AREA STUDENTS BACK TO BOOKS; ANXIETY FOLLOWS SOME KIDS ON 1ST DAY OF CLASS.

Byline: Sonia Giordani / Daily News Staff Writer

Standing outside the doorway of classroom B-1 at Yerba Buena Elementary School, Diane Verner peered in at her daughter, Hayley, who was playing with her new classmates on her first day of kindergarten.

``I took the day off so I could be there for her,'' said Verner, waving and blowing kisses to her 5-year-old after catching her attention.

``I'm sure she's fine in there. She's been dying all summer to start school. Even when she's at home, she pretends she's studying at school,'' said Verner, an Agoura Hills resident whose 11-year-old son, Joey, started classes at adjacent Lindero Canyon Middle School.

Accompanied by a clap of thunder and a gust of rain, students from 13 schools throughout the Las Virgenes Unified School District started class Tuesday morning.

``We were a little worried the students would be scared. But they were so excited to start school, the thunder and lightning didn't even faze them,'' said Sandra Argast, principal at Yerba Buena Elementary.

Toting clean canvas backpacks and sporting shiny shoes, the hundreds of young and eager faces met their new teachers and new friends.

Of course, some were not as eager as others - especially for those new to the game.

Trying to hide herself in the folds of her mother's dress, 5-year-old Savannah Campbell tried to savor the final moments before class began.

Asked whether she was excited about her first day in school, Savannah looked up at her mother and firmly replied: ``No.''

``Oh, we've been preparing for today for months. I'm not worried at all. Every night we would talk about kindergarten and about making new friends,'' said Rita Campbell, Savannah's mother.

Teacher Ruthie Forman has looked forward to the first day of school every year since starting at Yerba Buena Elementary School six years ago.

``It's a tough day for everyone - for the kids and for the parents,'' said Forman, who led her 19 new students through the day's introductory lessons.

``Kindergarten is a grade you don't easily forget. It's a big, growing year,'' she said.

This year, kindergarten classes throughout the district will be capped at 20 students each - a change Forman said already has allowed her to give more attention to individual youngsters.

``I went into teaching because I really hated my kindergarten teacher,'' Forman quipped. ``I wanted kids to really love school and to love learning so they could get a good head start in life.''

According to Taylor Jocoy, the best part of the day - hands down - was playing hide-and-seek with his new friends.

``We ran in the playground. We also colored and played games inside,'' said Taylor, a freckled Agoura boy whose mother, Sandy, awaited him with open arms.

``He was so excited - probably more excited to go this morning than to see me pick him up now,'' said Sandy Jocoy. ``The first thing he said this morning when he woke up was, `Is it time to go?' ''

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--color) Sandy Jocoy greets her son, Taylor, 5, after his first day of kindergarten in Agoura Hills on Tuesday.

(2) Rita Campbell holds her daughter, Savannah, 5, who wasn't too excited about the start of classes at Yerba Buena Elementary School.

Tina Gerson / Daily News