New London — Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School teacher Michele Pacienza looked over her first grade classroom on Friday and, like any good teacher, thought about her students.

She said she was trying to anticipate how they will feel, hoping they would not be too anxious in an environment that looks a bit different than in past years.

The class has about half the number of desks as normal, nine total, and perched atop each desk is a folding plastic shield with see-through insert to allow students a view of the front of class. The shields, each assigned to an individual student, are one of the numerous safety measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Masks will be required of all students and staff.

At Winthrop, where classes are split between STEM and language arts, teachers will change classrooms rather than students.

As for herself, Pacienza said she was excited to be back.

“This is my home. We all love teaching. This is where we want to be,” she said. “I think they’ve taken all the necessary precautions. I feel safe.”

The district has spent months planning for the Sept. 10 reopening of schools, with staff reaching out to parents in a variety of formats that included virtual coffee hours and regular written updates from Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie. The district is planning to post online videos from each school to get students acquainted with how things will look. Bus routes were posted this week.

The school district has opted to start the school year in a hybrid model, a combination of in-school and virtual learning. The students who are returning — anyone can opt for virtual learning — will be split into two cohorts. Each cohort will attend school two days a week and work from home on the other three days. The school buildings will be closed on Wednesdays for a deep cleaning. Online learners will have a mix of live classwork with teachers and various online learning platforms, depending on grade level.

Tim Enos, assistant director of district operations, said thanks in part to the governor’s “Everybody Learns” initiative, a $43.5 million investment in remote learning solutions, the district will have the ability to provide free internet service for the next year for 978 households, a mix of hot spots and high-speed internet access provided by Atlantic Broadband.

School officials said they expect anywhere from 20% to 30% of students, depending on grade level, to opt for virtual learning. The district also has preparations underway for a full return to classes should community transmission of COVID-19 drop to lower levels. The district is prepared to transition into an all-virtual platform if infections increase.

Final preparations were still underway at Winthrop on Friday, where directional arrows on the floors marked students' paths in the hallway and in the cafeteria where students will pick up lunch and walk back to their classrooms to eat.

Food service has been one of the trickier undertakings for the district, which used school buses after the pandemic began to deliver meals. That will not be possible now but schools will be sending students home with three days' worth of meals as well as meals for pickup for students working from home.

Winthrop Principal Michael Podeszwa said he has a full complement of teachers ready to start.

“That’s why we’re here, to make sure they're learning and making sure their needs are met. We can’t wait to get the kids back,” he said.

The district will ask for patience on the first day of classes as it expects a higher than normal amount of traffic due to more families driving their children to school.

g.smith@theday.com