Many students in New Brunswick started a new chapter in their education Tuesday morning as school bells rang in the start of a new year.
In the Carey home, day one was a rocky start for 11-year-old Logan, who is now in Grade 6.
“Logan did not want to come back to school and cried, in fact, about the prospect of coming to school today, but once he got on the bus, everything was fine, and they reported no issues today, so everything went well,” Joe Carey said standing next to his son Logan outside a Saint John school.
“I miss my small boy,” Carey admitted when asked about his son entering a new grade, but noted the family is happy for the new school year and hopefully a new sense of normalcy.
For the first time in two years, schools entered the semester without mandatory pandemic measures in place – a move made prior to the end of the 2021-22 educational year.
“We’re all vaccinated, and we also got COVID and got over that, so yeah, we’re ready for it at this point – I mean if more restrictions come, we can handle that too,” Carey said.
At a news conference last week, New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy said the virus will continue to present stresses, and necessary steps are in place to maintain it.
Inside the school system, educators are confident that following years of disruptions, staff and students can have a fresh start.
Zoe Watson, the superintendent of the Anglophone South School District, spent a busy Tuesday travelling to schools in the region.
“We are very optimistic will feel more like normal for staff and students, and we’re looking forward to the year ahead,” Watson said.
Over the course of the pandemic, rules implemented in schools to limit the spread of the virus included mask-wearing and social distancing.
Watson believes members of the school community must now rely on “healthy habits” to remain safe.
“We’ll continue to have hand sanitizer at our entrances. Certainly, if a staff member or a student wish to wear a mask, that’s OK.”
A staggered approach to the return to school means students in some grades and classes officially head back to class on Wednesday. Watson said this, along with orientation periods, allows for students transitioning to new grades to become accustomed to the ins and outs of their new school.
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