Cartoon characters with students’ names that include Bella, Oliver, Mason and Irene have been carefully placed on some lockers at George G. Blaisdell Elementary School in Bradford by teachers in anticipation of the start of classes Aug. 27.

Administrators at schools in Bradford Area School District reported Monday that teachers have been cleaning, decorating and preparing their classrooms the past couple of weeks to ensure a smooth start for the 2018-19 school year.

Assistant Superintendent Sam Johnson said everything will be ready at the schools for the start of the school year.

“It has been a very busy summer in the principals’ offices, the business office and in the HR Department with several new staff joining us for the start of the 2018-2019 school year,” Johnson said.

“The bus schedules with pick-up and drop-off times were mailed late last week, so parents should be receiving their child’s bus schedule any day,” Johnson promised, noting parents should notify the district if they changed their address over the summer. This will help the district

update a student’s information and change the child’s bus run, as needed.

Meanwhile at GGB elementary, Principal Erin Waugaman said teachers and staff are busy preparing for the new school year.

“We are ready to go,” Waugaman while walking through halls filled with custodial staff and teachers hurrying toward their rooms with supplies. “Our teachers have been coming in for quite a while (on their own time), getting their rooms set up and sending letters out to the parents.”

Waugaman said the school, as with School Street Elementary School, has additional security cameras that were added throughout the buildings during the summer.

The district’s security task force is also reviewing how to best utilize or expand the existing School Resource Officer pool to ensure coverage at all four schools.

As for activities at GGB, students and their parents will be invited for Meet and Greet night from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Waugaman continued.

“The Meet and Greet gives students a chance to meet their new teacher and to hear some of the expectations the teacher has,” Waugaman explained. “She or he will also explain (to parents) the best way to contact them during the year.”

While the event is not mandatory, she said it gives the students an opportunity to see where their lockers are located and how to find their way to the classroom.

Second-grade teacher Susan Zimbardi said she has worked in her classroom off and on the past couple of weeks.

“I’m working on stuff for the first day, such as lunch choices and class rules,” Zimbardi said as she hung up tags with food items and rules of conduct on a portable display board.

First-grade teachers Amy Hogue and Krista Perkins were also found getting their adjoining rooms ready at GGB and said they, too, were excited for the return of students.

“This summer went way too fast,” Perkins admitted.

Hogue added, “Summer always goes too fast, but we’re excited to get back into the routine.”

STEAM art teacher, Amy Krepp, was accompanied to her classroom by her husband, Dusty, and young children, Ava and Charlie.

She said the art class curriculum, which ties in with science, technology, engineering and mathematics, has been offered to GGB students the past two years.

“This is my second attempt to get my classroom set up (with the children in tow) and Dusty is here for back-up,” she said with a laugh.

At School Street, a staff person said teachers have also been working in classrooms the past couple of weeks, as well. She said the school will conduct two Meet and Greet sessions from 6:30 to 7 p.m. and 7 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday for students and their parents. She said participants can attend either session. In addition to security cameras, another addition at School Street has been a new TV studio.  

At Floyd C. Fretz Middle School, Assistant Principal Nicholas LaBella said teachers have had professional development throughout the summer.

“Our full-on inservice starts up this week and we’ve had many teachers in getting their rooms ready,” Labella observed. “They’re finishing up curriculum and getting ready for the first day.”

He said sixth-grade students will start the first day of school at the normal time, 7:50 a.m., while seventh- and eighth-grade students will have a three-hour delay the first day.

“That will give us an opportunity for the sixth-graders to be in the building and get familiar” following transition camp, LaBella remarked. “We’re just excited to have everyone back.”

At the high school, Principal David Ray said his teachers will have their official start date today with inservice training.

Ray said the high school was active all summer with summer school programs, sports activities and professional development for staff. Also added to the school over the summer was a new Smart Lab.

“Our teachers have been here the past couple of weeks getting things ready,” he commented.

Ray noted teachers at the high school, along with those from the middle school, are also training to improve school safety, and to recognize and prevent child abuse and student mental health issues.

“We also have trainings on improving school climate and student engagement, as well,” he stated.

Ray said maintenance employees continue to work with contractors on the installation of a new security entrance at the main Interstate Parkway entrance.

“They’ll have that up as soon as possible,” Ray said of the front door entrance that will comprise ballistic and non-ballistic materials.

“In the meantime, we’ve made some changes to help make things a little more secure in the building,” Ray explained. “For example, in the morning everyone will come in and out the auditorium entrance at the high school so it’s a little more of a controlled entry into the building … that will be how we’ll do it moving forward.”

He noted that during the school day, students, staff and the public will be required to use the front entrance.

In addition, he said, students will participate in practice fire drills and shelter-in-place drills so they’ll know what to do in the event of an emergency.

“We’re still finalizing the students’ schedules and will mail draft copies of schedules out (today).” he commented.

As for the first day of school, Ray said freshmen will start school at 8 a.m. and will participate in activities that will acquaint them to the building and clubs that are available.

“At 11 (a.m.) the rest of the students will come” to school the first day, he concluded.