Pasadena’s youngest students danced in the classroom on Tuesday, April 13, celebrating the return to in-person learning after spending more than a year staring at computer screens, learning from home.
“It’s good to be back,” Superintendent Brian McDonald said in an interview.
Teachers were excited, students were excited — one little girl even showed up a day early for a practice run with dad, according to Willard Elementary Principal Angela Baxter.
“She had her mani/pedi done, she was all dressed up — timed the walk with dad — she was so ready for school,” Baxter said. “It was a really special moment.”
It was drizzling a bit in Pasadena on Tuesday when schools reopened, but that didn’t dampen the mood in the classroom. One teacher had her kindergartners dancing; those who were still learning from home danced along with them, visible via video conference.
A little more than half of the district’s students in prekindergarten through second grade elected to return for in-person learning, according to a district survey. They were then broken up into cohorts; half the students would be on campus each day, the other half would watch a livestream of the classroom from their homes. They’ll alternate days in the classroom.
Baxter was hopeful this system will work and she’s confident in the district’s safety measures, which include new filtration systems in every classroom, new air conditioning filters, social distancing rules and a fair bit of plexiglass.
Everyone’s wearing masks.
“That’s one thing we were all excited about, seeing their cute little masks,” Baxter said. “It’s really a delight to see how everybody — teachers, students, staff — everyone is doing everything we can to make this work.”
All this time apart has made the entire school community realize how much they’ve missed each other, Baxter said.
When the kids set foot on campus, a staff member asks them how they’re feeling and if anyone around them has been sick lately. The students get their temperature taken and there’s hand sanitizer available in every classroom, Baxter said.
While Pasadena Unified doesn’t have numbers available to show many teachers have been vaccinated, McDonald believes it’s a “pretty significant percentage,” citing ongoing vaccination clinics run by the city, local hospitals and the district itself.
Tuesday’s return is just a prelude to a wider return on April 20. That’s when students from 3rd grade all the way up to 12th grade will come back. McDonald is optimistic that the district will be able to provide some semblance of normalcy for its seniors.
There’ll be an in-person graduation ceremony at the Rose Bowl, he said.
But for now, he’s just thrilled to see kids behind desks in the classroom.
“There was excitement in the air this morning,” he said. “You know, the best environment for students to learn is in our schools, in-person, with their peers and their teachers. We’re really excited to welcome our kids back. … The teachers didn’t break stride at all, they were on top of their game, and the kids were energetic. This is a great thing.”
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April 14, 2021 at 05:42AM
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Pasadena teachers and students dance their way, socially distanced of course, back into the classroom - The Pasadena Star-News
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