South San Antonio Independent School District issued the following announcement.
The halls have been empty since March, but things are about to change. Some students will return to the classroom Monday, Oct. 5. Twenty-five percent of the South San Independent School District students will walk through the doors of their respective schools for the first day of in-person instruction.
Principals and their teams have been preparing for this day by making sure all safety and social distancing protocols are in place.
“We’re very excited to have our kids back,” said JoAnn Buchanan, Madla Elementary School principal. “We’re going to try to make sure that the day looks as normal as possible; we want the kids to have fun in class, we want them to experience their lunch time, library, everything is going to be open as usual.”
Buchanan adds safety is at the forefront of everything the school is doing.
Five Palms Principal Greg Martinez agrees.
“We need to see these kids and the kids need to see us because for some kids we are the normalcy; we’re the safe place to be,” Martinez said. “They know they’re going to have food, they know they’re going to have someone who cares about them, so we’re going to be reunited and that’s going to be great.”
Madla Elementary will welcome back 108 students. Staff is spending this time this week preparing parents for what they can expect when they drop their child off at school Monday morning.
“That’s our job as educators,” Buchanan said. “It’s our turn to step forward and educate our children and welcome them back because that’s what we took our oath for.”
Martinez says his teachers are preparing a video for parents about what a day in school will look like. About 115 students will return for in-person instruction.
He adds the first day back at school will be an emotional one.
“We’re scared, we’re nervous, we’re excited, we’re happy and it’s all at once,” Martinez said. “If we can get through this, we can get through pretty much anything because we’re starting with the unknown,” he added.
As all schools prepare for the return of in-person learning, they’re all committed to providing the best possible experience for each and every student.
“In my 40 years that I’ve been an educator, this is probably the first time I’ll ever see this pandemic in my career and it’s just been something that is unusual for everybody,” Buchanan said.
Educators will take things one day at a time.
“Education has changed from now on,” Martinez said. “By three o’clock [Monday afternoon] we’re going to be drained.”
Come Tuesday morning, educators will do it all over again.
“We’re going to set the school up in a way that everyone is safe here; from the employees to all of our kids,” Buchanan said.
Original source can be found here.
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