ARLINGTON — “There’s a lot of hustle and bustle,” Shelly St. Jean said, as she held out her crossing guard flag for Pioneer Elementary School students arriving for their first day of school, the morning of Sept. 3. “There’s a lot of happy faces, but some nervous ones as well.”

The Arlington School District did its part to quell that nervousness with open houses and ice cream socials the evening of Sept. 2, not only at Pioneer, but also at the Eagle Creek, Presidents, Trafton and Kent Prairie elementary schools.

The result was a well-attended “day before the first day,” aimed at easing the anxieties of students and their families.

Pioneer Elementary families were welcomed to the school on “the day before” by PTSA members dispensing required emergency preparedness kits and selling yearbooks and “spirit wear,” and by their children’s new teachers.

Pioneer Elementary kindergarten teacher Michelle Forster explained that holding this event in the afternoon was designed to allow both parents to meet the teachers, and to help their kids get settled into their new classrooms together.

“It makes it a lot smoother, especially for the little guys,” Forster said. “The younger ones are a lot more apprehensive.”

As Forster turned her big, friendly smile on for her new students, Troy and Tanya David guided their son Chase through the process of putting away his school supplies in Forster’s room.

“He’s our first and only,” Tanya David said. “We both took the day off work for tomorrow.”

“We’ll need it,” Troy David laughed. “Mom’s a little sad. We heard good things about his teacher, though, since two of his best friends had her last year.”

“It just goes by so fast,” Tanya said.

For Trafton father R.J. Countryman, escorting his daughter Ellie to first grade was both a new experience and a homecoming of sorts, since he’s one of a long line of former Trafton students in his family.

“It’s scary seeing her grow up,” R.J. Countryman said, even as he felt reassured by the school’s small size, which he believes fosters a good environment. “It’s changed a lot since I’ve been here, though. The woods are gone, and the playground is a lot different.”

Trafton first-grade teacher Jamie Wilson had previously taught fourth grade in the Lakewood School District, and she appreciates how the small size of Trafton makes introductions to new people and new rules that much easier.

“It’s their first time attending school all day long,” Wilson said. “You get to know their individual personalities, and at Trafton, you already know all the faces who were in kindergarten last year.”

On the other side of the spectrum, Eagle Creek parent Leona LeDuc-Graves has become such an old hand at sending her kids to school that she managed to juggle getting three of them to Eagle Creek, and another to Post Middle School, after having only moved into town from Marysville the night before.

“We were really pushing the last-minute sign-up,” LeDuc-Graves said. “We’re still unpacking. It’s been crazy.”

LeDuc-Graves praised the “day before” event for being “warm and welcoming,” and noted that she’d heard good things about Arlington schools being more academically challenging, which is exactly what she wants for her children.

“I think I get more out of the first day than they do,” she laughed.

Eagle Creek fifth-grade teacher Rachel Harrington agreed that fifth-graders were more accustomed to the demands of returning to school, and therefore are “expected to have more accountability and responsibility,” than their younger peers.

This school year marks a few milestones for Eagle Creek, including both its 20th opening day and the inauguration of the additional playground equipment that PTA funds helped acquire last school year.

Everything was both new and familiar for Presidents grandparents John and Judy McCarthy, as they escorted grandson Alec to his third-grade classroom “the day before” in his working parents’ stead.

“Our youngest is 42, so that should tell you how long it’s been since we’ve done this,” John McCarthy laughed. “But we’re happy to jump in and pinch-hit.”

“It brings back so many wonderful memories,” Judy McCarthy said. “The clothes are different, since John and I wore uniforms, but the classrooms are fantastic, so cheery and nice.”

Alec McCarthy’s third-grade teacher, Kathy Kjargaard, hopes that her positive influence will help her students bridge their transition from primary to intermediate grades, and she deemed the “day before” event as one effective way of doing so.

“Children get to see who’s in their classes, and parents get to see that their teachers are on top of things,” Kjargaard said. “There are no more tears on the first day, because they do it all the night before.”

Kent Prairie first-grade student Ashlie Reneau shed no tears, but she still displayed mixed feelings on her first day.

At first, Ashlie was tugging her mother Angie’s sleeve and rushing to get into the school building faster than Angie could go, but as soon as she faced the open door of Ruth Janasz-Bishop’s classroom, she didn’t want to leave Angie’s side.

“Mom can’t stay,” Angie told her daughter, as Ashlie walked back out of the room for reassurance. “I have to go to work. Mrs. Bishop will help you. I’ll stay and watch you from here for a minute, okay?”

After testing the waters a second time, Ashlie stepped out again for a lingering hug with Angie, after which mother and daughter walked in together.

Kent Prairie Principal Kathy Engell reported that the school saw a record turnout for its “day before,” estimating attendance between 700-800.

“Almost all of our teachers’ kids showed up,” Engell said. “There was a lot of energy. It helped ease the kids’ first-day jitters, and the parents were really excited to touch base. I’m always reminded of what an awesome responsibility we have, when parents trust us with their kids.”