With a spring in their step that sometimes increased to a slow
jog, school children and the adults holding their hands passed
through the school gates this morning to begin the 2010-11 school
year.
Morgan Hill
With a spring in their step that sometimes increased to a slow jog, school children and the adults holding their hands passed through the school gates this morning to begin the 2010-11 school year.
For first-time parents of kindergartners like Megan Adams, the inaugural day of elementary school is a proud moment. She and boyfriend Stephen Schwinn walked toward Barrett Elementary School Tuesday about 7:30 a.m. to watch their only child Makayla – Kayla for short – start her first day.
Kayla likely won’t be the shy child clinging to Mom or Dad at the classroom door. Kayla skipped along the sidewalk near Barrett in a gray, fur-lined hooded jacket and pink backpack – almost as big as she is. She chirped and through her hands in the air, “Let’s go! I’m going to be in kindergartner!”
The family took several tours of the school leading up to this day and even met her new teacher Monday.
“She didn’t even want to go to her last day of pre-school. She said ‘I’m ready for my new school!'” Adams said.
To help Kayla adjust to her new routine they ate breakfast together as a family this morning and took time to answer questions about her new class.
“This is a whole new lifestyle for us. It’s exciting,” Adams said.
While Kayla’s family approached her classroom, mother Rosy Flores spent the first part of her morning on crossing guard duty at the intersection of Barrett Avenue and Juan Hernandez Drive. Her daughter Anahi, 12, held the “Go” sign to help parents and students cross the street. Five-year-old Moses stood nearby, his hair neatly combed and his backpack and lunch pail were packed, ready for the day.
Anahi has been a Barrett Bengal since she was her brother’s age. Now that she will start sixth-grade today, she said she is looking forward to being the “big kid” on campus this year.
Flores said she and her children have had a great experience at Barrett, but she is concerned about the increase in class sizes at the school.
Facing a $2.9 million deficit, the Morgan Hill Unified School District chose to increase class sizes from 20 pupils per teacher to 24 students in every kindergarten through third-grade class. Flores wasn’t too pleased when Anahi was placed in a third-grade/fourth-grade combination class for two years and said she hopes this year will be better for her in a classroom of just sixth-graders.
Check back this afternoon for an update.
