Montreal students hop off buses and head back to school

The familiar jingle of school buses rang outside Parkdale Elementary School this morning in Montreal's on-island suburb of Saint-Laurent.

Students hopped off, ready to reconnect.

"I'm excited to see my old teachers and my old friends," said student Adriatik Kurtolli.

French schools started earlier this week, and on Thursday, tens of thousands of students across Montreal's English schools went back to the classroom.

For some, it was their first day at an entirely new school. 

"They have a lot of love for the students," said student Javante Porter. "My other school didn't have that much love."

For others, it's not just a new school; it's a fresh start in a new country.

"We just came to Canada a few months back, and for my daughter it's [her] first day," said Jatin Ambaliya. "So we are so excited for how the culture in Canada [works], and Canadian schools."

As usual, many students were sad about the end of summer and a bit nervous about making new friends. 

"It just, it goes way too fast… I don't know if I'm going to know any of the any other people in my grade," said Ahnaf Shukur.

Parents, however, were exited for a little more time to themselves. 

"You know, getting the kids out, you get more free time," laughed Tama Richardson. 

Teachers have spent the last few days preparing their classrooms. 

"We get the books organized, the classroom organized, and name tags, the lesson plans," said teacher Cynthia Chaumont.

They say students are still dealing with learning challenges from the pandemic, as well as a teachers' strike that shut the doors of nearly 800 Quebec public schools, plus a province-wide teachers' shortage putting a strain on the system. 

"We have filled the classes with last minute subs, but, yeah, we definitely feel it," said Matthew Guy.

But overall, the school says it's prepared to tackle the year ahead. 

"We're one of the lucky ones," said vice principal Karolyn Liverman. "Our positions are filled, and all of our kids will have qualified teachers."

For those already missing the long break, they can look forward to the Christmas holidays, which are only four months away.