To the sound of mariachi music, students at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School in Anaheim were greeted with balloons and smiles by school staff yesterday on the first day of school.

Ronnie Acosta, who has three children in different elementary grades, emphasized that both he and his children are excited for the new school year.

“We love this place and are excited for the kids to get going and see their friends they missed over the summer,” said the Latino father. “So now they get to reconnect with them, and my youngest is already hugging all the friends she had in TK.”

In addition to enjoying seeing his children reunite with their friends, Acosta shared that he enjoys the after-school programs that offer resources and support for students, and he gets excited every year when he gets to see the school’s annual concert.

Thomas A. Edison Elementary is part of the Anaheim Elementary School District (AESD) serving nearly 14,000 students across 23 campuses in the city of Anaheim, making it the largest all-elementary school district in California.

Currently, AESD offers STEAM, Dual Language Immersion (DLI), and music education programs in preschool through sixth grade.

For the past seven years, Principal Suzanne Nichols has emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming environment and each year welcomes all students with a handshake or a hug.

“My favorite thing about being a principal is being ready each morning to welcome the students.” I play music every day. We dance in the morning, and I greet each of the 753 students by name every day,†the principal said.

Fear of Raids

Additionally, this year the principal has attended virtual and in-person meetings to support the nearly 30 families who have expressed fear about the current raids.

The principal explained that a group of school workers has been deployed to escort families and children who may still be afraid to go to school.

This morning, Before school started, these staff members went to certain areas of our community where there were a large number of students and were able to gather at 7:20 and then at 7:30 everyone walked together like a walking school bus... so everyone could go together and walk safely to class, Nichols said.

Currently, the principal shared that there are supports for families who may not be able to work such as assistance with groceries and financial support through the city of Anaheim.

Jesse Chavarria, the superintendent of the AESD, shared his excitement about returning to school and emphasized that schools are a safe and fun place where school workers are ready to support students.

Our theme this year is based on strength, on achieving success... based on strength, we embrace the cultural language of each student, Chavarria said. We understand that families and their backgrounds have strong roots, but as a school system, we want to make sure we provide them with the opportunity to achieve success in life.

In addition, the superintendent has four goals for the new school year: creating better readers, increasing attendance rates, expanding art and music programs, and expanding the DLI program to all schools.

To increase reading skills, AESD will launch and expand library programs and take-home reading initiatives to strengthen the home-school connection.

This year, the school district will also work with families to take advantage of AESD's Expanded Learning Opportunities Program with "Anaheim Succeeds."

This program extends the school day to 11 hours, with academic support such as tutoring and counseling, as well as enrichment activities such as sports, dance, art, and music.

In addition, AESD will emphasize culturally relevant programs based on parent input because the student enrollment is 80% Latino.

Other new programs include new language opportunities to complement and expand its dual language immersion (DLI) efforts, such as Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, and French, as well as diversifying cultural dances with Filipino folk dance and Polynesian hula.

This year, AESD will continue to expand its music and visual/performing arts curriculum with the addition of musicals, as the district understands the importance of music in child development.

The goal is for every child to have exposure to six different instruments by the time they graduate from the district.

To expand its DLI program, AESD seeks to successfully implement the TK-6 program in every school in the district with Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin.