School starts in St. Johns County on Aug. 12 and there are many things that both parents and students can consider making it a smooth start to the year.
According to the St. Johns County School District, one of the No. 1 things to consider when preparing for a new year is establishing routines, as bedtime and wake-up routines are likely to adjust for children during the school year as opposed to the summer.
Labeling items is also and important step to take to help make sure that the school supplies searched for in recent weeks is not easily lost.
One of the things that can be helpful throughout the year but can be especially effective at the start of the year is setting goals for your child to accomplish not just for the year, but it can also be broken down into weeks and semesters.
Parents sitting down with their children to discuss goals for the upcoming year can not only help keep everyone on the same page, but it can also create deeper involvement for parents in their child’s schoolwork.
Just as when it comes to any workspace, it can be important to have an area of the house that is designated as a homework space so that children can concentrate fully on their work without the distraction.
School can be stressful for students at times and the district encourages parents to always try and keep an open line of communication with their children so that they are not weary of hiding anxieties they may bring home from school.
An extension of that includes parents staying up to date with their communication and awareness of what events and activities are going on at school through newsletters and other informational avenues.
According to the County School District, confidence is the key behind every successful student and many of the steps mentioned focus on continuing to build and focus on how to best create and maintain that confidence moving forward into the year.
Involvement in extracurricular activities and encouraging independence by giving them some freedom by helping select school outfits and organizing their backpack, are things that can naturally promote confidence.
