First Day Of School At Howard Middle School

Marion County Public Schools announced 40,202 children showed up for school on Aug. 12, which is on par with last year’s first day attendance records.

However, MCPS expects 45,873 students once everyone is registered and in attendance.

“Over 3,500 teachers, principals and other instructional and support staff greeted students, helped them find their classes, and began the teaching process,” according to a MCPS press release issued at the end of the first day of school.

Of those teachers, 274 are brand new to working for the district. MCPS reported it still had 83 open teaching positions on the first day.

Nancy Thrower, District 4 school district member and current school board chair, has experienced her share of “first days” back to school during her long teaching career.

Thrower wrote in an email, “What I witnessed helping in my schools in District 4 was everyone taking that extra time, that extra step, that extra care, that extra everything to make each and every student, family and each other feel welcomed and supported.”

Board member for District 1, Allison Campbell, indicated in an email she visited all 10 schools in her district, interacting with students and leadership team, while also sending her own three children off to middle and high school.

She wrote the “Gazette” that being there in person for the first day helped her gather a lot of insights from school administrators that she intends on sharing with the superintendent.

“I assisted with carline at two schools, helped with buses at two others, visited classrooms in another school, and engaged with principal leaders on each campus,” she said. “I witnessed multiple families registering and enrolling students for the first time on the first day of school as our amazing leadership teams worked to place students in classrooms, some with little room for additional warm bodies.”

Campbell said during one visit she was alerted to a need unique to some foster parents.

“I witnessed a foster mom with a new student who was just placed in her care, so she was coming in to register the foster child,” she said. “She not only needed to register her but also said she needed after-care. Knowing how our after-care programs run with wait lists, I left that moment with a new resolve to help solve this community challenge.”

MCPS reported that 2,970 children and their parents benefitted from Marion Afterschool Programs (MAP), a 4% increase over last year. The district says that MAP sites are filled to capacity, and 489 students are on waiting lists for afterschool programs.

Kevin Christian, spokesperson for the district, wrote about all the preparation that goes into being ready for the first day back to school.

“The coordination of 45,873 expected students, over 6,400 full- and part-time employees, 417 portable classrooms, and 51 schools does not happen by accident, and it won’t happen at all if someone doesn’t mind the switch,” he wrote in an email.

Campbell reminded the community of ways for the public to support schools through volunteering through the Public Education Foundation to be a mentor.

“If anyone is interested in serving as a mentor through Take Stock in Children, they have at least 30 students who need mentors,” she said. “It was a wonderful surprise to see my Take Stock in Children mentee during a class change at Forest High School. I haven’t seen her since May, so it was great to see her!”

Despite MCPS acknowledgement of its fair share of challenges such as same-day registrations and buses that ran behind schedule, Thrower proclaimed, “It was truly one of the best first days ever!”

First Day Of School At Howard Middle School

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