DOVER (WJER) - Elementary school officials say it was an exciting and smooth start to the new school year Wednesday. 

Staff welcomed pre-k, kindergarten and 1st-grade students into their new home at South School for the first time under the district’s new grade leveling system. Principal Tracie Murphy says it’s up to them to get kids ready for the years to come.

“This is their first introduction to school, school life, what’s school like, and laying just those foundational skills before they move onto the next grade level. Those things are all very important,” she says.

For Everly, a kindergartner at south elementary, the new school year was overwhelming at first but she was putting on her brave face.

“It gave me tons of feelings like happy and nervous. There’s tons of people here and there is new teachers. I was nervous before and when I came, and I’m still nervous,” she said.

Murphy says everyone was able to make it through…

“You know, they’re separating from moms and dads, some of them for the first time. You know moms and dads, this one is my youngest one leaving the nest to go to school, but I think everybody was just so excited to see the changes and what it’s going to be like and that kind of thing,” she says.

Murphy says having all their staff for each grade in one building means kids had extra help greeting students and parents, getting kids off the bus and helping them into the classrooms for the first day.

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