BARRIE, ONT. -- Simcoe Muskoka Catholic schools reopened to students after taking a few extra days to prepare for the new school year, and emotions ran high for both students and parents, anxious, but ready.
"I'm more nervous than anything else," said one parent on Thursday morning. "Anxious and nervous. I have all these jitters inside of me."
It's the first day back for thousands of students after the province closed schools back in March.
Students are being brought back gradually, like most schools that laid out a staggered start to avoid crowding and confusion.
May Boucher, St John Paul II Catholic Elementary School Principal, said things went smoothly this morning. "It was critical that we establish our routines right off the top to ensure that our students know what they're routines are every day when they come to school."
"It's a learning curve for everybody," said mom Marcia Machado.
It's also the first time most students have had to wear a mask for a long period of time.
"It was really uncomfortable," said one student at St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School, who added that it got easier as the day went on.
Principal Brad Shoreman said the students at St. Peter's would be allowed to leave the school for their lunch period, something most other schools aren't permitting. "We had to keep talking about the rules of exiting the building, how to exit safely, how to come back in the building, and how to act in the community," Shoreman said.
Meanwhile, about 300 students at St. Peter's chose to continue remote learning, which will begin on Monday.
