For some U-46 students, summer vacation is over

For students from three Elgin Area School District U-46 schools, it was back to the books Wednesday. About 1,400 students returned from their abbreviated summer break to Channing, Garfield and Sheridan elementary schools -- all of which operate on a yearlong calendar.

"We had an awesome day," Sheridan Principal Myrna Burgos said. "Because we had early registration this year, we felt more prepared -- things went a little bit smoother than in previous years."

Not a single kindergartner, Burgos said, cried or threw a tantrum.

"We did have a group of parents who didn't understand that if they hadn't registered yet, their kids couldn't attend school that day," she said.

Those parents were allowed to come back and register later in the afternoon, Burgos said.

U-46 first introduced the yearlong calendar in 1998, in part to curb the learning loss that can occur during prolonged breaks from school.

Students from Channing, Garfield and Sheridan attend the same number of days of class as other district students, but shorter, more frequent breaks replace traditional summer vacation.

Along with a regular holiday recess from Dec. 19 through Jan. 5, this year, continuous learning calendar students have two intersession breaks -- one in late September and another in mid-March.

Garfield Principal Kimberly Foster-Thomas said both students and staff seemed "ready to go" Wednesday.

"We had very few absences," she said. "What that means to me is students and families are ready to get back to work."

Teachers began coming in and preparing their classrooms last week, Foster-Thomas said. Monday was their first official day back. At Channing, Principal Ernest Gonzalez called the first day "fantastic."

The school featured a "welcome back" breakfast for students and their parents.

Superintendent Jose Torres spent the morning hopping between schools. "He was moving all over the place -- talking to kids, talking to parents. I think he made a lot of connections," Gonzalez said.