The days of the frantic, open house nights before the first day of school for elementary students is a thing of the past for the Humboldt Community School District, but that’s a good thing. When school began last week for elementary students, there were no surprises and anxiety was reduced to a minimum. After experimenting last year with a new concept of conducting conferences prior to the start of school involving, parents, kindergarten students and teachers, school officials expanded the format in 2014 for all elementary grade levels and all agree it is an overwhelming success. “I cannot say enough good things about these conferences. Both as a parent and as a school employee, I have seen so many benefits for the children, parents and teachers,” Mindy Skow, a parent who is also employed as an associate in the district, said. To find out more about the program subscribe to The Humboldt Independent print or digital editions by clicking on the link above.