New School Year Brings Changes for Fairfield Students

Students of all ages in Fairfield are headed back to school today for the 2012-2013 school year -- a year already shaping up to be much different than the ones prior.

Last year, Tropical Storm Irene ravaged Fairfield, . This year, schools are opening on schedule -- though one is celebrating the first day that almost wasn't.

Students at came close to starting the year at either or St. Emory's School due to elevated levels of PCBs found in classrooms and common areas in the building area

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Check out the Fairfield Patch Back to School Guide for more start of the school year news.

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on schedule at Osborn Hill, though two classrooms, the Library Media Center, and two bathrooms are undergoing more cleaning and testing, and may be unavailable for use the first few days of school.

Students at Osborn Hill will be spending their PE classes outdoors (weather-permitting), in the all-purpose room, and eventually in a temporary portable gym space, as the .

District-wide, . The Board of Education voted in December to cut the vacation from the calendar in favor of ending school earlier in June and allowing for more flexibility with snow days.

The projected end date for the 2012-2013 school year is Thursday, June 13. Though last winter was mild (the only post-Irene "snow" day came from the freak Halloween storm), .

Students at all schools in Fairfield () can expect healthier -- and more expensive -- hot lunches this year. 

in June, as was a 25-cent increase in hot lunch prices.

Those opting for hot lunch will get more fruits and vegetables, more milk choices, more whole grains, and each meal will be capped at a calorie maximum (depending on what grade the student is in).

Students at eight schools in the district will be greeting new principals today; check out the incoming "class" of officials in this report on the Fairfield Citizen.

Whatever the rest of the school year brings -- whether there are a ton of snow days, another school undergoes PCB remediation, or it's a relatively problem-free year -- here's to a great first day of school.

Parents, feel free to upgrade photos of your students to the gallery attached to this article -- we'll feature new faces throughout the day.