Did You Blink & Miss The Summer? Local Schools Are Back In Session!

That wailing sound you may have heard echoing across New Tampa on Wednesday morning was likely the sound of local elementary, middle and high school students bemoaning the start of the 2016-17 school year in Hillsborough County.

Already?

Yep, already.

Thanks to state lawmakers responding to the Hillsborough County School District’s request for changes to the school schedule a few years ago, kids went back to school Wednesday, the earliest first day of school in years. And, students in New Tampa were not alone, as 40 of the 67 school districts in Florida returned to school Wednesday as well.

Nearby Pasco County returns to school Monday, August 15.

While summer vacation is one of this country’s great and most treasured traditions — just ask anyone toting a backpack to the bus stop today  — chances are if you blinked this year, you missed it.

But, don’t blame the schools; blame Labor Day. Because so many school districts try to start the school year around the holiday — which is Mon., Sept. 5 this year, — it can interfere with classroom time, with schools having to end the second grading period after winter break.

With Labor Day taken out of the equation and finishing the first two grading periods at a more convenient break in the schedule, it led to starting school earlier.

Now, there is an even break after the first two quarters, in December — as opposed to finishing the second quarter sometime in January — and schools can start fresh with the third quarter when school returns in January (on Tue., Jan. 3, 2017, in Hillsborough).

“Change is always complicated, but the reality is, it’s  nice to have those first two quarters finished when we break at winter break,’’ said Lawton Chiles Elementary principal Teresa Evans. “I can see in secondary school how that is important.”

While the early start may be a shock to the system — in Evans’ case, she said many of her international students who travel back to their countries over the summer had a harder time planning their vacation — it’s not all bad.

In fact, Evans says, she didn’t hear any complaints from students as last year wound down, and she hasn’t heard any moaning about it from the students she talked to this summer.

“By this time, they’re excited,’’ she says, admitting things might be a little different with the younger students at an elementary school, as opposed to say, budding teenagers heading back to middle school. “Everyone I’ve talked to is excited about coming back to school.”

For the 2016-17 school year, the summer will begin right after Memorial Day. And, at the end of the day, students are going to school the same number of days they always have — usually, right around 180 days.

Which solves another problem — in years past, many teachers admit, the 10-12 remaining days after kids come back from Memorial Day are not always purposeful and it’s difficult to keep students focused.

But, even if the students weren’t ready to return, the schools certainly were ready for them. Rooms were being dusted and cleaned last week, floors were mopped and teachers spent the final days of summer in planning meetings, while their students tried to soak in every last second of it before hitting the books again this week.

“We planned for it,’’ Evans said. “I think that’s the real key. It’s not like it hit us in the middle of the summer. The custodial schedule was the hardest thing to do, to get everything clean before school. That was a real priority for us.”

2016-2017 school schedule

Mon., Sept. 5: No school, Labor Day

Fri., Oct. 7: First grading period ends.

Mon., Oct. 10: No school, nonstudent day.

Fri., Nov. 11: No school, Veterans Day.

Mon.-Fri., Nov. 21-25: No school, Thanksgiving/Fall break.

Mon., Nov. 28: Students return from fall break.

Wed., Dec. 16: Second grading period ends.

Mon.-Fri., Dec. 19-30: No school, Winter break.

Tue., Jan. 3, 2017: Students return from Winter break.

Mon., Jan. 16: No school, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Mon., Feb. 20: No school, Presidents Day.

Fri., March 10: Third grading period ends.

Mon.-Fri., Mar. 13-17: No school, Spring break.

Mon., March 20: Students return from Spring break.

Fri., April 14: No school, nonstudent day.

Wed., May 26: Last day of school. Fourth grading period ends.

Students are released one hour early every Monday and, on the last day of school, are released 2½ hours early.