Annually, The Friends and Volunteers present a gift bag to each kindergarten child in the Ocean City School system. The Friends and Volunteers purchase the materials, assemble the bags, and deliver them to the primary school at the beginning of each school year.  Each bag contains an age-appropriate book, a box of crayons, a pencil, a sketch or note pad, a bookmark, and tissues. Our goal is to encourage young students at an early age to enjoy reading.

2018 Kindergarten Collaboration!

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2015 UPDATE—86 book bags were delivered to the Primary School. We wish these emerging and early readers much success and hope each will develop a love of reading that continues throughout their lives!

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN—2013

Imagine on the first day of Kindergarten—when you might be excited AND a bit nervous—you go to your new cubby and find a plastic bag filled with a note pad, a pencil, a packet of tissues, crayons, stickers, a bookmark, and a brand new book! Through the generosity of the Ocean City Free Public Library and the Friends and Volunteers, each Kindergarten student in the classes of Mrs. DeVlieger, Mrs. Leavens, Mrs. Matthews, Mrs. Snyder, and Mrs. Riley received this surprise gift.

Thanks goes to Leslie Clarke, Assistant Director, Ocean City Free Public Library for donation of the book bags, bookmarks, and pencils. Thanks to Marge Roth, Chairperson of the First Day of Kindergarten, and the committee members—Carmen Constable, Carol DeMill, Pauline Kretzu, Elaine Novello, Carolyn Lothian, Marie Platzer, Jeanne Pless, Joan Sambucci, Angel Smith, and Ruth Sukala—for the books, note pads, tissues, crayons, and stickers. Thanks also to Marie Platzer for printing the letters to Mr. Boyle, Interim Principal, the Teachers, and Parents. And, thanks goes to John Ruban, Ocean City Free Public Library Technology Department for the bookplates.

We hope this gift will be the first step for each student on their road to life-long literacy and learning!