VIDALIA — The final days of summer vacation drag to an end, back-to-school shopping comes and goes and then there is only one thing left to do — start school again.

For Concordia Parish’s public school students, another school year starts at 7:50 a.m. Monday.

At Vidalia Lower Elementary, the school hosted an open house Friday to allow parents and students to meet their teachers.

For incoming second graders Rayce and Regan Frederick, going into the second grade — and being in the highest grade of VLE — was exiting.

But Rayce said he knew second grade wasn’t going to be the cakewalk that first grade was.

“All the work will be harder,” he said.

And with a new school year come a lot of changes, Regan said.

“Everything will be different,” she said. “The teacher, the kids, the books, the tables.”

Even though there may be a few tears in the kindergarten classrooms Monday morning, parents shouldn’t be fooled, VLE Assistant Principal Charles Anderson said.

“The happiest place on campus is the kindergarten,” Anderson said. “They’re glad to be here.”

All of the public schools will dismiss at 1 p.m. Monday. Regular schedules will begin Tuesday

For students of Huntington School, in Ferriday, school will start at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

High school students will report to the gym, where they will have an assembly, and elementary students will go directly to their classes, Elementary Supervisor Emily Guida said.

Students at Huntington will have a full day of classes, and school will end at approximately 2:55 p.m., Guida said.