They were excited to see their teachers, excited to see their friends, excited to be back at school learning. Some students even set their wake-up alarms Thursday to make sure they were at school in plenty of time. 

This is how one Cobb student summed it up: “As a student, I really couldn’t be more excited we’re going back… I couldn’t be—and my classmates couldn’t be—more excited to be at school [today].”

Cobb students and parents alike expressed thanks for the opportunity to kick off the new semester in a face-to-face learning environment.

“Thank you, Cobb, for letting us have a choice. My kids happily got on the bus today after a long break,” one parent said on social media.

Others agreed.

“Thank you for keeping a choice,” another parent said. “Our principal has been amazing. I think you’ll find the parents sending their kids f2f are responsible…Thank you again for taking into consideration the kids’ needs!”

For parents, the choice between face-to-face learning and virtual was a personal choice, an opportunity to choose the learning environment that worked best for their family.

“We are so thankful for face to face continuing. My special needs kiddo cannot function virtually at all and lacks her 1:1 support on the computer, not to mention she cannot learn that way…It was an easy choice to send her back f2f where she is thriving, and I appreciate so much the amazing job her teachers, parapro and specialists are doing to serve her educational needs at school,” a parent wrote on social media. 

Parents and students were not the only ones excited for the new semester.

“It was exciting to see our students return this morning to begin the second semester! We are a family at Timber Ridge, and it always feels good to be back together after a break. It was especially fun to see our students who returned to face-to-face learning for the first time this school year. They arrived with all their supplies and were eager to join their classmates in the classroom,” said Dr. Shannon McGill, principal at Timber Ridge Elementary School.   

Cobb welcomed back more than 60% of students for face-to-face learning. As indicated by the CTLS status monitor, the District's integrated learning platform was 100% online today and supported the digital learning needs of both remote and face-to-face students.

As part of Cobb’s continued focus on the safety of students and staff, the District has also begun vaccinating Cobb staff who are 65+. For more information on the District’s health and safety protocols, click here.