Date: Fri 01-Sep-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: AMYD

Quick Words:

first-day-school

Full Text:

School Starts With Only A Few Hitches

B Y A MY D'O RIO

With a hint of yellow in the trees and some cool morning weather, school

started Wednesday.

Drivers probably noticed the big school buses, and the children and parents

waiting at the bottom of driveways.

Some students started school looking a little grumpy, others were beaming with

excitement.

Middle Gate School student Nicole Butler brought in candy for her class. It is

a German tradition for parents to fill a paper cone with the candy the night

before so the child can share it with classmates, she said.

"It was really was a perfect first day," said Ron Vitarelli, Sandy Hook

School's principal.

A perfect day with the usual minor first-day glitches.

A first grader got off a bus at Sandy Hook, and calmly declared to an adult

that he should be at St. Rose.

"He was cool as a cuke, very composed," Mr Vitarelli said.

Mr Vitarelli and PTA President Jill Crawford rushed the young man off to his

rightful school, which was also opening.

St Rose's Acting Principal Donna DeLuca said she had a school meeting and

asked students to help her make the rules for the year. They banned kicking,

punching and hitting, and one kindergartner suggested there also be no blood

allowed in school.

Unless it is from a tooth coming loose, Mrs DeLuca said.

School Superintendent John Reed said the first day of school went as expected.

A few students got on the wrong bus, but all situations were handled well, he

said. One student at Middle Gate got stung by a bee, and because of allergies,

needed an ambulance.

Dr Reed said the good news is that there was a significant decline in the

number of high school students with scheduling problems this year.

Early enrollment projections show Sandy Hook and Head O'Meadow schools have

more students than projected, but both schools had extra space to accommodate

the increase and have hired extra staff.

This summer, the public school system hired around 32 new teachers. Some are

replacing retirees, three are filling in for teachers on child-rearing leave

and many are replacing teachers who left for a variety of reasons.

The only positions still unfilled are a part-time high school Spanish teacher

and a librarian for Middle Gate School.

Hawley School students got a surprise Wednesday. The little, red building next

to their school was gone. The space is now a playground and extra parking

spaces. The building was not being used and was torn down to create more

space.

At the middle school, students found new computers. The school has two new

Macintosh computer labs. Newtown Middle School Principal Les Weintraub said at

the end of Wednesday, a sixth grader tugged at the principal's pants and told

him he had a nice day.

Mr Weintraub said he attributes the smooth start for sixth graders to an

orientation the school had earlier this week. Teachers met with the new middle

schoolers and acquainted them with the school.