You Tell Us: Memorable First School Days?

Take a trip down memory lane.

The kids are either back in the classroom already or are starting school soon. So we thought it would be fun to ask what your memorable first school days were. What about your first day of high school? First day of seventh grade?  What made first school days memorable then? The smell of the air becoming crisp? Your new school clothes? Seeing all your friends and other kids you haven't seen? Meeting your new teachers and comparing class schedules with friends? And of course, what are some funny anecdotes you'd like to share? Discuss in the comments below.

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Patch Facts

5 Things, Aug. 29: Sharon Begins a New School Year

Also today: The School Committee prepares to meet; find out what other committees meet this week.

Today's Weather: Skies will be partly sunny today with a high near 76 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. 1. Today is the first day of school for students in Sharon. Grades 1-12 return to the classroom today, while kindergarten will be starting Thursday, Aug. 30. Sharon teachers and staff have been back to work since Monday, Aug. 27. Get the full 2012-2012 calendar here, and find out how you can use Sharon Patch during the school year. 2. The Sharon School Committee will meet tonight at 7 p.m.  3. If you haven't heard yet, we've announced the winners of the Readers' Choice 2012 . . . be sure to check out what readers voted as the best of Sharon. 4. Find out what committees in Sharon are meeting this week and what they're …

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What Advice Would You Give Incoming High School Freshmen?

With school starting in less than a month, a new crop of freshmen will begin their high school careers.

As the calendar flips to August, thoughts start to turn to the first day of the new school year. And when school resumes next month, a brand new crop of freshmen will begin the wild, four-year (in most cases) journey that is high school. So we pose the question: What advice would you offer to the incoming Class of 2016? 

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Sharon Middle School Welcomes Early Childhood Center

The first day of class for grades one to 12 is Aug. 29.

Sharon Middle School students will see younger students in the building when classes start Aug. 29. The Early Childhood Center moved into the Mountain Street school’s first floor from the East Elementary School at the end of June, and ran programs in their new home this summer, Principal Kevin O’Rourke says. The school and the center will interact, he says. “We’ll develop some opportunities for our older kids to interact with their kids – to get down there and read with them, and to assist,” O’Rourke says. “We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but there certainly will be some opportunities for middle school students to gain experience in working with little kids.” The recent $47 million renovation and addition project included the …

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Sharon High School Coming Off 'Once in a Lifetime' Year

The first day of class for grades one to 12 is Aug. 29.

Earning a National Blue Ribbon School award and two state teacher of the year honors put Sharon High School in the spotlight last year. Not matching or topping that success this year won't disappoint Principal Jose Libano. “While those kinds of very public accolades are going to be very hard to repeat, odds are you don’t repeat. Those are once-in-a-lifetime kinds of recognition,” Libano says. “Those public accolades are always nice. They bring a lot of pride and energy to the community. That said, there’s plenty happening every day that we can all be proud of. It comes in the classrooms. It comes from the nice gestures in the hallways, and interactions with people. It comes out on the fields.” The teams using the fields will have a new …

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School Starting Soon Raises Parents' Allergy Concerns

Sharon Mom among those preparing.

Foxborough Charter School Looks Forward To January

New classroom building opens then. Classes start Tuesday in modulars.

Foxborough Regional Charter School students start the school year Tuesday, but will end the school year in a slightly different place. All kids will move into the 27-classroom middle and high school addition in January, Executive Director Mark Logan says. The new classrooms will replace the K-12 school's 26 modular classrooms. The charter school has had modular classrooms since 2004, adding more since then. The construction will delay the charter school's traditional summer open house until after school starts, and possibly to two different nights, Logan says. "Because of all the construction, there's limited parking," he says. "We need to get the school ready for opening day rather than having an open house." Revising the school's …

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Sharon: Back to School 2011

New Post Connects Marcus With All Sharon Schools

Former Cottage principal becomes director of technology.

John Marcus says he'll always be a Cottage Street Cougar. Except this year, he'll connect to the school through a computer. Marcus became the Sharon schools' director of technology on July 1 after eight years as Cottage principal. He was a principal for 13 years, previously serving in Stoughton. "I just felt it was the right time to explore things that I'm also passionate about aside from principaling," Marcus says. "I also want to spread my wings and work with middle and high school age kids in a new way. "I feel like I have a passion for making technology more about people and less about stuff." Marcus takes over for Leo Brehm, who became the Newton public schools' director of information technology, ending 14 years here. Marcus says he …

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Sharon: Back to School 2011

Role Changes For Sharon's Assistant School Superintendency

Newcomer Glenn Brand's title is administration and finance, not curriculum and administration like his predecessor.

When Glenn Brand became Sharon's assistant school superintendent on July 1, he didn't assume new Superintendent Timothy Farmer's prior job completely. Farmer was assistant superintendent for curriculum and administration. Brand is the assistant superintendent for administration and finance. Don't call Brand the Sharon schools' business manager, though. That's Susan Owen's title. Brand says he and Farmer are "still fine-tuning our division of roles." That said, Brand said he anticipates participating in fiscal planning discussions "in order to drive our buildings forward." "We're in a time period where fiscal dollars are so tight," Brand says. "Accountability has never been greater, I don't think, for public agencies, and public schools are…

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