Students returned to school around the Island gradually last week, some returning for just one day before winter break.

None of the Island schools suffered major damage during the storms that left much of the Island without power for days. However, many schools had debris to clean up and damaged fences to repair.

At Northwest Yeshiva, a massive tree on the property fell across Island Crest Way, closing down the thoroughfare for a time, but causing no damage to the school.

“We did really great here,” said school secretary Karen Franke.

Students returned to school at noon on Monday, so Yeshiva will have only one day to make up at the end of the school year. Students had already completed their first-quarter finals and started the second quarter, so there were no major disruptions to the academic schedule, Franke said.

At St. Monica School, the main concern among students was being forced to reschedule the Christmas program, postponing it from Dec. 14, the night the storm hit, until Jan. 4, according to principal Pam Dellino.

“We ended up canceling our Christmas program Thursday evening because it was going to be such a treacherous night,” she said. “They were (disappointed) but they’re excited we rescheduled it. Their only question was ‘When do we get to do it?’ Once you prepare for something like that you want to be able to go on.”

Students returned Tuesday, Dec. 19, for one day of school before the break, Dellino said. Some who attended school still didn’t have power at home.

“Everyone’s in good spirits and I think everyone was thrilled to come back today and have that chance to say good-bye before vacation,” Dellino said. “They’re here and this is probably the warmest place they’ve been in the past few days.”

Though she typically schedules extra hours into the school year in case of weather cancellations, Dellino said the school will likely have to go an extra day at the end of the year to meet the minimum school hours required. The school year wasn’t terribly disrupted by the storm, she said.

“We were winding up,” she said. “It’s the end of the time before the break, our report cards had gone home the week before, so there wasn’t any major upheaval.”