Summer is almost over already? Really? Well, it is if you go by the school calendar. Believe it or not, next Wednesday, September 1, is the first day of classes for Livingston Public School students. Yes, it is that time of year that harried parents cherish and children looking to squeeze every inch out of their summer vacation dreads: Back to school.
Yet, this year, we suspect, will feel better than most for students not ready to say farewell to summer. That is because, for the first time since the 2018-19 academic year, students have a chance at a fully in-person school year.
Certainly, there will once again be challenges for students, teachers, and administrators during the third school year defined, in part, by COVID-19. This pandemic is, sadly, far from over. Children under 12 years old still cannot receive a vaccine, masks are required for students and faculty in the buildings, at least to start the year, and faculty and older students are awaiting booster shots that will begin to be distributed next month. There will likely also be distancing and contact tracing. Things are still quite weird at best, and concerning at worst.
But despite all of that, we can look forward to a full-time return to schools, and that is what matters most. A third year dominated by remote learning would have been extremely detrimental to our students; in-person learning clearly means a great deal for the intellectual and emotional development of children. (And if we never hear the words “hybrid” and “cohort” again, it will still be too soon.)
We look forward to the football games and band recitals, the robotics tournaments and art shows. To new friendships forged and memories made. We look forward to school, once again, becoming school.
And for those currently in the process of leaving for college, we wish you the best, as well. Some students are beginning their freshman years, while sophomores may be traveling to school in person for the first time. Other college students may be physically returning to campus after a long time away.
We hope everyone enjoys their journey to their secondary schools of choice. Going away to college can be equal parts exciting and scary, and never has that been more true than in a pandemic, particularly after so many of us have gotten used to extended time with family over the past year and a half.
To our rising college freshmen,
