Back-to-school season starts off strong, but challenges remain

It's been a week since students, teachers, and staff started the new school year. After the pandemic created an unconventional, some would say difficult, year of learning, returning to full-time, in-person classes throughout the district is something that many parents are grateful for.

At the same time, the community is not having the same kind of back-to-school experience as in years past. Students are required to re-acclimate to a more conventional social and learning environment after the dramatic difference in how they were taught last year.

"Everyone experienced the pandemic differently," said Diane Lauer, assistant superintendent of Priority Programs and Academic Support for the St. Vrain Valley School District.

She continued, "Having students back in school five days a week, we are bringing students together, some of whom were virtual all year, some of whom were maintaining a hybrid format attending school two or three days a week, and still others who could have been experiencing any other format. Bringing these students into the same classroom, building a relationship, and getting reacclimated to the routines have been critically important."

Lauer also mentioned that, though many don't realize it, some students thrived in a self-directed learning environment. That's partly because they appreciated the chance to manage their own schedules and organize their day the way they wanted.

While some students may have thrived on their own, Lauer reported that last year's learning experience brought challenges for others.

"Some of the experiences I've heard principals share is that there are some students who haven't eaten lunch with any of their friends in over a year, or that they're worried that their friends don't remember them, because they attended LaunchEd and haven't seen each other in a year," she said.

Niwot Elementary School principal Nancy Pitz didn't mention these as she talked about what the first week back has been like for her students."It has been a really strong start to the year. Our students are so happy to be back in person, and back 5 days a week."

At the same time, SVVSD parent Penny King Hodges experienced something different. She is the mother of a high schooler and part of a Facebook-based group called St. Vrain Educational Advocates which actively supported students returning to the classroom. She said that while she is glad students are back in person, she's identified problems based on how things went last year that need attention now.

"For high school, we are still trying to fill in the gaps from the year and a half of education they lost. We have had to hire tutors that are very expensive. We are also a year and a half behind in the college/university process."

The district is making an effort to address these kinds of concerns. Throughout September, Lauer said that they will be expanding a program of supplemental tutoring that is dedicated to supporting students in elementary, middle, and high school classes. Renamed the Achievement Acceleration Academy (AAA), the program will operate using funds from the pandemic and will be rolled out over time, three days a week, Tuesdays through Thursdays.

The AAA program will operate during after school hours as an extension of the learning day. While it can certainly be helpful, it does require students to remain focused during these extra hours on the school day, and to forgo other after-school activities. It may also require parents to provide alternate modes of transportation home when the tutoring sessions are finished.

Outside of participation in AAA, there are things that parents can do to help with the academic challenges that students may be having. Most of these strategies call to mind advice that is good for parents to consider during any school year.

"Building a relationship with your child's teacher early, right from the start, is important," Lauer said. "Let them know what you're seeing. For example, if you have a young student and you are seeing gaps around reading fluency, or letter identification, tell them. Teachers have a well of tools for things that can help."

At the same time, other strategies appear to require more time and support from parents than they might have needed to provide pre-pandemic. One of these Lauer called "front loading content." With this technique, parents can connect with teachers to understand what kinds of things are about to be taught and to help a student become familiar with a lesson in advance. When it's presented in school, it becomes easier for them to master because they've seen it before.

In terms of social issues, there are school-level-specific social-emotional learning frameworks which can be used at home. Teachers and school counseling staff can help point parents towards these tools.

Despite challenges and differences, Lauer is seeing that, district-wide, students are glad to be experiencing school traditionally.

"From what we've heard, it's going very well. The students are really pleased to be back. They're glad to see their friends, they're looking forward to clubs and athletics. It's very exciting."