Students set to head back to school starting next week

Campuses open this Friday for Open House sessions

It doesn’t seem that long ago that youth were getting out at the end of May for summer break before starting a new grade, but the vacation is coming to an end and students are heading back to school in the coming days.

Tuesday, August 2 will mark the first day back to class for Polk School District as the policy of a four-day week continues this academic year. Students will still be staying home on Mondays for the time being. The three-day weekends remain in place since the return of youth back to classrooms in August 2020 after months off from COVID-19 shutdowns.

Students will get their first break on the year coming up at the end of September with fall break. Usually a three-day weekend would be in place for Labor Day at the beginning of the month, but with the current four-day schedule it is an automatic off-day for all students and staff.

Youth will stick to a normal schedule through the month of October, and will get another week off for the Thanksgiving Holiday starting on Nov. 21 through Nov. 25, returning to school on Nov. 29. A two-week break for the holiday season at year’s end begins on Dec. 19 and continues through Dec. 30. Students return to class at the beginning of 2023 on Jan. 3.

Students will get a week off in February for a winter break on Feb. 20 through Feb. 24, and then spring break on April 3 through April 7 this year.

The last day of school will be held on May 26 this year, with graduations set for the Class of 2023 on May 26 and May 27.

Beyond the upcoming calendar, the immediate event that is taking place of note is open house sessions coming up this Friday, July 29.

Students who attend elementary schools can report to their campuses with their parents from 2 to 5 p.m. Bus drivers will be on hand at the schools to meet their riders for the year as well.

Middle school students will be able to visit Cedartown and Rockmart Middle from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, and the high schools will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. for all grade levels and their parents this year.

For bus riders and their parents, a new tool was added this year: Here Comes the Bus.

A new app available on both the Google and Apple app stores now allows parents to track buses in the PSD, and provides scheduled and actual arrival times along with real time updates on maps of where the bus is located. Here Comes the Bus instructions for parents are available on the PSD website.

One more noteworthy item before students head back to campus. They’ll be needing all the supplies they can cram into bookbags heading into the start of the new school year. Fortunately, PSD provided a ready-made list of what’s needed for local youth.

Here’s supplies that Elementary School youth will need to get back to class this year, per the PSD:

Elementary Supply List

2022-2023

Kindergarten-2nd grade

Bookbag Pencil Box or Pouch 3 ring Binder (1⁄2 inch) Pencils 2 Primary Composition Notebooks

2- 2 Pocket Folders with Prongs

Scissors 2 Packages of 24 count Crayons 6 Jumbo Glue Sticks Cap Erasers Headphones (Not earbuds)

Kleenex 1 Package Colored Pencils 1 Package Washable Markers

Large Pink Pearl Erasers

3rd-5th grade

Bookbag Pencil pouch 3 ring Binder (1 ½ or 2 inch)

Pencils (not lead)