A little over 24,000 students are expected to return tomorrow for the new school year. This number includes all students from all schools under the Guam Department of Education. With the new school year beginning tomorrow, GDOE interim public information officer Michelle Franquez first shared how their principals have been prepping.

"We have our admin who went through the principals leadership academy over the summer so that they’re prepared. That was their opportunity to address concerns and learn new strategies from their peers and also just have a sit down with some of our Central Office team," she said.

But how have the teachers been gearing up? Franquez gave a rundown, telling KUAM News, "What we have been doing for the past couple of days is professional development for our teachers. For example, at the Westin Hotel we have our CHamoru teachers who are all together, discussing strategies and preparing for the school year. Currently, I believe we have our secondary teachers who are meeting with some of our teams for instructional coaches and district mentors as they prepare for the return to school.

"Schools have met with their teachers individually at their schools to prepare them, 'Ok, these are our usual practices. These are our goals for the year and let's make our opening day as smooth as possible,'".

Apart from the usual subjects being offered, a wide range of elective subjects will also be available to GDOE students. "We have a lot of different electives that cater to our students' different needs. I know that many of our schools are moving into the STEM and STEAM direction. A lot of the students are showing so much interest in robotics and engineering and it’s great to see that majority of our schools have those classes to gain their interest. I know we have several pilot programs that are in review that will cater to some of our students who are interested in citizen law, I believe that was one of the pilots proposed to the board, there’s so many different others," Franquez added.

She also assures parents that even though the covid virus is still around, they have precautions in place to help mitigate the spread. "We still have our mitigation guidelines in. Whenever students come into school, we have our handwashing stations, we do have our standalone temperature machines with our hand sanitizer gel inside and we let our students practice whatever mitigations guidelines we follow through Public Health’s guidance," she said.