Class is back in session. Wednesday marked the first day of the 2018-2019 Fort Jackson school year.
In some ways, this summer's end is just like the last, but change is on the horizon for the post's schools.
Pierce Terrace Elementary School employees are preparing to move into their new facility next fall. The second grade students will then transfer from C.C. Pinckney Elementary School to Pierce Terrace. That's how the schools were formerly laid out, said School Resource Officer Lionel Brown.
C.C. Pinckney is gearing up for new curriculum.
Teachers spent two days in training before the onset of the year learning about "Benchmark Advance." It's a new reading series for students in grades third through fifth.
The program is meant to "take into consideration all students," said Columbus, Georgia-native third-grade teacher Evetta Johnson. She has been teaching at U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity schools for the past 24 years. The new standards allow instructors to teach at each student's individual level, but to still integrate them in the same class, she explained.
"It's so empowering," Johnson said, and will likely help increase success rates. Students are taught to use text-based evidence to justify their responses to questions about complex readings. "I think it's going to be a really effective tool … you know they're going to come in at different levels," Johnson said. The program will accommodate for that.
Despite upcoming changes at both schools, many preparations for this year have remained the same.
Johnson said teachers worked hard to make their classrooms appealing for students and parents before the "Sneak-a-Peek" Aug. 21. They prepared to watch students grow and mature in their work ethic and behavior. They got ready to make a positive home-school connection to foster a good year.
"Education is a team effort," Johnson said. In and out of the classroom, students, parents and teachers must work together.
On Wednesday morning, Jose Gonzalez helped escort his granddaughter, Aliana Delatorre, 8, to her first day of class at C.C. Pinckney Elementary School. Gonzalez travelled from his home in Texas for the event.
"I'm retired military, and we always made it a point to be there for the first day of school for the kids," Gonzalez said. "It is a dream come true. Anytime we can come over and see our grand kids, it works for us real well."
Gonzalez is no stranger to Fort Jackson. He did Basic Combat Training here in 1970. "I plan on visiting Tank Hill later in the week to see what all is still there," he said.
For law enforcement, the first week is all about "acclimating students and parents," Brown said.
Throughout that time, law enforcement will be out monitoring traffic to keep the school grounds safe. Brown said they ensure that crossing guards can do their jobs.
They always prepare for the new folks on post who aren't yet accustomed to the flow. Lucky for all, traffic is normally only held up for 10 minutes at most when school is released, Brown said.
That's much better than driving around Dent Middle School, he added, where the road is essentially "shut down" at that time of day.
Still, he has some advice for residents who leave work at school release time and drive past them: "Alter your route."
Brown and his partner, SRO Raymond Meals, have their schedules planned out for the year.
The two rotate between the schools and daycares on post. They also check in at off-post locations that Fort Jackson students attend.
Here on post, Meals will be teaching DARE to fifth-grade students. Brown is preparing his "stranger danger" lessons for the younger grade levels.
The SROs will continue to have a "good rapport" with the school guidance counselors. That gives them tips to squelch bullying, Brown said.
He hopes, as he has for years, that the schools will soon implement systems requiring visitors to be buzzed into the facilities. It wouldn't be a very pricey project, Brown said, and it would go a long way toward keeping the kids safe.
(Wallace McBride contributed to this article).
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