WILTON – The schools in SAU 63 will open on Monday, Aug. 29, and they are ready for the students.

“We’re fully staffed and ready to go,” Superintendent Peter Weaver said last week. “All the positions are filled and I’m so grateful they came to Wilton to work.” As with all schools, some of the previous members retired or moved on to other careers. “We are so lucky with our new staff and able to retain most of our dedicated staff.”

The schools are moving back to “normalcy,” he said. “No masks, no distancing. The idea of normalizing is in the right direction.”

Ill students, he said, “Should take good care of themselves.”

“I’m really excited about moving out of the pandemic. It hurt a lot of our kids and their families. We’re moving away from that. If we all come together as a community, we can overcome.”

Wilton has the problems of a small school, he said. “A small rural community doesn’t get the headlines. We have work to do, to get our narrative out there. There are good things here and we need to get that message out. It’s a good fight to fight.”

His focus is still on improving community involvement, better communication between the school and the town. “We need a nice civil dialogue about things, finding common ground. We need to keep us together and build bridges instead of walls.”

The school promotes community service, requiring all students to participate in some way.

There is also a government and economics requirement for graduation. “(The course) is a really intense look at government.

We want our students to know how government works, how you can make a difference at the local level.”

Career paths have become more diversified, Weaver said. “Not everyone goes to college, but we want them ready if they later decide to go that way. We want them on a career path where they see themselves landing. Keep all the doors open. We encourage students to look at the whole spectrum. If you want to be a welder, we want to help you do that.”

The staff is back this week, he said, “getting ready.”

Welcome back celebrations are planned for both Florence Rideout Elementary School and the middle/high school.

“And the students are excited,” he said. “Ready to come back.” At least for the most part, he added. There are always those who don’t want summer to end.