March 29, 2011 > Celebrating 100 days of kindergarten Celebrating 100 days of kindergarten Article and Photo submitted by Stacey Conners Dominican Kindergarten students from the Dominican Sisters Mother House took a unique approach to celebrating 100 days of kindergarten this year which culminated on February 3. Rather than creating a poster representing 100 days of kindergarten, the students along with their teacher, Sister Jane Marie Estoesta, O.P., decided to reach out to the less fortunate by collecting much needed items for various non-profit organizations. As a class, they brainstormed on items they could collect for their "Collecting to 100" Drive for Outreach. Below is a list of the items they worked together to collect: 100 non-perishable food items in boxes or packages 100 jars of baby food 100 dollar bills for Koins for Kids 100 new or slightly used books 100 new or slightly used toys 100 old, "but still useable" clothing, gloves 100 pairs of new socks 100 personal items and toiletries Students, with the support of their parents were able to collect 100 of each of the items listed above, and in several of the categories collected more than 100! Donated items were distributed to Sister John Marie's Pantry, Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose Vision of Hope, Books for the Barrios and Abode Services, formerly, Tri-City Homeless Coalition. Sister Jane Marie encouraged students to earn the money they donated for Koins for Kids as well as the other items they collected, by helping out at home. When asked how he earned money for Koins for Kids, Matthew Conners, one of the current Dominican Kindergarten students said, "I asked my mom every day for chores so I could earn Koins to bring in the next day." Matthew went on to say he helped clean his room, unload the dishes and make the beds. Of course, he was sure to remind his mom each day before leaving for school to please pay him for his chores, so he could bring in his Koins to help out people who were in need. Sister Jane Marie originally implemented the "Collecting to 100" Drive for Outreach Project with last year's class. According to Sister Jane Marie, last year's class collected over 100 dollar bills for the earthquake victims in Haiti. It is an innovative way to incorporate the celebration of the 100th Day of School with reaching out to the less fortunate. What a great way to incorporate service learning into the curriculum as well as inspire the students to put their faith into action!