By HAYLEY HARMON
6 News Reporter
FRIENDSVILLE (WATE) - Blount County students may have felt some first day jitters as they started a new school year Monday. However, big changes to the school system have parents, students and teachers excited about the year ahead.
It was back to class for nearly 400 students at Union Grove Elementary School.
Perhaps the most exciting change this year is the use of iPads in every classroom. "We've got to get where they are and technology is the only way to help us get to them," said Principal Kristy Bell.
The curriculum at the five-year-old school is also getting an overhaul this year. "Our curriculum itself has changed, with the Common Core math requirements that are coming up. There's changes in assessments that we go through," Brewer said.
Teachers were already training for the changes this summer, but they'll begin more extensive training in about a month.
The hallways were filled with the chatter of children Monday morning, and from what Principal Brewer could hear, the familiar scratching of pencils on paper.
"Kids were ready to go into the classrooms. They were excited. They were happy to see each other," Brewer said. "They were already doing math. Some were reading books. It was already a day of school at 8 o'clock this morning," she added.
That enthusiasm could be seen in fifth grade teacher Loxy Bell's class. "Today has been wonderful. I have a wonderful group of students this year," she said.
Bell has 16 students. That's half the number she had last year, thanks to the addition of a new teacher.
"Without that extra teacher, we would be up there at the 30 mark and that's a hard class to manage for fifth grade," Bell said.
iPads are in use in every classroom at Union Grove Elementary.
