This Thursday many parents and children in South Florida got up early to start a new school year in Miami-Dade County.
In this return to school we learn a little about what parents should know and what are the expectations of a long-awaited day that also causes many emotions among children.
There are many emotions surrounding the first day of school and the main tip is to get up early to be on time.
Dora Leyva, a third-grade teacher at Southside Preparatory Academy in Brickell, says that like her, all Miami-Dade public school teachers have been preparing for the return to school for weeks. She says she is “very excited, the beginning of a new school year always brings many new things, we want to meet the children now.”
This Wednesday he was making some last adjustments to his classroom and anticipating the mix of emotions for tomorrow, he has some advice for parents. “First they calm down. Sometimes parents think that children are anxious, but parents too (…) children should be happy, they have to give them confidence”.
EVERYTHING READY TO RECEIVE THE STUDENTS
For its part, the district says it is ready. This Wednesday before the school board, the superintendent addressed the issues that are essential for the start of school. Including free meals for all students and the hiring of 600 new teachers.
Roberto Alonso, a member of the school board for district 4, explains: “our schools have breakfast and lunch for all the students, nobody will ask them if they have money or not”.
Alonso has a message for parents who have recently arrived in the United States and are joining the Miami-Dade school system for the first time.
“At the school board we are open to everyone, we do not ask about immigration status, we are here to educate your children,” Alonso says.
The mothers of families, volunteers from the parent-teacher association, offered advice based on their own experiences.
Joha Alcalá, president of the Southside School Parent-Teacher Association, comments that “the most frequently asked question is the ID of the children. Once you enroll, they give you an ID so you can enter the parent portal, and know the grades, the schedule, the subjects, and all that”.
But the advice in which teachers and schools agree that the best thing is “that the most important thing is to always get up on time in the morning,” says Alonso.
The school district says there are more than 331,000 enrolled and they have a checklist parents can use to make sure everything is ready for the start of school this Thursday.
In Broward the start of classes is scheduled for Monday, August 21.
