It’s almost summertime

It’s almost here! Students and staff at Patrick M. Villano Elementary School are anxiously awaiting the arrival of summer vacation. The last day of school in the Emerson Public School District is June 22, and many can’t wait for all the free time.

“This summer, I am looking forward to the baseball tournaments and games that I will play,” said fourth grader Kristian Waples.

Fifth grader Emily Schneider is thrilled that summer vacation starts soon.

“I feel very excited for the summer because I’m excited to go down the shore to the beach and do stuff with my family,” Schneider said.

Many staff members, such as fifth grade teacher Cate Gallucci, share these feelings.

“One of the wonderful parts of my job as a teacher is that I get to spend 10 months with my awesome students, and then I get a nice long summer vacation away from my job,” Gallucci explained.

With concerns about Covid-19 still lingering in the community, this school year looked a bit different.

“There were still many differences this year, especially the fact that 5th graders didn’t switch classes,” voiced Gallucci.

Usually, students in all grades switch classes for different subject areas. Fourth graders switch for Math and Science while fifth and sixth graders switch for each subject area. However, most students and staff felt happy to be back to school in-person full time.

“It felt terrific to be back in school for an entire year without any Covid-19 lockdowns,” Waples added.

Last academic year when the pandemic was at its height, students switched to remote instruction for two weeks at a time, as needed.