BACK IN THE CLASSROOM
A.M/P.M.: Chico schools reopen to in-person learning
CHICO » Jennifer Conlin hugged her two children goodbye. They turned around, sanitized their hands and walked to their classrooms at Rosedale Elementary School.
Though students have been in school since Aug. 17, Monday marked the very first day of inperson classes sinceMarch when the COVID-19 pandemic forced school to be solely online. Students within the Chico Unified School District returned to campus on an a.m./p.m. schedule. Each student attends in-person for roughly two to three hours five days a week.
Butte County got the go-ahead to reopen in-person instruction on Oct. 13 since the county remained in the Red Tier for two weeks.
Conlin’s son was starting kindergarten at Rosedale. Normally, she’d walk himto his class, mingle with the teacher and depart.
“When you’re a kindergarten parent you want to be there. You want to see everything,” said Rosedale Principal JoAnn Bettencourt. “It’s hard to tell those parents, ‘I’msorrywe can’t allowvisitors oncampus right now.’ For the most part, they were very understanding.”
Because of COVID-19 guidelines, no visitors were permitted on campus. Many parents filmed their children walking into the school from their cars.
“It was exciting and also nervewracking. It’s different. It’s like the first day of school,” Conlin said. “Even though they’ve been in school a couple of months now it’s like the first day of school.”
The morning began at Rosedale with a long line of cars funneling into the drop-offarea. Parents were to drop off their children or walk them to the front
gate where a staff member dispensed hand sanitizer. Each student was required towearamask upon entry.
“It’s big time, especially for my kindergartner. He needs to learn how to do this,” Conlin said. “It’s Spanish immersion. We’re not Spanish speakers at home and for him to be here and immersed within the school is so important.”
Staff was also waiting at the two entry points ready to direct students to their classrooms. Since many were starting kindergarten, they weren’t accustomed to the campus. The first- grade students were also assisted since they had only been in school for a few months when the shutdown happened earlier in the year.
“Normally they would be shown where the firstgrade classrooms are and they can play on the big kid playground,” said Rosedale Principal JoAnn Bettencourt. “None of that transition stuff happened. It was very hard.”
Conlin was excited to have her children return to in-person learning.
“We’re super excited. We’re comfortable with it. We’re in a really good school,” Conlin said. “The teachers and parents who are volunteering are ready for this. I hope that our teachers are treated well and respected for what they’re taking on.”
Bettencourt said that the reopening went smoothly and kids will adjust to the new routine of sanitizing before entering campus.
“There are some students who are worried and nervous and likely so. I know in my heart we’re taking all the precautions necessary,” Bettencourt said. “We’re going to do the best we can to keep everybody safe — staff and students.”
At Chapman Elementary, parents were lined up in their cars ready to drop off their children at 7:30 a.m. The earliest kids could be dropped off was 7:50 a. m. and the school day began at 8:25 a.m.
“We love having students back. We’re so happy to have students back on campus,” said Chapman Elementary Principal Mike Allen. “This is what our school is made for. That’s what we do.”
Allen took some time in the morning delivering his “Iron Man award,” an
award given to the class with the best attendance. The award itself is a cardboard cutout of Iron Man wearing a mask and a small Iron Man trophy.
“They are so many smiles right now of kids just happy to see their friends, happy to see their teachers and happy to be on campus,” Allen said.
In Christy Conley’s kindergarten class, students were spaced out with clear, plastic barriers separating desks. Each child was wearing a mask while a sparemask hung on their plastic barrier. Students also had their own sets of markers, crayons and color pencils to avoid sharing of supplies.
Conley also had one student attending the class virtually.
“Teachers are enthusiastic and happy,” Allen said. “It should be one of the best days that these kids can remember. It can be inconvenient at times for people who work but the least we can do is make it worth it.”
At Pleasant Valley High School, teachers and student government representatives helped decorate the campus over the weekend. Blue and white streamers were draped through hallways and students made posters with reminders to social distance and wear a mask.
“The staff did an amazing job decorating the campus for students,” said
PV Principal DamonWhittaker. “They really wanted them to feel like it was a special moment.”
Whittaker said he knew there were some anxiety from staff and students about the first day of inperson classes.
“There was apprehension too in some of the kids and some of the teachers,” Whittaker said. “No one really knew what this was going to look like today.”
The p.m. group started the day with a welcome message over the loudspeaker from Vice Principal Joe Gallaty. Students from the a.m. group were able to grab to- go lunches and eat outside on campus. Some teachers also performed temperature checks of students before entering their classrooms.
During Tim Keating’s integrated math class, he opened the class with “mathemagic,” a lesson that he uses to engage the students in the classroom as well as the few who were watching online.
“Teachers were teaching. It was fantastic. Teachers were doing what they’ve been doing for years. Their passion, enthusiasm came out,” Whittaker said. “It’s what kids need. Kids were struggling learning at home — not everyone. But I’m proud of my staff for coming together.”