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Kindergarten Celebration: A Tradition of Growth and Joy

By Olivia Vandergriff
Each spring, our youngest Greyhounds take the stage for the beloved Kindergarten Celebration, a heartwarming tradition that honors all of the milestones of learning throughout their first year at JTD. Our Kindergarten students guide their audience month-by-month through the experiences that shaped their first year at JTD, pausing along the way to sing, chant, and share moments of growth. With each song, they showcase what they’ve learned, and each student has the opportunity to introduce each month's theme. It’s a proud moment for parents, teachers, and fellow students as the kindergartners confidently shine in front of a lively JTD audience.
Before the Kindergarten Celebration as we know it today, students performed smaller, individual class plays such as "Mrs. Wishy-Washy", followed by light refreshments on the Kindergarten campus. But in 2005, coinciding with the transition to a three-class kindergarten model, teachers saw an opportunity to create a more unified performance. Longtime JTD  teacher Addy Porter collaborated with her Kindergarten teaching team to develop a new tradition - a peek into a journey through the Kindergarten school year, with songs and chants that reflected key moments in students' learning.

Beyond the stage, this annual celebration deepens community bonds. Older students fondly remember their time in the spotlight and cheer on their Kindergarten buddies with enthusiasm. After the performance, families are invited to the Kindergarten classrooms where they see students' school work and art projects which reflect the incredible growth from the start of the year through the end of the year. Parents truly get a glimpse into the magic of their child's kindergarten year at JTD.

In the end, the Kindergarten Celebration is more than a culmination of a year - it’s a community celebration, and a beautiful embodiment of JTD’s values. It reminds us all that learning can be joyful, that community matters, and that childhood deserves to be celebrated every step of the way.

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The John Thomas Dye School


11414 Chalon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 476-2811
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Located In Los Angeles, CA, John Thomas Dye is an independent school for grades K-6. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.