20K Clark County students start school next week

Beth Bertemes gets her first grade classroom at Miami View Elementary organized for the start of school next week. Bill Lackey/Staff

Beth Bertemes gets her first grade classroom at Miami View Elementary organized for the start of school next week. Bill Lackey/Staff

For most of the 20,000 public school students in Clark County, their first day back in the classroom will be in less than a week.

Most students will go back Wednesday, Aug. 16, and teachers and staff are starting to prepare for the big day.

Miami View Elementary School first grade teacher Beth Bertemes will begin her 25th year as a teacher on Aug. 16. She said she was excited to start.

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“Summer is great, but it’s nice to get back into a routine,” Bertemes said.

The first day of school has changed immensely since she began teaching in the 1990s, she said. The students have more materials and the advances in technology have allowed students to learn skills earlier, Bertemes said.

“I wasn’t giving out computer cards with computer codes, user names and passwords,” she said. “Now, that’s one of the first things we do. I started with chalk and now I have a smart board. I don’t have chalk or erasers. Things have definitely changed.”

Miami View first grade teacher Nicole Delk — a Southeastern High graduate — will teach students early typing skills this year, something she didn’t learn until high school, she said.

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“It starts with basic keys two at a time and by the end of the year, they’re typing sentences and words,” Delk said. “They know where all the keys are.”

Springfield City School District will welcome its first through ninth graders back on Aug. 16, while the 10th through 12th graders will start on Thursday, Aug. 17. Students attending the Global Impact STEM Academy’s seventh, eighth and ninth grade students will start on Aug. 16 while the rest of the students will start on Aug. 17.

Local superintendents said there are tips and tricks the best students use to get off to a good start.

“Starting off the school year right begins with a positive attitude,” Northeastern Superintendent John Kronour said. “Then establishing routines that will allow you to be successful.”

That includes making time to do homework, having good study habits and sleep habits, he said.

Northwestern Superintendent Jesse Steiner had similar advice for local students.

“Go to bed early, get plenty of sleep so you can start the day refreshed,” he said. “Set a time in the day to review assignments and due dates. Make sure you ask the teacher for help if you don’t understand something. Turn in your work.”

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Southeastern Superintendent David Shea said it’s important to be organized from day one.

“Successful students come rested and prepared each day,” he said. “Typically organized students acclimate better to the classroom environment and absorb the curriculum on a higher level.”

It’s also important to stay on top of work from day one or risk falling behind quickly, the superintendents said. Tecumseh Superintendent Norm Glismann said if a student starts to fall behind, parents should try to talk to the teacher immediately.

“Parents and guardians should contact the teacher as soon as possible if a child falls behind or isn’t being successful,” he said.

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At Tecumseh, teachers are instructed to be as helpful as possible when situations like this occur.

“The teacher will assist the child to be more successful. Our teachers use various ways to assist students,” Glismann said. “Some are informal, and some are more formal. Often the intervention will be a study program on a computer designed to help students to be more successful.”


By the numbers

20,000: Students in Clark County schools

9: Months students are typically in school for

7: Public school districts in Clark County

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The Springfield News-Sun will provide unmatched back-to-school coverage to kick off this upcoming school year, including articles on school policies, report cards, bond issues and other important educational issues.

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