Click the link to read the full article: https://dcist.com/story/22/08/26/back-to-school-fairfax-county/

What’s Omar Hajeh’s favorite thing about fifth grade?

“Everything,” he says. “It’s like a higher level. I’ve done a lot of things in fifth grade, and I like how it is.”

Omar’s sweeping endorsement came just four days into the school year at Forestdale Elementary School in Springfield, Va. Fairfax County Public Schools returned to class on Monday.

But what exactly is “everything”?

Omar takes inventory: he’s read some books on his own, played some math games with his friends and his new teacher, and written some stories. And: he’s also talked about his feelings, in our interview and seemingly with other people at school, too.

“Your feelings means, like, if you’re mad, happy, exciting, sad, frustrated, [shocked] and all that stuff,” he elaborates.

Omar’s not alone. Everyone at Forestdale seems to be having plenty of feelings this week. The prevailing one is joy at being back together again, and hope that this year — the second one back full time after pandemic lockdowns — will be even less disrupted by COVID-19 than the last one.

Forestdale is a noticeably affectionate place, and students and staff there are already taking full advantage of the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions to express care. Principal Jenny Cunneen flashes the “I love you” sign in sign language to kids as they pass her in the hallways, and she enthusiastically accepts a steady parade of hugs from her students. The halls are covered in brightly-colored positive messages — one invites students to “be the ‘I’ in KIND” by standing in the space where the ‘i’ goes in the word — and the word that seems to come to everyone’s mind when they’re asked to describe Forestdale is “love.”

But for all the happiness this week, Cunneen and her staff are acutely aware of how everyone’s well-being suffered in the pandemic — and how impossible it will be to teach students academic content without addressing their social and emotional needs. For kids early in development, that means things like learning to empathize with other people, developing teamwork skills, and understanding how to carry on a conversation.

‘That’s not fluff’

Sixth-grader Tazmeen Ayub has had some changes of heart this year. She’s still wearing a mask in school — COVID-19 is very much still circulating in Fairfax — but, in keeping with the relaxed restrictions at school and in the world, she’s also letting herself relax.

“I used to stay away from everybody and try to eat quickly and put my mask back on,” she says. “But now I’m starting to get, like, chill.” She used to refuse hugs from her friends entirely; now she’ll compromise with a quick side-hug. She relishes her new classmate Alex’s penchant for high-fives.