The new school year began with an extended summer holiday for most of southern Ontario.
Students attending the schools in the Upper Grand District School Board and the Wellington Catholic District School Board returned to class on Wednesday after a PA day the day before.
“Students would traditionally come back the day after Labour Day,” said Peter Sorvan, director of education at the Upper Grand board.
Sorvan said there would usually be a PA day within three weeks of the start of the new school year so the board decided to have the PA day on the Tuesday.
“What we were hearing from families was that their kids was just getting into the rhythm of the school and then there is this day off.”
Mike Glazer, director of education at the Wellington Catholic board, said moving the PA day to the day after the Labour Day holiday allowed teachers and staff to have more time to prepare for the new school year.
“It was really an opportunity to make sure our staff were prepared to welcome back students and had all the necessary training,” he said. “They also had the ability to see the changes in the curriculum or other training that was required for the new school year.”
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Nevertheless, it was a pretty seamless start to the school year with students getting re-acquainted with classmates and teachers.
“With the start of every school year there’s a sense of excitement, hope and optimism,” Glazer said. “There is some sense of nervousness as well. But the students are thrilled to be back and we are looking forward to working with them.”
The new school year brings lot of changes, most notably the ban on cell phones in classrooms. Both school boards, however, had policies in place regarding the use of cell phones in classrooms before the Ministry of Education implemented similar measures province-wide starting in September.
“It will be really some reminder of those rules,” Glazer said. “Making sure that the students aware of what those expectations are and that there are consequences if there is non-compliance.”
Both Sorvan and Glazer don’t foresee any problems with students having to make the adjustments.
“Students themselves felt that creating a structure and policy where we minimize disruptions in class is welcomed,” Sorvan said.
Most of the excitement will have settled down and students would already be acclimated with their surroundings. But Sorvan believes some of that momentum will carry over into the first full week of school next week.
“When you walk through the school on the first day, you can feel a different level of energy,” he said. “Whether it’s meeting friends and developing new friendship and being in an environment where you are emersed in learning.”
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