Wauwatosa welcomes students to class with COVID protocols
WAUWATOSA, Wis. - The Wauwatosa School District rolled out the red carpet for students on Wednesday, Sept. 1 – it was part of a celebration to welcome those students back to the classroom – all with COVID-19 protocols.
"We are excited to welcome our students back to welcome them on our red carpet with our pom-poms, we had a chant and we also said the Pledge of Allegiance so it was a really exciting morning," said Nicole Mitchell, the principal at Madison Elementary School in Wauwatosa.
First day of school at Madison Elementary in Wauwatosa
It was the first time in more than a year that students were back to class. Wednesday's celebrations came with a fire truck and smiles from both parents and kids.
"They’ve never done anything like this to welcome the students and it’s great because after last year was a hard year to do for all of them," said Don Owsiany, a parent.
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It also helped shake off those first-day nerves for some.
First day of school at Madison Elementary in Wauwatosa
"Once they saw how happy we were to see them and they had a chance to see their friends and see their teachers they kind of loosened up," Mitchell said.
The Wauwatosa School District is in a phased approach of mitigation levels. Right now, the district is requiring masks indoors.
Getting used to the protocols is something the staff hopes to make easy on families.
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"There’s still a lot of unanswered questions because of the events that occurred in the last year and a half but we are doing our best to help our students feel comfortable in the classroom," Mitchell said.
First day of school at Madison Elementary in Wauwatosa
"Anything is better than last year and I just hope that obviously, things will get better," Owsiany said.
Learn more about the Wauwatosa School District's re-entry plan.