The first day at school for many

After weeks of preparation and fear for some, it was the first day at school for thousands of children yesterday. While those going back to school knew what to expect, for some of the pupils turning up at kindergartens and primary school, yesterday was the start of a whole new era of their lives. At the school gates there were mixed emotions of tears and laughter, and that was just the parents. For their little ones, some got stuck straight in to their new adventures while others are going to find it hard getting accustomed to their life in the big wide world. Making sure that Palma was not crippled by gridlock, the new Local Police school units were out in force patrolling the city and making sure that access to the schools remained open and that traffic flowed freely in and out of car parks and drop off zones. To mark the first day back at school, Balearic bank Sa Nostra and the Mayor of Santa Eugenia signed an accord for the construction of a new primary school for the municipality. The project will also be financially backed by the Council of Majorca. In an official statement yesterday, Sa Nostra stressed the importance of the new school. The municipality's original primary school, located in an old row of teachers' houses, has seriously deteriorated over the years to the extent that now the building is practically unusable. While the new school building is being built for the primary school, a property in Ca Ses Monges is being rented from the Franciscan nuns.