| Though some of the sweetness of elementary school | | | | of special events, holidays, and in-service days. |
| lingers, things get down to business from day one in | | | | 7. Talk about the pros and cons of buying lunch. A |
| middle school. | | | | bagged lunch makes it easier to quickly find a place to |
| It's a matter of finding homeroom and then figuring out | | | | sit and eat, an advantage especially during those first |
| how to quickly work the locker combination before | | | | few days. |
| setting off on a quest to find one new classroom after | | | | 8. Set limits on extra-curricular activities; otherwise your |
| another. And that, of course, means being confronted | | | | child risks being overextended and doing poorly in |
| by a variety of new teachers and collecting an | | | | school. |
| assortment of weighty textbooks. Gym fits in there | | | | 9. Buy a combination lock for your child to practice on, |
| somewhere, too, as does finding a place to sit in the | | | | so the one at school is easier to open. That |
| cafeteria, teeming with hundreds of fellow students . . . | | | | combination should be recorded and given to you in |
| By days two and three, teacher talk quickly turns to | | | | case your child is ever absent and you have to pick up |
| tests, homework, projects, and research papers and | | | | textbooks. |
| work begins in earnest. Your child needs to be ready | | | | 10. Establish at-home guidelines, making homework and |
| for it all, so before that first day of school: | | | | test prep your #1 priority, frequent family dinners, limits |
| 1. Update immunizations and keep a record. | | | | on cell phone, computer, and video game use, and |
| 2. Buy school supplies together. | | | | early-to-bed routines. |
| 3. Ease into earlier and earlier bedtimes, so that by | | | | 11. Set up a well-lit, well-stocked, quiet work place for |
| opening day, an early bedtime has been established. | | | | your child, devoid of such temptations as ipods, cell |
| Kids need at least 9 hours of sleep every night-and a | | | | phones, and the like. |
| good breakfast every morning, too. | | | | 12. Create a Drop Spot where everything that's |
| 4. Find out both the school bus pick-up time and | | | | needed for the next day for school can be assembled |
| location; then drive it to get an idea of how long your | | | | the night before, minus the free reading book and |
| child will travel each way. | | | | refrigerated lunch. |
| 5. Visit the school's online website for the date and | | | | 13. Visit the school and ask if you can take a |
| time of the orientation program-an opportunity for your | | | | self-directed tour using the school map. |
| child to be introduced to administrators, teachers, and | | | | And remember: the middle school years are loaded |
| guidance counselors and also visit homeroom and | | | | with new responsibilities, pressures, and temptations, so |
| receive his/her class rosters. Don't miss it. | | | | keep the lines of communication open and never |
| 6. Also on the website: school rules, procedures, | | | | forget that you are the parent-not your child's best |
| regulations, dress code, etc., plus homework and | | | | friend. You're the one who makes the rules, sets the |
| testing policies and the school calendar. Make a note | | | | limits, and establishes priorities. No wiggle room. |