Knights Ferry among first Stanislaus public schools to bring back kids
In some ways, it looked like any first day of school. Beaming faces peeked out from car windows as children spotted staff and teachers. Parents made sure their children had their lunch bags, water bottles and backpacks. They gave goodbye kisses and good-day wishes. Kids carried potted or cut flowers as a show of affection for their educators.
But the much-changed world we’re living in right now was clear as the one-school Knights Ferry Elementary on Tuesday became one of Stanislaus County’s first public districts to return to in-person transitional-kindergarten through sixth-grade learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Roberts Ferry district in Modesto resumed instruction on Monday.
All but the youngest kids in Knights Ferry put on face coverings. Masked school staff took their temperatures, gave them stickers showing they’re OK and sent them straight to class. Hand-sanitizing stations sat in classrooms and in outdoor areas. No children were seen hugging long-missed friends.
Parents stayed at their vehicles, not allowed to walk little ones onto campus as they may once have. “They’re all yours,” a dad called to school staff. “I’m gonna go take a nap.”
Children who spoke with The Bee were happy to be back. Asked what they were looking forward to most, they unanimously gave answers like “Seeing my friends” and “Having fun.” Not that “Doing my classwork” ever would have been the No. 1 reply, but the children already have been studying — remotely — since the school year began Aug. 12
Children will continue with some independent study from home as the divided student population alternates spending time on campus.
Distance learning cuts the fun out of school
Second-grader Matteo Bertucci said distance learning went not so well the first week, but got better after that. Still, both her children struggled with learning from home, said Katy Bertucci, who also was dropping off daughter Mia, a kindergartner
“They need this, they need social interaction,” the mother said. “They got frustrated just looking at a screen. I’m thrilled that they get to be with friends and enjoy school again. With distance learning, they take all the fun things out of school. There’s no P.E., no recess, no lunch, no arts and crafts, no science and social studies. It’s just language arts and math , which most kids aren’t excited about.”
The Bertuccis switched to Knights Ferry from another district this school year because its distance learning required less time in front of screens and they hoped the tiny district would be able to open sooner than their bigger one. “I just felt that being so small and being in this area, they would be able to open early, and they are,” Bertucci said.
Kindergartners have been back on campus, learning in small cohorts, since Sept. 14. It’s a good thing, too, because Bertucci said she doesn’t think Mia could have lasted another week of working online. “She would just get up and walk out of the room. She would cry.”
Another kindergarten mom, Wendy Booth, also said distance learning “didn’t work at all” for her daughter, Abigail. “She was either fighting us or falling asleep during Zoom or just completely not paying attention. It was completely unmanageable.”
Being on campus has made a night-and-day difference, Booth said. “She’s learning a ton, she’s engaged, she’s excited, happy, has her personality back. Kindergarten is about learning how to be in school, and they weren’t getting that online.”
Dad calls teaching an ‘almost mythical ability’
Jacob Roach has kindergartner Emilia and first-grader Levi at Knights Ferry Elementary. Levi is among the students who will have their first day on campus Wednesday. Roach said distance learning went well except the internet connection is spotty at their rural home. He’s hopeful that the kids’ new mix of independent study at home and being back on campus will make the distance-learning portion easier.
“The social interaction is the part they really, really missed,” Roach said. Plus, he credits teachers with having an “almost mythical ability” to convey knowledge to children. As a parent, he can pass along practical knowledge, he said, but most parents don’t have the patience, ability and excitement to effectively teach. Even during distance learning, he could see teachers’ enthusiasm, but it can’t match the classroom experience, Roach said.
Knights Ferry Superintendent-Principal Janet Skulina said 80% to 90% of the district’s students are returning for in-person learning, as opposed to staying with distance learning, which is independent study.
She and her staff are “nervous but excited at the same time, and I’ve expressed that to families,” she said. “This is a big deal and we don’t want to make mistakes. ... It’s been seven months since we’ve had kids on campus, plus the whole dealing with the virus and how to respond if we get a case is a monumental task. But we’re ready.”
Knights Ferry and Roberts Ferry are among 14 of Stanislaus County’s 25 public school districts to apply for a waiver from the state Department of Public Health to reopen in-person TK through sixth-grade learning during the pandemic.
Six other districts have had their waivers approved and are working to reopen: Chatom, Gratton, Hickman, Oakdale, Paradise and Shiloh.
Districts that have submitted waivers pending approval are Hughson, Patterson, Riverbank, Stanislaus Union, Valley Home and Waterford. Links to the waiver applications are at stancoe.org/division/administrative-services/school-waivers-public-schools.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 2:12 PM.
