Despite the storm’s disruption to the school-year calendar, the Department of Education is moving ahead with tests and meetings scheduled this month and next, beginning with the first Parent Academy workshops on Saturday.

With dozens of schools still damaged or without power, entire school communities have re-located to temporary locations. The 2700-student body and staff at New Dorp High School on Staten Island made room for I.S. 2 which can’t move back to its building for at least a few weeks. It was a logistical feat that students and educators said went well on its first day despite a few bumps.

School Buildings were a refuge for many people evacuated from Zone A areas over the weekend. SchoolBook spent time at one school serving dozens of families in crisis.

Our friends from Sesame Street help us understand how to talk to children during a natural disaster. Take a listen. You’ll hear Elmo talk to a young fan on the phone.

Public schools – and most private ones too – remain closed Wednesday as New York City cleans up from the flooding and storm damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy.