Beaumont, CA – The arrival of school buses and the sight of students darting along the sidewalk with their backpacks means summer is officially over. On Thursday, August 6, the Beaumont Unified School District officially returned to school by welcoming over 12,000 students.
For the majority of the thousands of students enrolled, the new year is a similar routine. Yet, for first-time families sending their child to TK or kindergarten, everything is new. With that inexperience, comes anxiety of the unknowns. Thankfully, local parents, students, and education professionals are eager to offer valuable advice.
For Melissa Williamson, a Beaumont USD School Board Member, child development professional, and mother, she recommends families simply “trust the process.” She added, “Talk to your child about what to expect, visit the school if you can, and remember that a little separation anxiety is completely normal. Our teachers are trained to help kids feel safe and ready to learn.”
Vanee Matsalia is a mother who has a third-grade child enrolled at Brookside Elementary School, who happens to also be a teacher of another school. Her advice for new parents is simple: “I know it's super hard, but we’ve been here since TK and the teachers at this school are amazing. They have made our family feel welcome and safe for the whole time. You can totally trust Brookside.”
Matsalia’s son, Khari, chimed in with his advice for TK students. “Just go around asking for friends very nicely. That's how I did it on my first day of school.” When asked if it worked for him, he emphatically said yes.
The feeling of entering a new experience in school is not limited to elementary school. For freshmen students entering Beaumont High School with an enrollment of over 3,400 children, the first day of school can feel intimidating. Yet, there are many senior students eager to offer reassurance and advice.
Beaumont High School senior, Zerriah Carter, is bursting with positive vibes. She wants incoming freshmen to know, “it’s not that scary.” She further recommends new students “make as many new friends as possible.” Her peer, Karyme Caley, agrees. However, she also recommends getting involved in extracurricular activities. “If you’re involved, you’re less likely to get in trouble,” she explained. It is advice she lives by. Caley is enrolled in AVID and served as a co-MC at the Beaumont USD’s Welcome Back Rally where over 1,500 employees participated.
Back at Brookside Elementary School, two parents named Sean and Cathy Tabor watched their two children leave for class as if this were their first time. Alongside mom and dad was their 18-year-old Haley Wagner, their oldest. Sean Tabor would tell families to “take every opportunity you can to watch your kid go into class and then come out of the class at the end of the day; because it comes so fast. Before you know it, they’ll be graduated; off to college.”
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The Beaumont Unified School District is located in Riverside County, California, serving over 15,000 students including the adult school and preschool of the Beaumont-Cherry Valley area. It remains committed to its mission of providing high-quality educational opportunities for all students in a safe and secure learning environment.