Big, Little tradition: Sussex School finds success pairing students of different ages

Each year, the first day of school at Sussex has a little more magic than you might expect. On that day, the younger students climb one by one onto a special seat, barely able to contain their excitement. Then the magical Sorting Hat (on loan from Hogwarts) is lowered onto each head. The hat begins to mutter and mumble, and then finally announces the perfect Big for each Little. For more than 20 years, older Sussex students have been Bigs paired up with younger Littles. Together, each Big/Little pair shares moments of fun and learning throughout the school year. Every day begins with an all-school gathering in the gym (Samling) for a song or a game, and a chance for each Little to sit with his or her Big. At other times they work together in special events like making Dreamboats at Seeley Lake or carving pumpkins for Halloween. It is impossible to say who gets the most out of this special pairing.

The Littles have the attention of totally cool Bigs, the Bigs don’t have to worry about being cool because their Littles will adore them anyway, and the Sussex community is all the richer for friendships that cross the lines of grades and age. Sussex students learn countless things at school, and among the most important lessons is that each student is a valued member of our community and an irreplaceable friend to a Big or Little.

By the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2006/02/13/schools/4u_01.txt

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Budding friendships

By ALANA LISTOE – IR Staff Writer

Third-grader Marija Holshue gently explained to Hailey Shammel, Rossiter Head Start student, that a period, “is when you pause instead of just reading on and on and on.”

Shammel is Holshue’s “little buddy” and they spend a half-hour every week reading stories together.

The two are not alone, as every student at Rossiter School has a reading buddy.

“They look forward to it all week,” Jean Pallister, Head Start teacher, said of her 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds.

Pallister says that is a good break from “teacher reading” and “having a third-grader read to them makes it special.”

Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2006/02/15/helena_top/a01021506_04.txt