AUSTIN, Minn.- 5,001 students were in attendance across Austin Public Schools for the first day of the school year on Wednesday, August 20.

According to Principal Dewey Schara at IJ Holton Intermediate School and Ellis Middle School a big part of that first week is getting students reacquainted with the classroom.

At IJ Holton that means showing 5th and 6th graders how to open their lockers, introducing them to their homeroom teachers and giving them a tour of the facilities.

At Ellis that transition involves introducing students to their connect teachers and helping new students transition into a middle school environment.

Starting this year, Schara says IJ Holton is experimenting with a new curriculum, which is closer to how the district's elementary schools are structured than it is

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