Energy filled the hallways and classrooms at Soboba Tribal Preschool as parents headed to campus with their children for this year’s Back-to-School night on Aug. 28. They learned the teachers’ goals for the upcoming school year as well as important details on how to stay in touch and what to expect on a daily basis.
The school has undergone some changes since the previous school year with former preschool teacher Lenora “Ponie” Mojado now the Preschool Administrator. Instead of creating and implementing lesson plans, she is now busy going to meetings, setting up fundraisers, talking with parents and taking care of day-to-day operations.
“This change happened a couple of days before school started (on August 6). I had all my preschool classes ready to go and everything done, and they asked if I would like to take the position, and I said yes. This is a big step for me, and I’m excited about taking on this role,” Mojado said.
She served as the interim administrator during the final months of the previous school year and said it was hard doing the job while still teaching. “I would get pulled away from my class to let my aide, Alaina, handle the classroom. It wasn’t fair for her, and I appreciated her hard work and dedication throughout this transition,” she said.
She said the biggest challenge has been taking over the budget. But the benefits have already been noticeable and many. “The goals that I want in this role are for the children to have a fun, safe, learning environment; to mostly learn about their culture and how we come together as a community,” she said. “These children are the future of the Tribe, and it starts here at preschool. Their schooling and foundation start here, and I want the children to learn and grow from their preschool and kindergarten experiences.”
Mojado is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, and she will be able to continue her studies while working in this position, a stipulation she made before accepting it.
The school no longer offers a “2s” class, which was usually pretty small. Mojado plans to use that existing classroom as a resource center for children that need extra support.
“I’m still trying to decide on the plans, but the future is looking bright at the preschool,” she said.
Current enrollment is at 50 and Mojado said they are finally fully staffed and even have a preschool assistant, Lilly Gutierrez.
Inside the entrance, each class has a posting board that shows at a glance what the lesson plan and schedule will be for the coming weeks as well as upcoming important dates and reminders. Also included is the daily lunch schedule.
Mojado said there will be new changes in preschool policies, which have been submitted to Tribal Council for approval. She said there are changes in teachers and teacher’s aides in the Pre-K and preschool rooms, but nothing too significant.
Kindergarten teacher Laura Aldrete’s posted note welcomed families and let them know that the month would be spent getting to know the environment, teachers, staff and each other. They will also work on becoming familiarized with the routines and structures of the kindergarten class that is in session from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
With 18 students enrolled so far, each child has an individual desk with storage rather than a cubby and shared tables that the younger age levels still have. “It benefits the students’ personal space, helps them focus on learning at their desks and prepares them for elementary school,” Mojado said. Aldrete and Instructional Aide Elena Vega Castello answered questions from parents who toured the classroom.
“The first two weeks were challenging for all of us, but the kids got used to things very fast,” Aldrete said, adding that having individual desks makes a big difference, giving the children a lot more independence.
Pre-K teacher Ana Garcia, who has been teaching at the preschool for six years, is joined by Instructional Aide Alaina Adkins who worked in the preschool class with Mojado last year. The biggest change this year is there is only a morning class of 20 students for this age group of mostly four-year-olds. Garcia can use the afternoons for prep time now and it seems to be working.
“So far, we’re doing good as a team,” she said. “A lot of the students were at the school last year (with Alaina) so that’s been a big strength.”
Although the curriculum remains the same, Garcia is using a different approach by letting the children explore and learn. They will observe them as they do problem solving on their own. “My goal is to have them sitting at their own table places to get the idea of staying in place,” Garcia said. “My goal is to get them ready for kindergarten. I want them to learn and get familiar with letter sounds so when they get to kindergarten they are not struggling.”
The preschool class of mostly three-year-olds, which used to be Mojado’s class, is now led by teacher Julissa Garcia and Instructional Aide Jess Thompson. With a class size of 12, the focus will be on getting children accustomed to being in a school setting as well as learning skills such as letter sounds, formations and more.
They shared the importance of letting children bring family photos to post on the “Nokiiyam” (family in the Luiseño language) board “to help them feel represented in their learning environment while they are away from home.” There will be monthly family projects so families can interact with each other and the children can share with the class. The first project was an “All About Our Class” binder that contained a page on each child. They included photos of their favorite toys, movies, activities and family photos.
“We know parents are their first teachers so we’re all in this together,” Garcia told the parents who stopped by her classroom. “We will do observations and assessments on each student, but we don’t compare them in any way. All children learn at a different pace and in their own ways.”
Each of the three grade levels offered a theme that was carried throughout their classrooms that the teachers decided on. “It’s a good way for their creative sides to show,” Mojado said. “Everyone’s classroom came out fantastic, and it was great to see their classes come to life. I love the themes this year; the teachers worked so hard in their classrooms.”
Preschoolers were welcomed to their “groovy” classroom where “Good Vibes Only” is the retro-1970s theme. Pre-K students were greeted with a “Hello Sunshine” theme and told to “be kind, be brave, be you.” Those in kindergarten were told they “put the cool in school” and that each day “will be a good day.”
Many resources were available to parents as they walked the hallway. There were treats for the children such as coloring books and kinetic sand from the Department of Public Safety officers and puzzles and pencils from Soboba Fire Department personnel. Backpacks, tee shirts and placemats about healthy eating were offered by Hosea Jones of the CalFresh Healthy Living program for Riverside University Health System. Jessica Plumlee, with Tribal Family Partners, shared the free programs offered for families of Native children from pre-natal to kindergarten.
A spaghetti dinner was offered in the adjacent multipurpose room and most families met there to chat with others and share what they had just learned from their child’s teachers.
Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
