There were bus loads of kids and smiles as the first day of school in Jericho got off to a great start.

Four hundred students returned as the summer went by in a blink.

For Principal Joseph Sapienza, the first day at Cantiague Elementary is one of the best days.

The theme for this year? “Together we CANtiague” with the goal of more functional learning. That is, the blending of their real world with their school world. It even started already with some second graders and their books.

“To bring in their own texts from outside, whether it’s something they had at home, or out in the community,” Sapienza said.

It was hard to tell who was most excited, the littlest kindergartners assessing their school or their parents.

“Oh it’s a lot,” said Ormond Wong, a parent. “We’ve been waiting for this for quite some time.”

There are the slightly older siblings, speaking with relative certainty about the coolness of this first day. Scarlet Wong likes the first day because she doesn’t have to do any homework yet!

The Jericho School District is among the first to start the school year in our area. A few others start later this week, but most start next week.

While there are always those first-day jitters, it’s a new beginning with nothing but the highest hopes.