With three weeks left before kids return to class, Philly’s back-to-school bus rolled in to give out resources

With less than three weeks until the first day of class for her first and third graders, Dana Conover is deep into the back-to-school mind-set.

That’s why she brought her daughter Kennedy, 8, and son Lincoln, 6, to South Philadelphia High School’s football field Wednesday, where a Philadelphia School District resource fair offered families everything from free backpacks to information on school safety. Conover welcomed the COVID-19 tests, books, and other resources filling her kids’ bags.

“Everything went up this year,” said Conover, whose children attend Bregy Elementary at 17th and Bigler in South Philadelphia. “It’s so expensive, and every little bit helps.”

Kennedy is pumped about the school year.

“I like school,” said Kennedy. “I really like math.”

Teachers return to work on Aug. 23, and the district’s 114,000 students are due back Aug. 29.

Yasaret Beltran, whose twin daughters, Liliana and Mia, 6, are entering first grade at Southwark Elementary, supervised while the girls picked out backpacks — pink for Liliana, purple for Mia. Beltran focused on the girls’ happiness at their new things, but she is a bit nervous about the school year.

“I’m worried about all that’s going on,” Beltran said in Spanish, noting the ongoing pandemic and monkeypox outbreak. “They’re just kids.”

Complicating matters is the girls’ asthma, said Beltran.

“It’s so hard for them to wear masks,” she said. Although there were a few months when masks were optional in the district, Philadelphia students were required to wear masks at the end of last school year and through summer school. No announcement has been made yet about whether masks will be required at the beginning of the 2022-23 term.

But Liliana and Mia are looking forward to seeing their friends, and to learning, Beltran said.

“I’m happy they’re going to school,” she said.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia School District board adopts 2022-23 calendar with high school start times moving later

Fifi Yap braved the hot sun and came to the bus tour (yes, there was an actual bus) with her daughter, Furness High sophomore Christine Marburn, because she was seeking information.

“After the pandemic, we don’t know much about what’s going on,” said Yap, who picked up children’s books to distribute to some of her friends.

Marburn, 16, is frankly not thrilled to return to school, she said.

“I don’t want to wear a mask,” she said.

But Christianna Patterson, whose three oldest children will attend Francis Scott Key Elementary, sees masking as a layer of protection.

“I feel like they should stay in masks,” said Patterson, whose kids Shane, Savannah, and Gage will be in third grade, second grade, and kindergarten, respectively, at Key. “With everything that’s going on, I just hope they stay covered up a little longer.”

Spread across the massive sports complex, families picked up resources about migrant services, how to sign up for the district’s parent portal, and to prepare healthy food. Some even waited in line to receive eye and dental exams, or vaccinations.

At a prior district resource fair, the vaccination station was so popular employees of CityLife Health stayed after-hours to keep giving shots. Educating families about the vaccines their children must have to enter school, and providing them in easy-to-reach locations, is “paramount,” said Tashia Nottingham, a director with the health organization, which partners with the district. “It’s something we need to do more of. Sometimes, it’s a challenge for parents to access these services.”

Looking ahead to the school year, three community schools coordinators — city employees embedded at 20 district schools designated by the mayor to receive extra resources to support families — distributed water, plastic fidget toys, and other swag to families, and hope about the coming school year.

“I’m ready to make this year fun,” said Michelle Cruz, the community schools coordinator at South Philadelphia High.

Liz Hejlek, Southwark’s coordinator, is thrilled at the prospect of welcoming parents back into the school building after a back-and-forth year where parents were largely not allowed in the building.

“It has me dreaming big,” said Hejlek. “To be able to have a back-to-school night in person, that’s a dream.”