School is back in session for thousands of grade school students in Calgary as summer break has reached its end.

The area in front of Chaparral School in the southeast was chaotic Tuesday morning with students, their parents and all the vehicles associated them vying for the best spots.

Nash Dawes is a grade 5 student who was reluctant to return but, when pressed, found reason to look forward to the first day of school.  "Yah, my friends, seeing the teachers again, learning again," said Dawes with a smile.

School patrollers wearing  bright yellow safety vests were out front of the school to ensure students crossed the roads safely.

"We’re making sure they’re off their phones and just watching to make sure that they know when to go and when to stop," said grade 6 student patroller Julia Chang.

Patroller Liam McCarthy added  "You’ve got to be wary of cars though because not all cars will stop."

"There’s a huge pride and responsibility when it comes to their jobs," said Amanda Ducheminsky, Alberta Motor Association school safety coordinator.  "They’re super dedicated and they really enjoy helping to teach others especially little guys about traffic safety and how to properly cross the road."

Calgary police were out in force monitoring the activity in front of schools all over the city and say they want to make sure drivers slow down.

"Drivers are the ones responsible for watching and paying attention,"  said Cst. Kerri Mattice. "Then if they see the students out there with their signs they need to stop and be careful because we have crosswalks and we want to make sure the kids are safe."

Val and Brad Currie have three daughters at Chaparral School; one in grade 6, another in grade 3, and their youngest starting kindergarten. All three girls were awake at 6:30 and eager for classes to start, especially their youngest.

"She was really excited to be coming to school, and follow her big sister’s footsteps here at Chaparral School," said Brad. "For mom and dad, it's maybe a little bit more bittersweet but we’re excited because she’s excited."

Some of that excitement might start to wear off in a few weeks once the kids realize just how long the school year is.