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Banfield Elementary School Principal Blake Henely talks with two kindergarten students on Monday, the first day. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

Kindergarten students at Banfield Elementary go about their activities on the first day of school on Monday. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Noetzel paints a child’s hand as they conduct a fun get-to-know-you activity on Monday, the first day of school at Banfield Elementary School. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

Kindergarten students at Banfield Elementary learn their ABCs on Monday, the first day of school. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

Kindergarten students walk down the hallway past Principal Blake Henely on the first day of school Monday. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

In a classroom at Banfield Elementary School on Monday, teacher Jennifer Noetzel asked a student her name and then put some paint on her hand so she could make a handprint.

It was an opportunity for the teacher to get to know her students through a fun arts and crafts activity.

While it was the first day of school for the entire Austin school district, it also marked the first day at a new school for the kindergarten children.

“I thought it went great,” said Blake Henely, principal of Banfield Elementary School. “We were all on board to help families figure out where to go and then assist the kids in getting them to their seats. It was great to see the staff pitch in on the first day.”

The decision to move kindergarten students out of the Woodson Kindergarten Center is part of the district’s restructuring and includes moving kindergarten students to neighborhood schools and preschool students to Woodson. The board made this decision in June 2023.

The realignment brings a number of benefits, including cost savings, streamlining of bus transportation, and the opportunity for students to have access to certified physical education, art, and music teachers.

Two years of planning went into the realignment and on Monday the students were in the classrooms and hallways, ready for a new school year.

“They’re part of the community now,” Henely said. “We have new employees, of course. Then we try to get them involved and build those connections with everyone.”

The animal names that Woodson used to refer to the classrooms are gone. Instead, kindergarten students are considered part of the school they now attend, which again aligns with the district’s plan to place students in their neighborhood schools.

In Banfield, the school administration has reserved a wing on the north side of the school for first-graders and kindergarten students, both of whom are new to the school this year.

For Banfield, the timing of the move was good as work had been done on the school’s infrastructure in recent years.

“Everyone had to leave anyway,” Henely said. “So when we came back, we were able to build the K-1 wing. That was a priority for us.”

Before the move, Henely said they held several meetings with the Woodson teachers who were coming to the school. This was an important step that ensured that the staff worked well together so that students would be prepared when they returned.

This personnel development was an important part of the realignment process.

“I think we utilized the calendar as best as we could last year,” said Superintendent Dr. Joey Page. “They had multiple meetings with principals and teams throughout the year – to get settled in. Because of the size of the district, everyone in Austin knows everyone, but we didn’t want to take that for granted.”

The benefit is that after this year, students can now spend two years in the same wing to get used to their new surroundings. Henely said this is a big step in establishing an important routine for students.

“You just have to know where you stand. That way you can show them where they need to go,” Henely said.

The work done before the realignment has paid off. Page, who visited schools in the district throughout the day Monday, said the transition has been smooth on several levels.

“I’ve heard from people, especially the principals and staff, that it seemed like they’d always been there,” Page said of the kindergarten students. “It’s a huge credit to our teachers for creating that kind of environment. It’s really a credit to the principals for leading the transition efforts this spring.”

The move to house the preschool students under one roof has become a homecoming of sorts. Two years ago, these children were forced to leave the Community Learning Center at Queen of Angels Catholic Church because of health concerns about a bat infestation.

After the division of teaching units in the district school, the students are now under one roof again.

“This is a program that is closely connected to the staff of the teams they work on,” Page said. “They haven’t been together for the last two years. They’ve been spread out across our district and have done very well. … having everything in one place is a huge advantage.”

What the future will look like is too early to say, according to Henely. One day alone will not determine the entire year, and based on the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the school needs to “live” the new policy before focusing on subsequent years.

“One of the things I felt after COVID was that we were changing things on a daily basis,” Henely said. “We could never figure out what worked and what didn’t. We have to live through that a little bit. How do we get into the classroom? How do we sit down? The first day is never perfect.”

Henely added that in the coming weeks and months they will have a better idea of ​​what adjustments need to be made.

For now, he was simply enjoying the energy of the students and staff who had returned for a new school year.

“It’s been great to come here, see their excitement and just talk to the kids,” Henely said. “It’s great to see the energy they bring. The smiles. They’re excited to be here.”

“I’m excited to have them in the building,” he continued, referring to the kindergarten students. “They’ll be here for five years. What we can do to support them as students and watch them develop over those five years is exciting to think about.”