Public school students in Edmonton made their way to classes on Thursday for their first day back to school after summer break and both children and educators described the day as one filled with the normal combination of anxiety and excitement.
“Everyone’s just bubbling with excitement,” said Shannon Harwood, the principal of Centennial School in west Edmonton, which will welcome about 400 elementary students through its doors this school year.
“Our staff have been working really hard the last couple of weeks just to get ready to welcome our students and families back.”
Ben Milne suggested that the summer felt like it flew by too quickly but also indicated he was excited to get back to Centennial School where he will attend Grade 6 this year.
He said science is his favourite subject because he likes “learning how things work.”
Milne added that he is looking forward to being a crossing guard this year.
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“In the afternoon it’s just nice fresh air,” he noted.
Kerry Bates, who works with the Edmonton Police Service’s traffic division, said police are reminding drivers and pedestrians to be particularly careful around schools now that students have returned to class.
“We’re kind of banging the same drum as every other year: just slow down,” he said. “If you’re not dropping kids off but your commute takes you through a school area, prepare for it. Give yourself another five or 10 minutes or whatever you think is necessary so that you can slow down and deal with the congestion.”
Bates explained that vehicle speed is not the only safety concern near schools, pointing out that double parking, parking in crosswalks, making u-turns or blocking school buses can create risks for pedestrians as well.
“The vast majority of people are doing what they’re supposed to,” he said. “(But) those things can be devastating if something does happen.”
Cellphone ban in place in Alberta classrooms this school year
In June, the Alberta government announced cellphones would be banned in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms this school year in an effort to reduce distractions for students and to try to curb cyberbullying.
Harwood said the ban is a “non-issue” for Centennial School.
“We’ve been fortunate at Centennial that we’ve had a no-cellphone policy for years,” she said. “If we have a couple of students with health conditions, then of course they have access to those. But our students, if they need to contact family, they come down to the office and they have access to phones.
“I think it’s just really fit for our families here. This won’t feel like a big transition for us.”
Parents and students Global News spoke to on Thursday all said they were fine with the cellphone ban.
Shevaar Smith, who is a teacher himself, spoke to Global News as he dropped one of his children off at school.
“I’m also a teacher so I get it from both ends,” he said. “It is indeed a distraction for kids.
“Most parents are on board with (the ban). … I think it’s a good thing.”
Shannon Potter, who also had a child heading back to school on Thursday, said she believes “schooltime is time for them to focus and learn.”
“They don’t need all the distractions.”
Harwood said she believes keeping cellphones out of classrooms will help facilitate a “love of learning.”
“We want students to come in and be engaged in their learning,” she said. “We want them interacting with their classmates, with their teachers — and it really just allows for their brains to focus on the task at hand.
“We love to see the big smiles of kids coming in.”
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