First Day of School! South Pasadena Schools are off and Running

The year kicked off Thursday morning as hundreds of students headed to one of the city’s five public schools.

PHOTO: Bill Glazier | SouthPasadenan.com | Students head for classes Thursday outside Arroyo Vista Elementary School.

In a letter to parents with children in the South Pasadena Unified School District, Superintendent Geoff Yantz wrote: “Welcome to the 2018-19 school year!

For the elementary age kids, many rode bikes and scooters or walked hand-in-hand with parents as they made their way to local campuses. In high numbers, middle school and high school students were dropped off at local campuses as heavy traffic congestion drew the attention of police monitoring the situation.

PHOTO: Bill Glazier | SouthPasadenan.com | South Pasadena Police Department officers were parked outside local school campuses on the first day of school to help ensure the safety of students.

Behind the scenes, Yantz said the district offices and teachers have put in long hours preparing for the opening day of school. “You may see some new faces around the schools and District office – please join me in welcoming our new colleagues,” he wrote in his letter. “While our students were out enjoying the hot summer, the staff at the schools were preparing for another school year. Their hard work, particularly during school breaks and holidays, does not go unnoticed and is critical to our success. Many teachers participate in summer training and devote  much of their time off ensuring they are well-equipped to provide the best education possible to the youth of South Pasadena. SPUSD employees are the difference makers! Please take an opportunity to thank them for their service to our school community.”

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PHOTO; Bill Glazier | SouthPasadenan.com | Carrying backpacks, students joined parents as they walked to Arroyo Vista Elementary School on Thursday.

Multi-cultural literature, engineering and design development and biomedical innovation are among the new curricular choices at South Pasadena High as the fall semester gets underway. A new English language arts curriculum will launch at the middle school. A digital citizenship program, funded by the South Pasadena Educational Foundation, will be provided at all schools, “providing students with the foundation skills need to navigate the digital world,” explained Yantz. “Additionally, a deeper level of counseling support will be provided at all schools.”

PHOTO: Bill Glazier | SouthPasadenan.com | Hand-in-hand, parents walked their children to school on Thursday morning. Above, a family walks to Arroyo Vista School.