Agriculture and Information Technology teacher Scott Stuckey welcomes a fifth grader on their bicycle as school starts for the New Ulm Public Schools Monday. Only the fifth and ninth graders started Monday, while all grades minus kindergarten start Tuesday.

NEW ULM — School is no longer out for summer, as classrooms across New Ulm open their doors for the new learning year.

For the New Ulm Public Schools, class was back in session for the fifth and ninth graders Monday. School buses dropped off a small amount of students at each school and a banner in front of the middle school welcomed students back for another year of learning. Grades 5-8 Agriculture and Information Technology teacher Scott Stuckey acted as the welcoming party for students entering the new school year.

“Things are off to a great start here at New Ulm Public Schools,” Superintendent Sean Koster said. “The kids are eager. It was nice to see parents in the parking lot as things got under way here in the morning and after school. We’re looking forward to a wonderful school year.”

Starting middle or high school can be a daunting experience for anyone. Koster said their unique schedule allows for a better transitional period over a trial-by-fire.

“Bringing fifth grade in a new building [by themselves] helps them acclimate to the middle school world so they can navigate around and have passing time,” he said. “That can be overwhelming, so lowering the amount of students in the school makes it easier. The same can be said for the ninth graders. Society puts a lot of pressure on high schoolers so having the staff able to focus on them and have less students in the building makes their transition easier.”

The first full day of school will be Tuesday, as all grades except kindergarten will be attending and most will be having their first day back in classes. The kindergarteners will start Wednesday. Minnesota Valley Lutheran also split their intro school days, with Freshman starting Monday and the rest following suit on Tuesday.

Monday was the first day back for all River Bend students. Coordinator Principal Chris Bodick said the first day went very well. “I hope to get all the kids here and reacquainted with being in school [as the week goes on,]” he said.

One change in the way school started this year was their new lunch system. Previously the kids names were checked off on a paper sheet when they went to lunch. Now the school has a digital system to keep track of this information.

“Our students now have to use a point of sale system when they go to lunch,” Bodick said. “They had to punch in a four digit lunch code. We were pleasantly surprised with how that went and most of the kids remembered their codes.”

Tuesday will be the first day back in session for St. Paul’s Lutheran School and New Ulm Cathedral.

“We’re looking forward to having all of our students back here for the beginning of the year,” New Ulm Area Catholic Schools President Sister Julie Brandt said.

Many schools elect to begin as soon as the week begins, but schools like Cathedral elect to wait a day before starting. Sister Brandt said this is done for practical and beneficial reasons.

“We follow the public school schedule because that’s where the students are bussed through,” she said. “As someone who has been in schools many years; it is good to have a shorter week the first week to get students and teachers back into initial routines.”

Sleepy Eye students got an earlier start on the school year, beginning classes August 21. As New Ulm students start their first week, Sleepy Eye students will be into the swing of things on their second.