10 Tips to Rock the School Year!

It’s August—summer is over, and it’s time for school again. Whether your little one is starting kindergarten, or your big one is starting the senior year of high school, the beginning of the school year can be stressful. Here are 10 ways to rock the school year.

• Use strategies at home to reinforce what is being taught at school. Some possibilities are flash cards, review notes and practice word games. "Flash cards worked really well for me. I could take vocabulary words or notes and make the cards,” says 2013 Liberty High School graduate Alix Messer. “Reviewing them at night helped me feel more confident for the test."  Remember also that what works for one student doesn't necessarily work for another.  Try different strategies until you discover the one that works best.
• Being involved—but not too involved—is important for middle school and high school students.  Join a club to get to know people and build a connection to the school.  Sports are also a good way to do this once they become available. Be careful not to overextend, however.
• Getting eight hours of sleep a night is essential, regardless of age. "I never feel my best when I don't get much sleep. Proper rest is vital to doing your best in school," Messer says. Setting a time for phones and iPods to be turned off will help with an earlier bedtime and can help make the morning routine easier.
• Breakfast is the meal that fuels for the school day, so make sure kids eat a decent breakfast—that way they can focus on learning rather than a growling stomach. Keep staples on hand, like frozen whole grain waffles, bagels, cereal, oatmeal, muffins, fruit or yogurt, that are easy to grab and go in a hurry.
• Staying organized from the beginning of the year is another way to create success. Find a system that works and stick with it. Binders for every class, a planner to write down assignments and a central location for school papers at home will help. “Have a home schedule/system to balance school, home and extracurricular activities, and this will help all feel calmer and more prepared for school,” Stephanie Ritter, Kearney mother of two, says.
• Teach independence and responsibility. It’s going to be a long school year if the kids don’t learn to do some things by themselves. “Help your child but don't do it for them,” Ritter says.  Set up a homework station and be nearby while they are working, but don’t fall into the easy trap of doing things for them. Set the expectation early of checking for homework as soon as they come home, and enforce no free time until homework is finished.
• Work hard.  Play hard. Encourage your kids to be serious about school and set aside time and space for schoolwork.  “But remember that kids need brain breaks.  Unstructured play is important!” Beth Dusin, Liberty mother of two, says. “Allow your kids time to be bored and figure out stuff to do.”
• Build strong relationships at school. Be sure to attend all back-to-school events.   “Volunteer at school.  Whether you have one afternoon all year or a day every week to give, your presence there says school is important,” Dusin says. Make time to meet your child’s teacher, specials teachers, counselors and other folks who see him every day and stay in contact with them.
• Advocate for your student when needed. Go through your child’s backpack and really read what comes home from school.  If something is confusing, ask for clarification. “Share information with your kid's teacher.  If something changes at home, whether that change is positive or negative, it makes a difference in your kid's world at school.  Let his teacher or counselor know,” Dusin says.
• Document the year. They will only be this age once, so make sure to get plenty of pictures, keep mementos, certificates, etc. You will appreciate it when they are older!

Jennifer Higgins is a freelance writer, teacher and mother from Kearney.