MIDLAND, Texas — Lori Smith, Principal of Midland College's Pre-K Academy, walks through her teachers' classrooms. They're housed in portables that she'll be seeing for the last time this school year.
"This will be our fourth school year and then our last school year in the portable, then we’ll be in our new building," said Smith.
They currently have four classrooms, two for 3-year-olds and two for 4-year-olds for 68 students. However, soon that number will grow.
"We’ll go to 16 classrooms. We’ll have eight 3-year-olds and eight 4-year-olds. We’ll have more kids in the classrooms because the classrooms will be larger," said Smith.
However, even with more classrooms and kids, she said the school will continue offering a comfortable environment.
"I’m hoping we’ll continue to do that close-knit planning together. There will be in pods so it may be more smaller team families and one big group of the school. That’s an important piece for me is to make sure I’m still keeping us all together and keeping us together as a team," said Smith.
Her team is filled with certified and trained teachers who get to know their students before the year kicks off.
"We do home visits so the teachers go out and meet the kids in their environment and meet the parents in their environment, and so we feel that’s important to get to know them and get to know who they are before they come to school, so that when they come to school they know who we are, they’ve seen our faces," said Smith.
With the school year only five days away, her and her staff is ready to get off to a great start.
"A lot of parents will stand out here and not want to leave and you have to be like they’re good they’re fine go about your business," said Smith.
MORE BACK TO SCHOOL STORIES: