With the first week of school approaching, Chantel hopes others at John Robson elementary school will like her.

This is her first September at the school, having arrived there last January from Ontario. But Chantel's found out students she knows from last year will be in her class, so that makes her feel confident.

On the night before the first day of school, Chantel's not going to worry about what to wear to highlight her short-styled hair and bright eyes. Nor is she going to plan out what to say.

She's just going to be herself and hopefully students will like her.

Even teachers get a little bit nervous on the first day of school.

"I really want to get to know them a little bit and find out what their summers were like," said Chantel Tombs, who will teach a Grade 5-6 split with Amy Bothwell at Robson.

It's her second year teaching so she's glad to be collaborating with an experienced teacher like Bothwell.

"I'm also going to find out what their hopes are and what they'd like to see for this upcoming school year. Sometimes students have the best ideas that I can incorporate into my teaching plan."

Teachers and students in the New Westminster school district return to school Tuesday. They'll then spend the first few days getting to know each other before getting down to business.

Veteran teachers like Bothwell and Emily MacLeod at Herbert Spencer elementary know that get-to-know-you time is also a chance to build a classroom community, a crucial ingredient for a good learning environment.

"It's the community and the feel that you create in your classroom," said MacLeod, who will teach Grade 4 this year.

"No matter what school you're at, you're doing those same things—making connections and trying to establish a community with your children, so they can have a happy and safe learning environment," she said.

Just as the kids look forward to the first day of school so they can reconnect with friends they haven't seen all summer, teachers are anxious to greet old faces.

On the first day of school, students and teachers return to their classrooms from the previous year.

"It's always neat to see the students you taught last year and see how they've grown," said Bothwell. "They change so much over the summer."

Later on the week, students are assigned to the class they'll spend the next year in.

For teachers, that's another highlight of the week.

"I get to meet the students I'll spend the next 10 months of my life with," said Bothwell. "These are 30 kids that are going to be a big part of my life."

This week an estimated 6,000 students in kindergarten to Grade 12 return to the district's classrooms. That's a slight increase over the previous year.

New West appears to be in a better position than other districts around the province, most of which are experiencing enrollment declines.

One way New West keeps its numbers up is by providing a variety of education programs that attract students from other districts and around the world.

It was the first district in the province to offer an international education program, bringing in students from around the world. Now international education programs are a staple in most districts.

Another program for home learners will enroll more than 200 students this year, including 112 from Bowen Island.

And other programs are coming on stream.

Last year New West launched two virtual schools, one for students under the the age of 18 and another for adult learners. Total enrollment this year for those in the virtual schools is estimated at more than 200.

"It has exceeded our expectations," said Al Balanuik, assistant superintendent in the district.

Virtual schools, which are web-based, have also become a necessity for districts. Those that don't have them risk losing students as more and more tech-savy learners are choosing online classrooms over physical ones.

Every student is unique, said Balanuik. And the district needs to offer different ways to meet those unique learning needs.

mmcquillan@newwestnewsleader.com