Teachers, students head back to class

LET THE HOMEWORK BEGIN:
Julianna Turner meets kindergarten teacher Susan Smith, right, on the first day of school at Verde Vale Elementary. Julianna’s mother, Omeara Watson watches at left.

“I love you, mom,” was voiced a few times by children as their parents left them to play with brightly colored blocks in Susan Smith’s kindergarten class at Verde Vale Elementary School. Some hugged their parents tightly, others entered the classroom boldly, without a worry.

Smith greeted each child with a big smile, showed them where to put their backpack, and led each to their “special place to sit.” Previously a substitute teacher at Verde Vale, Smith was as ebullient as a kindergarten teacher could be, since her career as a full-time teacher was also just beginning. Across the South County, schools reported a fine, busy beginning to the school year on Monday, Aug. 18.

Anderson Union High School District’s new superintendent Tim Azevedo spent his first school day as other district superintendents did — touring the schools.

Each superintendent reported a busy day, but Azevedo was also busy unpacking.

“It’s busy, but it’s going well,” he said. Azevedo added that attendance at the schools didn’t appear to be off from what the school anticipated.

Aside from a fine beginning to a new school year, Pacheco Elementary will celebrate the opening of its new gym Aug. 26, 5:30 p.m. before it kicks off its back-to-school night for teachers, parents and students, said district superintendent Deidra Hoffman.

A 40-acre brush fire on Saturday across Dersch Road from Prairie Elementary was a non-issue for the school, Hoffman added.

Meadow Lane Elementary had so many kindergartners, that Verde Vale offered to take in the extra students. Five classes of kindergartners would have been too much, according to Meadow Lane principal’s secretary Susan Magladry.

“Gas prices had a lot to do with it, I think,” she said. “People want to put their kids in the school in their district.” Magladry added that students were still being registered at Meadow Lane, with three new registers on the first day of school.

“Some people don’t realize school starts today,” Magladry said.

“We get that ever year,” said Cascade Union School District Superintendent Wes Smith. “We’ll get people who come in after the holiday say they are surprised about how soon school started despite our multiple mailings.”

Those registering late missed-out on the Kindergarten Round-up, a Cascade District-wide orientation for incoming kindergartners.

Anderson Middle School announced the beginning of its after-school program, Project Share, where students may take advantage of homework help, sports camps, art or cooking classes.

At Happy Valley Elementary, students were to attend an assembly in the afternoon at which the principal would welcome students.