The first day of school could be nerve-wracking for children, and adding a whole new school to that equation could become scarier.
Grace Shane, who was headed off to second grade on Thursday at Pico Canyon Elementary school, stood shyly in front of the “Welcome Back Huskies” sign in front of the school campus while her mother, Rosa, snapped a quick photo of her.
The 7-year-old was on her way to a new school that she wasn’t fully familiar with. What she did know was that she was looking forward to discovering what she was going to learn throughout the year and making new friends, she said.
The Newhall School District welcomed students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade in the Santa Clarita Valley back to school on Thursday morning for the 2026-27 school year.
A little after 7:30 a.m., families began to crowd the main entrance of Pico Canyon, with students eagerly waiting to walk across the corridor and into their classes for the year.
Over 480 students were incoming TK students throughout all school sites, according to Newhall District Superintendent Leticia Hernandez, who was spending her morning greeting families and staff.
As staff look forward to the year ahead, she was most excited about the “academic growth that we’ve made throughout the years and I know that we really try to provide a well-rounded education for all of our students. That makes me proud as a superintendent that our students come and are happy, they’re learning, our parents feel that the school district is safe and a good place for them to have their children here,” she said.
The district is focused on improving academic goals in all subjects and ensuring that students are receiving other forms of development through music, theater, arts and physical education.
On a personal note, Hernandez’s favorite thing about the first day of school is seeing the children’s faces as they’re excited to walk into school with fresh new outfits that they took time to select, she said.
“It’s a whole event; it’s such a special time,” Hernandez added.
Laila Lyons was jumping with joy as she was ready to also start the second grade. With their back-to-school night held the day before, she and all her friends were able to pick out their classroom seats, which were all next to one another.
“We’ve been here since kindergarten, so we love and trust the school and all the educators,” her mother Skyler Lyons said, describing Laila as an extroverted child. As a mother she hoped that with the new school year her daughter would continue to build her confidence, develop the ability to accommodate different learning styles she may need, and discover what works best for her to help her thrive.
As pop music filled the air, and traffic began to form at the main entrance, many other parents echoed similar remarks as they sent their students to school.
Aida Benedetti was excited to head off into the fourth grade. Her parents looked forward to “just seeing her grow up, have fun, make friends, and become her own person,” her mother Danielle Landis said.
Aida’s father, Andy Benedetti, added that he appreciated how supportive the school was to its students and prioritized their wellbeing while simultaneously embracing the love of education.
Aida, who’s been at the school since kindergarten, sent a message to all incoming and new students, which was “to be kind,” she said.
For Rosa, Grace’s mother, sending her off to an entirely new environment was also nerve-wracking for her, but she only had heard positive things about the school and “everyone has been so nice, so helpful and made us feel really welcomed,” she said.
Before she walked over to the main entrance to walk Grace into school, she just wanted her daughter to know that “whatever happens, we love her at home,” and to embrace all that she is with confidence.
