Public schools in Bibb County started the 2012-13 school year on Monday and also implemented the new Macon Miracle Plan.

Schools including Heritage Elementary on Thomaston Rd embraced the changes that come with the plan. Administrators at the school said they feel secure with the new additions that are at the school.

"I'm really positive about it,” Heritage Elementary Principal Jennifer Sadler said. “I am just one that if we are not meeting the needs of all of our students we need to do something differently."

One difference the Board of Education decided on was bringing in Mandarin teachers to the elementary schools to teach kids Chinese. Another change is kids being dismissed at 3:45 p.m. instead of 3:15 p.m. The extra 30 minutes is to help teachers focus on students struggling with certain subjects.

"I think that the longer hours are good because now we are having things such as intervention that will be able to work more one on one with students that may have been struggling with lessons," 5th grade science/social studies teacher JeLisa Grayson said.

However, Sadler said the plan isn't the only big change this year.

"We've got a common core curriculum that is changing,” she said. “That's the new standards that Georgia teachers will be teaching off of."

The new curriculum focuses on more hands on learning and making lessons very specific instead of broad.

"It's more to the tee, being specific as in what you need to put in there as far as there's a hook now,” Grayson said. “You've got to make sure there's a lesson hook."

Sadler said with these new additions kids should be more prepared for higher education.

"I want all of our children to be college ready, building strength of character and I think the plan has some very strong components that are going to make that happen for all of our children," Sadler said.

She also said her staff are optimistic about the plan and are anxious as the new school year get underway.