As a New School Year Begins

It's almost time for a new school year to begin.

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that the previous year ended?

Having been a student during the days when the school calendar started after Labor Day, I still can't get used to seeing school buses chugging around East Cobb in the middle of August. 

Or noticing, as I did this weekend, students at an orientation of sorts as they made their way through the maze of trailers that for many will be their classrooms for the next couple of years.

These are the supposed dog days of summer, and yet families have been scrambling to get ready to get back to school.

It's been a busy summer on the Cobb schools front with a new superintendent coming on board and the never-ending school calendar controversy continuing. 

But as another school year rolls around, what's happening at schools in the East Cobb area is of special interest here at Patch. 

The Wheeler renovation project is the focus of an in-depth story we'll be posting on Monday morning, delving into budget issues that have resulted in a delay. Later in the week, we'll profile new Powers Ferry Elementary School principal Rattana Inthirathvongsy, who's got one of the more challenging educational assignments in the area. 

Other schools have undergone makeovers too, including and , while the community can finally celebrate the opening of a brand new building. 

Most East Cobb schools passed the AYP benchmarks with flying colors, but others have some work to do. With standards being raised even higher for the coming year, what plans do they have to increase student performance? That's not an easy question to answer, but we want to see how these schools and students are faring.

We've also got some Local Voices bloggers who are especially interested in school and parenting topics, as well as a Wheeler senior who's not especially thrilled to end his high school career in portable classrooms.

And of course, high school sports also begin this week, and those events are always important to their school communities. Since East Cobb Patch launched in late November, we're especially eager for football season to start.

I'd like to meet with as many PTA and school foundation groups and visit as many schools as possible to get a better idea about all of the many things that are going on in their schools. I've got one such meeting coming up early this week and would like to hear from more of you. Contact me at wendy.parker@patch.com and let's get together soon.