Student tours held at Zamora Elementary prior to initial reopening

As the Feb. 1 date to reopen campuses on a limited basis nears, the mixed first day of school feelings are following around some administrators, including Zamora Elementary Principal Felicia Rodoni-Wilson.

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Ashley Hinkle watches on as her second grade son tours his classroom. CARLOS GUERRERO – DAILY DEMOCRAT

“In all of my years in education, this beyond the first day of school vibe,” Rodoni-Wilson said. “There is a buzz and an excitement, everything one would imagine about the first day of school, and then even more.”

Part one of the second phase of the district’s five-phase plan to safely reopen schools will include the Special Day Class special education students only.

These students will be back on campus, two days a week in the mornings only, and they include students from SDC preschool classes at Maxwell and Prairie, middle and high school autistic and severely handicapped classes, and adult living skills programs with students that have graduated up to the age of 22. Cohorts of 16 or fewer will be in each classroom, including the instructors.

Migrant students, newcomers, English learners, foster and homeless, and students with an inability to access the internet would be part of part two, aligning with Yolo County’s placement into the less restrictive red tier.

“It’s a long time coming. We are very excited,” Rodoni-Wilson explained. “There is a heightened sense of excitement and anxiety to make sure everything will be going smoothly, but we have been working really hard. A lot of detail and preparation to make sure we do this right and safely for all of those involved.”

At Zamora, 24 total students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade will be participating in part one. Half of them will be in the A group and on campus Mondays and Tuesdays while the other half or B group will be on Thursdays and Fridays. The rest of the days will remain virtual.

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A Special education instructor at Zamora Elementary sits at her re-designed desk. CARLOS GUERRERO – DAILY DEMOCRAT

The students will all be split into three re-designed rooms. Each room will feature one teacher and two paraprofessionals per classroom and one more paraprofessional at home supporting distance learners.

Some parents like Ashley Hinkle, who has had a second-grader at home for the better part of the past year, could not be happier.

“I’m just excited for him to be able to get back to hanging out with some of his friends and getting back into school,” Hinkle said. “Virtual learning is difficult but you know it’s necessary.”

Hinkle mentioned virtual learning has been an up and down for her and her son, who she says has good and bad days. But Hinkle sees this set up as an important jumping-off point.

“The first step is getting him in here, and you can see how excited he is just to be in here,” Hinkle said. “Going forward, more days would be nice. Fewer days virtually is the goal, but as long as he is happy and learning and getting the help he needs, we are all happy. Communication with teachers is key. ”

To open up, Rodoni-Wilson credits the tireless work of the district custodial staff.

“We have been in preparation for this set up since the beginning of school,” Rodoni-Wilson said. “I want to make sure our maintenance department is hailed as being heroes in this area. They have done nothing but prepare and educate us. They have been out here daily anytime we have a question or need and are here within seconds.”

While Zamora and other district campuses hope to pull off part one of the second phase without a hitch, they will keep an eye open for any move into the next phase.

“We are readily awaiting phase three,” Rodoni-Wilson said. “So we can bring our general education students back. I think once we start to see all of our students in some capacity, we will feel like we are inching towards normalcy.”

Rodoni-Wilson credits the community, especially parents and guardians, for continuing to be understanding while anxiety levels remain high.

“I feel like our families have been very understanding that this needs to come first and that we have high priority students first for obvious reasons,” Rodoni-Wilson said. “They are anxious and want their kids back. I’m a parent to two students here in Woodland myself. I think we know the importance of this first step, and we want to make sure we are doing it right and bring back the rest of our students.”