VIDALIA — A lot goes into preparing for the first day of school.

But for parents in the Concordia Parish School District, the preparation is almost over. After a summer of freedom, children are returning to school on Monday.

Vidalia Lower Elementary hosted a meet and greet Friday to give teachers, parents and students a chance to get to know each other before the year started.

It was also a chance to finish up some last-minute preparations.

Austin and Heather Burr brought their 5-year-old daughter, Laylah Burr, to her teacher’s classroom to drop off supplies and get acquainted.

While Austin and Laylah Burr explored the classroom, Heather and her daughter’s soon-to-be kindergarten teacher Jennifer Smith discussed the paperwork Burr needed to fill out, such as general information forms and a photo release.

Smith likes the chance to get to see her students before school starts.

“You get to learn their personalities before they even come into the classroom,” Smith said.

But the day wasn’t just for meeting teachers, filling out paperwork and turning in activity fees. Parents also dropped off school supplies such as baby wipes, hand sanitizer, crayons, Kleenex and notebooks.

While some supplies are for the use of the classroom, others are for students’ personal use.

The Burr family came prepared.

“We brought everything,” Austin Burr said.

Heather Burr went shopping for her daughter’s school supplies three weeks in advance.

“I like to be prepared,” Burr said.

There were some things they needed that were not on the school supply list though, since VLE, like all schools in the Concordia Parish School District, requires uniforms.

Burr said her daughter didn’t need many new clothes.

“A lot she can still use,” she said. “She hasn’t grown very much.”

For Alanna Ford, the 11-year-old daughter of Mike and Malinda Ford who will attend Vidalia Junior High School, the subject of clothes wasn’t one she enjoyed because of the preparation involved.

“I had to try on every single pair of clothes I had,” Ford said.

Ford was at VLE along with her mother and brother, Aidan Ford, 6, to see his new teacher and drop off his supplies.

Unlike her daughter, Malinda Ford didn’t have a problem getting ready for the new school year.

“It was pretty easy actually,” Ford said.

Now, all that’s left for parents to do is pack a lunch and see their children off. “I’m excited for her,” Burr said. “I like her being home, but I think she’s ready.”