Time to get ready for school!!
One week from now school will start. This week the kids will have appointments, orientations, and class schedule pick-ups. Not to mention school shopping, lunch menu planning, and family meetings are going to be in full effect.
A couple of weeks ago we started with a clothing checklist. I worked with the kids to weed out the clothes that can’t be worn. With what’s left, I had them hang up the clothes that are fare assigned for school. The others clothes that are not to be worn are school become play clothes and are folded up and put in the draws for after school. It may seem weird to some, but growing up, my Dad always had me separate my play clothes from my school clothes. At the time, I didn’t understand, but now that I’m a parent, I have realized that it was a great organizational method. It helps to keep the good clothes lasting longer. My kids have clothes that last over the years and can be handed down without a problem because of the condition they were in. I do the same with the shoes. The shoes from last school year that have been worn out by the summer turned into play shoes. During the school year, as soon as the kids get home, I have them change. That way, if they go out to play in the mud, I won’t feel like I’m going to blow a gasket when I see a mess on their good clothes.
Over the next week the 3 oldest kids will have their orientations. My youngest will have her classroom and teacher posted on the school bulletin board for us to see at the end of the week.
My oldest is going into 11th grade. This year we will prepare for the pre-SAT as well as his English exiting exam. We have been talking about college options and his plans for after high school over this past summer.
My second son is going into high school this year. 9th grade! It’s a big deal. He already has pick out his college and has been working on four-year high school plan. He hasn’t shared a school with his brother in the last 2 years. It will be interesting to see how he will adjust.
My oldest daughter is going into 6th grade this year. She is officially a middle schooler. She seems to be most excited about being able to go to school by herself for the first time. She has always had a sibling with her at school however, for the next two years she have some time alone.
My baby girl is going into 4th grade. I have no worries that she will excel beyond what is expected of her. She has always been ahead academically and was placed in the GATE program last year. I’m excited to see how far she will go this year.
On Sunday, after dinner, we will have our weekly family meeting. We started having these meetings towards the end of the last school year and it seemed to have helped us in a lot of ways. Hubby came to me one day with the idea of a family meeting. We were able to come together with an agenda that worked for us.
During this meeting we will:
- Go over the situations that posed a problem last year and talk about solutions for those issues.
- We are going to help the kids set goals with outlines on how they are to accomplish those goals. Goals that are reachable. Goals that we all can agree on.
- We will talk about our exceptions of them this year.
- We will go over the household rules and talk about what we expect with their homework.
- We will go over the chore assignments and discuss the times earned for the tv and video games.
- We will also go over the morning, afternoon, and evening schedule for everyone.
Our meetings are anywhere from 1-2 hours long. Everyone gets a chance to talk and have input. It’s a great way to keep the lines of communication open and stay involved.
The week before school starts is always a busy one. I don’t mind it at all because I know that by this time next week I will be able to slow down just a bit so I can catch my breath.
What is your week before school like? How do you prep for school? Are you a parent that starts earlier in the summer to prepare?