Page 27 - August 2024 Issue.pdf

Caroline CASA starts. The National Sleep Foundation recommends all
Court Appointed Special Advocate school age children get 9-11 hours of sleep.
• Create a homework schedule. By creating a schedule for
by Amy Horne, Executive
the upcoming year, kids will learn about time management
Director, CASA of Caroline
and experience reduced stress, thus improving overall
academic performance.
Back to School Already?!? • Visit the school and review class schedules. Th is is
especially important for kids who are starting at a new
It’s hard to believe we’re already thinking and talking about school. This will give them the visual concept of their

going back to school! The summer has flown by, and now learning environment and help them mentally prepare for

is the time for families to start planning for the upcoming the first day. For older children, learning their class schedule

school year. With a little planning, kids can be set up for and where to go can help ease those first day of school

success before they even set foot in school. Here are some anxieties.
suggestions for ways to prepare your kids – and you – for
a successful transition back to the school year and as little • Have open conversations and make consequences clear. It’s
drama as possible once they head back to the classroom! important to talk to your kids about what the expectations
are from you and the school. Be clear with them about
• Establish routines. Get them back in the academic mindset what’s acceptable for their grades and school behavior. Once
but setting up routines now that include morning chores, those are set, talk about consequences for not meeting those
mealtimes, daily hygiene, and preparing to be ready to expectations before the school year even begins. Th is will
leave the house on time. Try creating a visual, like a chart, help your child build their own motivation and understand

to serve as a concrete reminder of specific activities to be where everyone stands going into the year.
accomplished. Believe it or not, kids really like routines!
• Make sure they have all the supplies they need to succeed.
• Establish sleep patterns. During the summer months, As adults, we’d never walk into a new job unprepared, so
kids sometimes stay up later and sleep in longer. Help them how can we send our children to school without all the
establish new sleep patterns one to two weeks before school supplies they need? Most schools have lists on their websites
for what scholars in each grade need. School supplies can
be costly so keep an eye out for back-to-school giveaways!
CASA of Caroline is partnering with Caroline Pride for the
fourth year to distribute supplies for the northern part of
the county in Goldsboro on August 28. CASA of Caroline is
accepting donations at their office and during Summerfest.

When kids head into the new school year with a plan,
families will experience reduced stress and young scholars
will thrive! To donate supplies or to learn more about
CASA of Caroline, please contact Amy or Victor at 410-479-
8301, carolinecasa@verizon.net, or via the website, www.

carolinecasa.org. Donation drop offs can be made at 114
Market St., Suite 100 in Denton. Whether it’s through
advocacy or resource allocation, CASA of Caroline is
committed to “Change a Child’s Story”!

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