Issues to consider when prepping your children for the return to school

With only a little over a month before the start of school, parents can start the process of preparing their students emotionally and physically for the next grade level, especially students at new schools or new to the area entirely.

Although it may seem like the last school year just ended, it is not too soon to begin preparing for the start of another.

According to the Center for Families’ Executive Director Laura Brucia Hamm and Clinical Director Dr. Katie Garcia, beginning to think about the upcoming year can be daunting, but parents can help ease the transition by gently engaging students in conversation about how to make the school year great. They also recommend starting a project with the student to get their minds engaged and excited about learning, such as cooking a meal together, starting a scavenger hunt, taking a nature walk or other activities that encourage their math and science skills.

Parents can also excite their student about beginning school again by taking them to get their school supplies once lists are published on the school website. They are also printed in some stores such as Walmart or Target. Individualized notebooks and pens can help some students get excited about taking notes and doing homework.

Summer offers time for parents to get their students caught up on immunizations, which are required at different grade levels and physicals if required for students to be involved in sports.

State law requires children age 4 and above who are entering public schools have the following immunizations: a booster dose of poliovirus vaccine; two doses of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine; three doses of hepatitis vaccine; two doses of varicella vaccine; and a booster dose of diptheria tetanus acellular pertussis vaccine.

There are also additional requirements for children under age 4 and also for students entering sixth grade, or ages 11-12, and even going into college.

Schools require proof of immunization from a physician, required at time of registration each year.

“When we don’t vaccinate, we leave the door open for the return of diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, which continue to be a threat to babies, children and adults in the United States,” said Dr. Frank Welch, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Immunization medical director. “School vaccination laws have helped eliminate major vaccinepreventable diseases. So, avoid the rush and take the time now to schedule your children for their back-to-school vaccinations.”

In addition to immunizations, parents can help their students stay healthy once they enter the school environment again by educating them.

DeWayne Bricker, PA-C with Health- CARE Express, recommends providing children with a healthy diet and encouraging regular exercise to combat common illnesses that cause absences in school. He said the best advice to give is to avoid contact with sick children, including not drinking or eating after them, properly washing hands before eating and after using the bathroom and not to hang coats up together to prevent the transmission of head lice.

Preparing students emotionally for school is of equal importance for their ongoing success.

“Making a visit to the school can facilitate bonding with any new teachers, especially when beginning at a new school,” Karen Kersten, counselor with the Center for Families, said. “While there, the staff and/or teachers can show a family around the classroom and familiarize them with some of the buildings, rooms and activities.”

Garcia and Hamm encourage parents to reassure their children by staying positive and sharing personal experiences and letting them know you are there to support them.

“During the summer months, proactively seek to meet neighborhood families, children who may also be involved with the child’s school in order to cultivate broader social networks,” Kersten said.

According to the National Education Association, it is important that parents work with their students, even before kindergarten, to ensure students are prepared academically and socially. NEA recommends reading daily, visiting the library, singing, drawing and turning everyday errands into a learning opportunity. Parents should focus on their student’s individual needs and help foster growth.

For students starting a new school, whether they advanced to the next campus or moved across the country, parents should keep a positive attitude to prevent stresses from passing to the student. Garcia and Hamm recommend encouraging them to join extracurricular activities to “belong” to and familiarize them with the environment before school starts.

Bossier Parish Schools works with military students to help ease their transition from other states and even from overseas schools. Georgette Price, military student transition consultant for BPS, recommends that parents contact her, or even the school directly, to learn about the campus, curriculum and teacher. Parents should also be sure to safeguard important information, such as birth certi cates, report cards and any testing results that might be helpful in grade-level and coursework placement during the move and not allow those items to be packed with other household goods.

Price said it is also important to involve transitioning students with other students and outside activities, as many left a place where they were established in their social standing. The schools aim to help those students through her, as a liaison, school tours and peer mentoring programs, where other students help navigate the halls of campus. Military parents can reach Price at 549-6164.

Garcia and Hamm said encouragement is a “tremendous, necessary and often-neglected skill that parents can use at home to support their children,” who will need it at the dinner table and also to get through homework. They recommend always pointing out and rewarding good grades to eliminate the opposite and keeping the dialogue open to all students in the home, asking them about their “highs” and “lows” of the day.

According to The College Board, college preparations should start in sixth grade, so parents are encouraged to support their students through school-work and help them nd their interests to engage in extracurricular activities. Once students reach high school, or ninth grade, College Board recommends students start to visit campuses and parents help make a plan for tuition costs.

Many campuses conduct tours throughout the year and especially through the summer. Parents are encouraged to help students plan their course load to gear toward the college of their choice and even study during summer months for college entrance exams.

For students, the summer months can be a time for staying up later and sleeping in, but also an opportunity to prepare and plan for future endeavors. For more information on the Center for Families, call 222-0759 or visit www.thecenterforfamilies.com.

– Chelsea Ballard