Chico catholic school transitions back to in-person classes

Notre Dame Catholic School in Chico is holding in-person classes for students for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Notre dame catholic school students back on campus today for the first time since last spring... action news now reporter amy lanski shows us what a typical day on campus looks like during a pandemic.

"it is so much better than staring at a screen and it is so much better to be at school."

Kendall harrigan is a fourth grader at notre dame catholic school in chico -- it's the first day back, and she says she and her classmates are getting used to social distancing and wearing their masks.

"well it is just so natural to go by other people, but everyone is doing great at it so it's not too hard now."

Notre dame got a waiver approved by butte county to bring back kindergarten through sixth graders.

Principal marci johnson explained the most important thing was getting the safety plan together.

Marci johnson - principal "how do we get them ready to wash their hands how to we keep sanitizing before and after kits?"

Johnson added they also had to make sure they were social distancing.

In the classroom students desks are set three to five feet apart in width but vertically can be closer together.

"in our classrooms where we have a few more kids, we've taken and we have some kids in the class and some kids out of the class so we can accomodate the vertical spacing."

They also are going in the buildings one way and out the other..

But a major hurdle?

Is p-e.

"they can't have any contact sports there is calisthenics goin on, yoga that is going on there are sports where you are keeping separate."

Amy standup: "pe looks different depending on the age, if you look behind me you can see there are some kidergarteners who were just doing helicopter arms to make sure they are social distancing and now they are dancing."

Kendall: "we take our masks off, but we are still social distancing we just don't want to faint from not getting enough oxygen..

Right now we are doing frisbee, but we are still social distancing and staying six feet away."

Even with all the changes harrigan says it's a step forward.

"it's so much easier being at school when you just raise your hand, ask a question, get an answer, and write it down."

All the classes at notre dame are limited to 20-23 kids.

Reporting from chico.

Amy lanski.

Action news now.

Coverage you can count on.

Principal johnson says they are hoping they get their seventh and eighth graders back to campus on october 13th.... but right now they do have small groups of them there.