Back to school - Fall 2021

[kdonnel]

Today was back to school for staff in my county.

My wife grumpily went back to work today as her two months off came to an end. My daughter is a senior in college and also was back to school today in another county, starting her student teaching by learning what goes on during pre planning days. We move my son into his college freshman dorm on August 15th.

It's all exciting but real soon the house will be real quiet. I guess it is a good thing that I start going into the office a couple days a week soon.

How is your family's back to school going?

 

[Disneylover99]

Back to school after labour day (hopefully).

Not really sure what I’ll be teaching at this point or if I’ll be teaching in school or online. Parents are being surveyed in August and will be given a choice of online or in school. My daughter hopes to be in highschool full time and my son is off to College. We just found out his schooling will be partially online for at least the first semester.

 

[tvguy]

It will be interesting. Our kids are well past school, but I am amazed at how many friends with kids in school are moving them to keep them home instruction. Some kids struggled with distance learning, but apparently others did far better.
Three teachers on my street, all are retiring and not going back. They don't feel safe with a return to in person instruction and had enough time in to retire.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Well, school doesn’t start around her for over a month so things could change, but as of right now….

I will be teaching in person full time. (Elementary Special Ed) We were in person 4 days a week all last year other than a 2 week quarantine period in January. (Remote Wednesdays) The district is not offering a remote option this year and I am happy about that. Even with dedicated remote teaching staff it was appalling how far behind their peers the remote students were as they slowly decided to return to in person learning. This was particularly evident among the K-3 students.
DD18 moves into her freshman dorm on September 5th. Hoping for a mostly normal year. She was hybrid for senior year of high school and hates remote learning. Fortunately, her college has mandated the vaccine so we are cautiously hopeful.

 

[Skippy918]

We go back in about 2.5 weeks. The district is highly recommending masks so my kids will wear one. Still don’t know what to expect as far as quarantine guidelines especially given that there’s no virtual option at the school level. The district has a virtual option but it’s getting treated as a separate school and there’s already a waitlist.

 

[tvguy]

Well, school doesn’t start around her for over a month so things could change, but as of right now….

I will be teaching in person full time. (Elementary Special Ed) We were in person 4 days a week all last year other than a 2 week quarantine period in January. (Remote Wednesdays) The district is not offering a remote option this year and I am happy about that. Even with dedicated remote teaching staff it was appalling how far behind their peers the remote students were as they slowly decided to return to in person learning. This was particularly evident among the K-3 students.
DD18 moves into her freshman dorm on September 5th. Hoping for a mostly normal year. She was hybrid for senior year of high school and hates remote learning. Fortunately, her college has mandated the vaccine so we are cautiously hopeful.

You would have more information than I, but aren't Special Education programs also strictly regulated by the Federal Government? I don't think here they ever went remote, they remained full time throughout the pandemic. Same with bus transportation. Only Special Ed students get bus service. They shutdown all school bus services about 20 years ago for non-special ed students when they went with open enrollment. There are 44 houses on my street, and I don't think a single child in the last 20 years went to their "home" high school, and I am not aware of anyone that went to the same high school other than siblings. 6 different high schools best I can tell.

 

[mmbrad02]

My DD 10 starts back to school on August 11. DH and I have been working in our respective offices since Summer 2020 and glad she gets to go back in person, as she is one smart cookie that did NOT thrive under virtual learning. Our district is currently planning to follow the Kentucky Department of Health's guidelines on reopening school.

 

[SmallWorld71]

You would have more information than I, but aren't Special Education programs also strictly regulated by the Federal Government? I don't think here they ever went remote, they remained full time throughout the pandemic. Same with bus transportation. Only Special Ed students get bus service. They shutdown all school bus services about 20 years ago for non-special ed students when they went with open enrollment. There are 44 houses on my street, and I don't think a single child in the last 20 years went to their "home" high school, and I am not aware of anyone that went to the same high school other than siblings. 6 different high schools best I can tell.

I don’t believe there was ever any federal mandate that special Ed students had to be in person. Most districts prioritized ‘high needs’ students for some in person instruction, but they certainly didn’t include all. For example, my nephew (7 year old, autism) is a Boston Public Schools student and he didn’t see the inside of a classroom until late February and that’s only because my sister fought for in person instruction.

I work in a very small district where there is only one school option at each level, so we definitely were able to be more creative and had the blessing of space. We also had a school committee and an administration committed to safe, in person learning. While we had quite a few students and a couple teachers test positive over the year, all positive cases could be traced back to outside sources and there was zero spread within the school itself. All elementary students get the bus, but this year parents were encouraged to drop off and about half were able to.
Sadly, I think we will be wearing masks again, but it’s worth it to be in person.

 

[neverlandsky]

August 9th we go back. Supplies were running low when I went back to school shopping after July 4th. Pretty much got everything we need. High School is so much easier in that regard. Registered Youngest last week due to our long distance move back to our hometown which went very well. It's almost like we MCU blimp for 4.5 years and came back without missing a beat. We settled very fast.

Youngest got old student number back as well. Got the required vax of the MCV4 that was needed to enroll. Youngest picked their classes and now we wait. There's going to be a school district meeting this week. Given that the indoor mask mandate was activated last week for all employees vax or not til August 17th, have a strong feeling the school distirct is going to require masks for all. Which honestly isn't any different from when school was released.

 

[mjkacmom]

You would have more information than I, but aren't Special Education programs also strictly regulated by the Federal Government? I don't think here they ever went remote, they remained full time throughout the pandemic. Same with bus transportation. Only Special Ed students get bus service. They shutdown all school bus services about 20 years ago for non-special ed students when they went with open enrollment. There are 44 houses on my street, and I don't think a single child in the last 20 years went to their "home" high school, and I am not aware of anyone that went to the same high school other than siblings. 6 different high schools best I can tell.

Special education here was mostly virtual. My friend’s non verbal autistic son was home the whole time.

 

[tvguy]

I don’t believe there was ever any federal mandate that special Ed students had to be in person. Most districts prioritized ‘high needs’ students for some in person instruction, but they certainly didn’t include all. For example, my nephew (7 year old, autism) is a Boston Public Schools student and he didn’t see the inside of a classroom until late February and that’s only because my sister fought for in person instruction.

I work in a very small district where there is only one school option at each level, so we definitely were able to be more creative and had the blessing of space. We also had a school committee and an administration committed to safe, in person learning. While we had quite a few students and a couple teachers test positive over the year, all positive cases could be traced back to outside sources and there was zero spread within the school itself. All elementary students get the bus, but this year parents were encouraged to drop off and about half were able to.
Sadly, I think we will be wearing masks again, but it’s worth it to be in person.

This just came up on my news feed. https://www.yahoo.com/news/sparked-pandemic-fallout-homeschooling-surges-051341764.html

 

[holden]

DD14 goes back after Labor Day. School announced that masks will be optional. She goes to a private high school. I'm hoping her school year is as close to "normal" as possible.

 

[SmallWorld71]

This just came up on my news feed. https://www.yahoo.com/news/sparked-pandemic-fallout-homeschooling-surges-051341764.html

Honestly, if I had a child in elementary school and my district was not able to offer safe in person learning, I would choose to homeschool over remote learning.

 

[design_mom]

DD (17) is doing half days at the career center and half days at her high school. The Career Center offers a half-day pharmacy tech program for high school seniors. She'll graduate as a certified pharmacy technician as well as with her normal (honors) high school diploma. We'll also have a busy autumn with college applications and marching band season. The career center starts August 17 and her regular high school starts August 19.

Last year, her school did hybrid (2-3 days in person, the alternate days as asynchronous at-home days) and she did really well with that. After March, she was full time. The district offered a fully remote option last year, but have said it will not be an option this year (and we did not participate in it last year).

I'm feeling behind on the college planning because we're still dealing with colleges having limited (or none) in-person visits. We've done a few virtual visits but they are just not the same. We've had 2 in-person visits which have been scaled back from what I remember with my son, but are still... something. We're doing another one this Friday... and hopefully I can squeeze a couple more in before it's time to apply.

My son (20) is finishing up an internship and he'll be headed back to college for his junior year. He has lived in the dorm for the last two years and this will be his first year in an apartment. He's already lined up a different internship for next summer and that one's in Chicago (we're in Ohio). He'll be gone almost the whole summer...so these next few weeks might be the last weeks he'll live at "home." (I'm proud of him and excited for him, but feeling a little sad about it, too.)

I think all but one of his classes are going to be in-person. (He had SOME in person classes last year, but not the majority.)

 

[Skippy918]

Honestly, if I had a child in elementary school and my district was not able to offer safe in person learning, I would choose to homeschool over remote learning.

That’s great if homeschooling works for you. I have no desire to homeschool, plus working full time makes that impossible. My kids will be in 5th and 8th grades. My kids are happy to go back in person. Oldest got his vaccine so I am not as worried.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Mine go back in 3 weeks and I guess we’re ready? My youngest two went back half time in the spring and all 4 will be back in person full time in the Fall. Masks are required indoors at schools here - waiting to see if anything changes about outdoors. My oldest 3 are vaccinated m, my youngest isn’t. I’m most worried about her, but she’s great about wearing her mask even if others aren’t. So I guess now we cross our fingers and hope for the best.

 

[JimMIA]

DD is going back to college soon. She's actually going back twice -- we have to move out of her dorm and into her apartment in about 10 days, and then take her back to actually start classes 10 days after that. In between, we're trying to squeeze in a short trip to Venice, FL.

For DW and I, the days and nights will be lonely. Fortunately, life is starting to get back to normal and we'll be able to go out with friends more.

For DD, it will be an exciting time, but a different set of challenges than she had in her first year. She'll be almost entirely in face to face classes, and that will take some getting used to. No more hanging in the dorm, doing all her classes online. Now she will have to get up, get to campus, navigate around campus from class to class, etc. She also has a Monday night class that runs until 9 PM. She has no idea the amount of adjustment she is in for, but she'll muddle through it. And in addition to all that school stuff, social life will be returning to normal, football will be played to sold-out crowds, and it will be a very different place from what she is used to.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Just thought this song would brighten everyone’s mood.

 

[mjkacmom]

I have 2 incoming college freshmen and a rising college senior. My senior and 1 of my freshmen have in person classes, the other freshman will probably be mostly online (south, no vaccine or testing mandates, north, vaccine mandate). I’m more worried about the one in the south, nervous cases will rise and the campus will shut down like it did for 1 1/2 years.

 

[mamamary]

First time in 20+ years that I don’t have someone in school. It feels weird!