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The transition from preschooler to kindergarten student can be a momentous one. For children in Erika Kao’s class at Bubb Elementary School in the Mountain View Whisman District, it was a day full of new people and things, as they said farewell to their parents and got to know each other. Amid the name tags and backpacks there were smiles and there were some tears as the school year kicked off on Monday, Aug. 20. Photos by Michelle Le.

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CalMatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media.

Andrea Gemmet is the editor of the Mountain View Voice, 2017's winner of Online General Excellence at CNPA's Better Newspapers Contest and winner of General Excellence in 2016 and 2018 at CNPA's renamed...