WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Public schools opened for classes Monday morning, marking the end of the summer and the start of several changes in Washington Heights and Inwood schools.
Thousands of parents and students were greeted by chilly early-fall weather as they trekked to schools across the two neighborhoods, which comprise District 6.
Washington Heights welcomed a new school, the bilingual Dos Puentes Elementary. Two schools, P.S. 513 Castle Bridge and P.S. 192 Jacob Schiff, have new interim principals.
Parents at P.S. 28 Wright Brothers greeted the first day with enthusiasm.
"It's good that they're going back," said Aquemy Lake, as she walked her son Elvis, 6, to class. "I'm excited for him to learn. He forgot everything he learned last year."
"I feel great," joked parent John Bell, whose daughter Kimora, 5, was starting her first day of kindergarten. "I get to get away from her for a few hours."
Bell added that Kimora was excited, but a little nervous.
"She's happy but she doesn't really know what to expect," Bell said.
Another parent, Dennis Garvey, said his 9-year-old daughter, Dala, was so ready for the first day that she had trouble going to bed the night before.
"She's excited," Garvey said. "She couldn't sleep last night."
