Kindergarten teacher Kelsey Schmidt urges parents and staff to work together to support students' transition

Kelsey Schmidt, a kindergarten teacher at Eagle Bluff Elementary in Onalaska, addressed meeting attendees to describe how teachers support children as they begin their school careers and to urge partnership with families.

"My name is Kelsey Schmidt," she said, adding, "I teach kindergarten at Eagle Bluff Elementary in Onalaska." Schmidt said kindergarten is "where the adventure begins," and stressed inclusion, saying teachers welcome children "from any ability level as they start their educational journey."

Schmidt described daily arrival routines and the classroom role in comforting children: "Whether you, as a parent, send them on the bus or in your car drop off or they leave the house in the morning, we get to be on the other end of that to give them a hug, to walk them in holding hands, to sit at the carpet until they feel better," she said. She said staff also reassure families by sharing moments of students' happiness during the day: "to send you a picture in the middle of the day that they're smiling and they're happy."

She emphasized that children bring home accounts of their day—"They're able to come home to you after school and share all about their day. They're able to share the things that were hard or the things that made them really happy"—arguing those conversations matter to both parents and teachers.

Closing her remarks, Schmidt framed the teacher–family relationship as a long-term collaboration: "We really wanna work with you together to ensure that we understand your child as a unique individual and that we are helping them in their educational journey beyond kindergarten." The meeting record does not show any formal action or vote tied to her remarks.