The first week of school is in the books for Sigourney and Keota Schools, with both districts claiming a smooth beginning to the new year.

Both schools began their year on Monday, with Sigourney going for a traditional five-day school week while Keota once again has a four-day school week.

After a long summer, the first week of school typically brings unique challenges. The first week of school also marks a major transition for seventh grade students who are starting junior high school, and ninth graders who are starting high school. Sigourney Junior-Senior High School Principal Shannon Webb says navigating newfound freedom can be difficult for students, “It’s kind of hard for some of those sixth graders (going into seventh) to understand, yes, there comes freedom, but then there also comes responsibility. So just getting them to realize that… Just learning the expectations, learning the routines.”

Keota Junior-Senior High School Principal Heather Rosewall says the primary challenge for students going into high school, particularly in a small district like Keota, is the push to participate in activities and handle a larger workload, “Once you get to high school, that responsibility increases, and you’re responsible for a little bit more, or you might have homework in that aspect. So just figuring out that new balance with what you’re involved in and making sure your studies are getting taken care of is probably the biggest adjustment we see.”

Webb and Rosewall both encourage parents to communicate with both their child and their child’s teachers to remain in the know about their child’s progress throughout the year.