Alarm clocks will be buzzing earlier than they have in three months, mothers will be opening shades to let in sunlight, and cranky kids will be trudging to the kitchen table for a healthy breakfast Thursday morning. Students in grades one through 12 in the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district are feeling the wake-up call of reality as they bid summer goodbye and return to the world of academics.
Parents of district kindergarten kids have one extra day to get their cameras ready and pick out clothes for their 5- and 6- year-olds boarding yellow buses for their highly anticipated first day of school on Friday.
Staff goes back to school first
About 500 staff members in the district reported for duty the day after Labor Day for a pre-opening day rally to welcome newcomers, raise spirits, provide networking opportunities and promote teamwork during the months ahead.
We’ve worked to make this opening event a real celebration, said district spokeswoman Christy Multer. `We want the staff to get psyched and pass their excitement along to the kids.`
Held in the high school auditorium, the event includes introductions of all new staff members and greetings from district administrators and the board of education.
The staff members were also treated to a live vocal performance by district students of `Just One Person,` a song that demonstrates the power of one teacher’s belief in the abilities of each individual learner. They also viewed a sentimental video of children talking about their favorite school memories to date.
District kids won’t need to be sharpening pencils for any additional state mandated tests this year, but teachers will be undergoing a new measure of their individual performances and strengths. The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake board of education adopted a new annual performance review for both tenured and non-tenured teachers that takes effect this school year. The reviews are more comprehensive and will clarify duties, and help identify and build successful teaching strategies.
The number of students in each classroom will fluctuate until the end of this month as residency changes continue to be filed with the main office.
`We have a flood of people registering new students all summer long,` said Multer. `But people who move outside the district have a tendency to forget to tell us about their move. We’ll know by the end of September where our exact enrollment stands.`
Buildings spruced up and ready
During the summer, each of the district schools underwent major roof refurbishments, and the entire electrical system at Stevens Elementary School was upgraded.
With the increased power demands to operate computer equipment, more access to electricity was needed.
`The electrical capacity was simply maxed out,` said Multer. `We were at the point where it was no longer safe to keep using extension cords on a semi-permanent basis.`
Power was shut down at the elementary school Tuesday through Friday, Aug. 28 to 31, but all the systems are now up and running.
Other district schools received this power upgrade last year.
As for preparing individual classrooms, teachers didn’t take a break from going into school all summer long.
`We’ve had our teachers in and out since classes ended,` said high school Principal Maryellen Symer. `Sometimes I have to tell the teachers they can’t come in because the floors are being waxed. I joke and say the high school is like Motel 6; we always leave the lights on for them.`
Symer said the teachers were busy setting up their classrooms and doing some crash studying of their own.
`There are constantly new textbooks, new software programs and new courses, and the teachers need to be ready,` said Symer. `That’s part of the educational environment; there’s always something new to learn.`
Freshmen jitters
Kindergartners typically have their parents as cheerleaders as they climb aboard the bus for one of life’s biggest milestones, but freshmen entering high school aren’t likely to draw support from their parents waving goodbye as the bus pulls away from the curb.
Instead, ninth graders rely more on their friends and adults at the new high school to help make their entrance into the last four years of school a non-stressful one.
District high school freshmen went through a mini-version of opening day at an orientation on Wednesday designed to make them feel a sense of belonging in their new environment.
`They come into the school as a group, without older students, and go to their homerooms,` said Symer. `They get a chance to go into the cafeteria and have brunch without upper classmen. This gives them a chance to figure out where the lunch lines are.`
The ninth graders also have sessions on school policies, academics, code of conduct, and how to get support from advisers and other staff members. Then, they get a chance to meet the people who will play a pivotal role in the school year ahead: their teachers.
`It’s a great benefit for the students to know the names and faces of their new teachers,` said Symer. `We didn’t have this in orientations during previous years, and it’s something all the students requested. Our goal has been to make the transition from one school to another as easy as possible.`
But all the pre-planning in the world isn’t likely to eliminate all of the sweaty hands, goose bumps and racing pulses associated with the first day of school. Even school staffers get caught up in the jittery anticipation.
`There’s definitely an atmosphere of enthusiasm and nerves here already,` said Symer. `After all these years, we still get that feeling in our stomachs, and the night before school we dream about it, if we sleep at all.`
Freshmen at the high school can put to rest their fears of getting hopelessly lost, not being able to open their locker, or walking into the wrong classroom.
`Anywhere you turn there’s help, and that’s not just from the teachers and staff, but also from other kids,` said Symer. `The juniors and seniors are happy to help; they won’t send underclassmen to rooms that don’t exist.`
For the love of reading
Every child leaves school in June with a book list in hand. Whether they’re suggested or required reading, the goal is to keep kids immersed in the written word and keep flexing their imaginations.
Some kids cuddle up each night with a good book, while others may be too busy to slow down and read, but especially for elementary age students, reading should be an everyday event.
`I’ll do anything to keep them reading,` said Krissy Neddo, librarian at Pashley Elementary School. `Parents do need to work with their kids during the summer and continue during the school year. For kids with a love of reading, they’ll be happy to do this. But parents of kids who aren’t active readers need to be creative and not force them and make it an unpleasant activity.`
Neddo said she’s ready and waiting to roll out the red carpet to welcome students in kindergarten through fifth grade, who have access to the school library every day.
`The library is always open,` said Neddo. `Kids can pop in during recess or any time they finish a book and need a new one. I tell them, `let’s make a list and go shopping for books.’`
There’s a `walk and whisper` rule in the Pashley library, but overall, the library is much like an indoor play land.
Some children still go into the library requesting the books their parents read, such as the classics `Charlotte’s Web,` and `Stuart Little.` But most kids are into books with a bit more pep, thanks to a little wizard named Harry Potter.
`Fantasy is definitely the genre of the decade,` said Neddo. `Kids are savvier now; they know what they want to read and they come in to me requesting specific titles and authors.`
The Spiderwick Chronicles series and anything to do with sports continue to dominate the most-requested list in the school.
`We also feature a `book of the day` on the morning announcements, and it’s always a surprise,` said Neddo. `It can be anything from a picture book to read with a reading buddy to an article from Sports Illustrated magazine. Kids come to me and ask me ahead of time what it will be, but they have to wait for the official announcement.`
Neddo said she’s ready to help kids start cracking the books this school year.
`I’m excited; we have a great big library, and I love my job,` said Neddo.
Chances to sleep in are ahead
Kids and parents in the district can take heart and mark their calendars: the first vacation day from school is Monday, Oct. 8, for the Columbus Day holiday, and the last day of school in 2008 is June 26. And with the onset of cold weather just around the corner, kids can start wearing their pajamas inside out in hopes of bringing on a snow day.“
