We’re excited to have Julia Rollins back at Lakeview as our school psychologist.  Mrs. Rollins has been a member of the Lakeview family for many years. We look forward to hearing her upcoming tips to help make school a great experience for our students.

This week’s tips involve heading back to school.

Back to School Tips

1. Anticipate Routine Changes- during the summer we get lax with some of the routines we need to keep us sane during the school year. Some changes that happen are:
   1. Sleep schedule – if you can practice waking up early and going to bed earlier before school starts it makes that transition easier. If not, realize it will take a week or two into school before this change evens out into a smoother routine.
   2. Get ready in a timely manner – make sure clothes are ready and picked out the night to reduce anxiety or arguments in the morning.
   3. Get Breakfast- energy from breakfast helps to power us through the morning. If your child gets breakfast at school, get them there in time to eat that breakfast.
2. Encourage good communication – if you are aware of how they are feeling at school, then you can better anticipate needs or communicate to the school ways that your student could be supported or accommodated.
   1. Ask for highs and lows, i.e., “What was the best thing that happened today? What was the worst thing that happened?”
   2. Catch them off guard with a more specific question, “What was something funny that happened in class today?” or “Was there a moment you felt frustrated?” To help encourage communication, be willing to answer questions like these from your children and model the communication you’d like to receive. This gives you an opportunity model how to handle stress.
3. Check-in with the school
   1. Try to go to back-to-school night to orient your child with their classroom and teacher before the first day. If you can’t do this, try to schedule another time to walk the school and practice routines.
   2. If your child has a Health plan, 504, or IEP, check in with the school team to communicate any updates needed such as new diagnoses, medications, or new academic/behavior concerns that you need addressed.