Starting on February 4, 2021, all AWR and Salt Brook students started going to school every day for half the day, then continuing the school day by zooming in the afternoon.
Masks and social distancing are still continuing to being enforced, but to help keep students and staff safe from coronavirus the elementary schools have also added physical barriers in their classrooms.

We spoke to a few parents and students to see what they thought about the changes.  A number of parents expressed that they wanted their children to benefit from being in school to socialize more.

“I am extremely happy that the kids will be going back to school everyday,” said one mother of two AWR students.  “Home days have been very challenging from a learning perspective for my boys, and frustrating for me as a mom who is working full time from home. I hope having to turn in assignments electronically stops. That is probably what I don’t like the most about this whole experience.”

She, and other parents, did express some concerns about having more students in the building for longer: “I am nervous that with so many kids in the class that we may have more quarantine issues and end up having to spend more time at home than the hybrid model but, I think it’s worth trying because the benefits outweigh the risks.”

Another issues that has been raised is one that occurs throughout the District:  “I guess the other thing I don’t like is that they have to keep the windows open all the time.  I understand why but I don’t like it.”

A lot of elementary students have been looking forward to going to school every day and are excited because it’s finally happening. They can finally see more of their friends at school.

“I think this is a good idea,” says Cassandra Melendi, a 5th grader at Salt Brook. “I think students will be safe. I’m most excited to see more friends with this new schedule. I can’t think of anything bad to say about this new schedule.”

Their older siblings are sometimes more concerned, however.

“I dislike this new schedule because it feels unnecessary and confusing,” says Kaylie Hill, a 7th grader who has a sister in the 5th grade at AWR. “I know that my sister will follow the rules as best she can, but I am not sure how easy it will be for not just her but all the students.”

Overall, the one thing most people seem to agree on is what the mom from AWR said: “The only thing that would be better to me is if things were back to normal.”