” she said. “It’s just a nice way to bring everyone together for the start of the school year in a positive way. It’s one last hurrah before the summer ends.”