Mat-Su students headed back to the classroom for the first day of school

Class is back in session for the Anchorage School District. On Thursday, thousands of students headed back to the classroom to kick off their first day of school, but for Bartlett High School, it welcomed its newest students with a unique tradition: inviting only the freshmen class to school with a handful of select upperclassmen to provide guidance.

Staff welcomed students first grade and older back to school on Thursday in the Anchorage School District. While challenges are always present at the start of the new school year, district officials expect the bus driver shortage to be mostly resolved. ASD families will also need to be prepared for a one-hour later start on Mondays this academic year.

The seventh annual Health and Safety Fair is being hosted at the Fairview Recreational Center from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11. The fair is a chance for Alaska families to pick up some school supplies, and hundreds of backpacks will be filled with supplies to give away. The fair also offers free haircuts, music, and food.

Back to school means getting back into a routine. It’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed, but Mariah Alexander, a lifestyle content creator and mom of three kids ages 9, 4, and 14 months old, said keeping it simple and planning ahead of time helps make the transition smoother.

Anchorage students can find school supplies and celebrate the start of the new academic year this weekend with a Back-to-School Bash at the Dimond Center. Logan Burt, director of marketing and leasing with the Dimond Center, joins the Morning Edition in studio to talk about the event, which runs Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.