In just a few days, children across the county will again awaken to alarm clocks, school buses will resume routes through neighborhoods and motorists will encounter slower speed limits in school zones.
For a majority of Clark County students, the final days of summer vacation are here.
Students in Ridgefield and Washougal will be back in classrooms Tuesday. Children in the Evergreen, Hockinson, La Center and Woodland school districts return to school Wednesday.
The first day for Camas students is Sept. 7. Students in the Battle Ground and Vancouver districts are back in school Sept. 8.
Green Mountain students returned to school before everyone else in the county. Their first day of school was Aug. 25.
Many school districts made normal personnel shifts for the new school year, such as hiring new principals, but not much else has changed.
Evergreen Public Schools is an exception.
Evergreen’s biggest change involves its youngest students: They will attend all-day, every-day kindergarten. In addition, all of the Evergreen elementary schools will start 10 minutes earlier than last school year.
The “early schools” — Burnt Bridge Creek, Burton, Crestline and Marrion elementaries and the Early Childhood Center — will begin school at 8:30 a.m. The remaining elementary schools — the “late schools” — will begin at 9:15 a.m.
Elementary students will also have early dismissal every Wednesday, beginning Sept. 8. On Wednesdays, the “early schools” will be released at 12:30 p.m.; the “late schools” will be dismissed at 1:15 p.m.
Middle and high school students have early dismissal dates scattered throughout the school year. Those dismissal times are now 40 minutes later than last school year.
More kindergarten changes
Camas and Washougal school districts also made changes to their kindergarten schedules.
In Washougal, kindergartners will attend one of two schedules:
• All day every Monday and Thursday and a half-day every Wednesday.
• All day every Tuesday and Friday and a half-day every Wednesday.
All incoming kindergartners in Camas will attend school for a half a day every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They will also attend for half a day every other Wednesday — a slight change from the 2009-10 kindergarten schedule.
The Camas School District will also open its newest building, Hayes Freedom High School, this school year.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4545 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
