ST. GEORGE — More than 35,000 children will be returning to school in Washington County on Monday. And with that is a new year of expectations for students, teachers and parents alike.
Starting on a Aug. 12, instead of the middle of the week, is a new schedule started just this year. Steve Dunham, director of communications for Washington County School District, told St. George News that in order for students to be out of school by Memorial Day in late May, concessions had to be made.
The early start was taken into consideration along with time off for fall, winter and spring breaks. Juggling these holidays can create difficulties, Dunham said.
“To accommodate all of these preferences, the school had to start just two days earlier,” he said.
Lisa Balster, a first-grade teacher at Sandstone Elementary School, acknowledged the benefits of starting the school year with five consecutive days of class.
“We can get boys and girls into a routine faster and dive into the curriculum quicker,” she said. “However, getting students back into a routine after summer can be challenging.”
To ease the transition, Balster has planned calming activities such as end-of-the-day stories, among others.
“Teachers are trying to be sensitive to the adjustment period for students and plan lessons that are fun towards the end of the day,” she said.
Balster is entering her first year at Sandstone Elementary but has taught for many years prior. Her cozy-feeling classroom is evidence of that, with comfortable chairs, warm lights, the latest reward system, a “jar chart,” and a changing classroom guideline system attached to the whiteboard are some of the highlights.
“I love the first day and the first week of school,” she said. “Just seeing the excitement on everyone’s faces is so rewarding.”
Other than the routine introduction to the school and its rules, she plans to start the first few minutes of the first day building a community and family in her classroom.
Balster plans to read a story called “Our Class is a Family,” with plans to tell the children that during the school year the classmates will pretty much become family.
Friendship bracelet-making will follow later in the day, giving the kids something to take home with them.
“We read a story called ‘Our Class is a Family,’ which emphasizes that we are like a family at school,” Balster said. “We talk about how we want to treat each other and make friendship bracelets. The rest of the day is spent introducing the kids to the school and going over routines and expectations.”
Parents need to plan ahead to learn drop off and pick up times for the new school year, Dunham cautioned.
“Please take a little extra time getting to work in the mornings. Don’t rush,” he said. “Don’t be in a hurry. It’s not a good week to run late as the kids are getting back to school.”
Dunham said that with children on the sidewalks and crossing streets, St. George motorists should be alert and for children who are traveling to school while getting to work.
For parents sending their children to school, the Utah American Red Cross has developed a back-to-school safety checklist available by clicking here. The organization also said in a press release that 670,000 Utah students start school this week, so drive cautiously.
St. George Police Department public information officer Tiffany Mitchell echoed that sentiment. In a previous St. George News story, she reminded drivers of the laws regarding crosswalks and the employees who man them.
“When the crossing guard is in that intersection, you cannot go through that intersection, even if there is not a child in it,” Mitchell said.
As for the heat-related challenges the schools will face, Balster said plans are in place.
“We are fortunate to have good air conditioning. When the kids go outside to play, they need to pay attention to their bodies,” she said. “If they start to feel overheated, they should find some shade and drink water.”
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