School is starting this week.

I know that phrase is a joy to some and a horror to others. This will be my second year that I have not had to buy back to school supplies, wait in line to change a time table,  pay for a locker , get signed up for newsletters and find out when meet the teacher night is. And the list goes on and on.  It may sound weird but I really miss it. Most of my kids are in post-secondary now and all they need from me to start their school year is some homemade cookies and cash. Even though it has been a few years since I dropped my oldest off at her first day of kindergarten I still remember all those feelings and I treasure them dearly. Here is a great article on how to prepare for the first day of kindergarten , https://www.todaysparent.com/family/how-to-prepare-for-the-first-day-of-kindergarten/ .

What I found funny about this article is that some of the same advice can be used for when your child is entering any new grade. If your child is entering grade 9 in one of our High Schools this may be a big change for them. Visit the school and get familiar with the bus routes. If your child is in middle or high school the advice about helping them make friends may not go over well. Pick your battles carefully folks. It was one thing in elementary school when your child had a friend that was not the best behaved or a bad influence, it’s another when they are in their teens and you may not even know most of their friends. The advice about separation anxiety may be more for the parents that have kids in high school. Remember that even though middle and high school are different than elementary school when it comes to parent involvement those schools still need you. Please get and stay involved. Every school has a school council. Every school is always doing some sort of fund raising. They can only work if parents volunteer. The lovely people you see at the front offices (honestly, they really run the school) can give you any and all the information you need. Bring them a coffee and say thank you. The first few weeks are very stressful for them as well. Each school has a web page. Check it out often. Here is the Red Deer Public School website  http://www.rdpsd.ab.ca/  Our kids sometimes forget to tell us about events coming up. And there is nothing more disappointing than your child going to school on pajama day not in in thier pj’s. 

 I have three kids that attended Red Deer Public schools and they were only in the same school for one year in elementary and one in high school. After that I had two or three different schedules to figure out. Different bus routes and school start times. Different or even worse, the same meet the teacher nights. Yes, I missed a few things. I am far from perfect. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes as well.

Even though I miss the first day of school and everything that goes on with that day, I am so very proud of my kids for everything they have accomplished while at Red Deer Public Schools. It gave them the tools to be successful adults for what they are doing right now. So enjoy your first day of school folks. It will a distant memory before you know it.