Schools

Get Ready to Go Back to School With These Tips in Bristol, Warren

Here's what you need to do to get ready for the new school year.

Written by Kathleen Miller.

School starts on Aug. 28 in the Bristol-Warren Regional School District and there’s no better time to prepare than right now. Here are 10 tips for getting your family what it needs for the big day.

1. Stock up on school supply essentials now. Many recommend buying basic supplies before the first day of school. Here are the priorities she lists: pencils (regular and colored), pens, magic markers, loose-leaf paper, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, binders, a hole punch, glue and construction paper.

2. Read all summer long. And not just what's on the kids' summer reading lists. Summer is about fun, after all. Encourage your kids to read what they like, in addition to what they must.

3. Go clothes shopping now. Start in mid-July so it doesn't seem like such a daunting task to end the summer. Plus, it spreads the budget.

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4. Purchase a durable backpack. Cheaper backpacks are usually flimsy and rip easily. Make sure that they are sturdy, with straps in order to protect the student’s shoulders and backs, as all those books can get heavy.

5. Move back bedtime. Transition the kids to their school-year bedtime as early as late July, and no later than two weeks before the first day.

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6. Organize the family calendar. Know what you're doing and when by organizing your after-school activities, drop-off, pick-up and child-care plans. Always best to be prepared ahead of time.

7. Mark your student’s flash drive. Buy a light-colored flash drive and write the student's initials on it with a marker, or put a sticker on it.

8. Review your district's technology guidelines. Before purchasing electronics for your student, including a cellphone or laptop, check your district's "technology use" policies, says Dru Tromlin, Director of Middle Level Services for the Association of Middle Level Education. “All school systems have 'technology use' policies to which you need to adhere,” Tromlin says. “Therefore, check for the system policy and then check with your school to see how the policy actually works there. Get informed and make the right choice.”

9. Help support your student’s organizational skills. “Planners and notebooks play a vital role in your child's daily middle school life,” Tromlin says. “Most schools either provide or sell student agendas or planners, and they are the single most important tool for school-to-home communication. Thus, when you get one for your child, talk to him/her about what you expect to be written every day, how often you will be checking it, and what reward they will earn if everything is filled in properly — and then follow through with that plan."

10. Find out what supplies teachers expect students to have for the year. Get lists from teachers (often online on your school district website) for specific school supplies, including “big ticket” items such as calculators, Tromlin advises. “Many parents ask about the kind of calculator they need to buy for their child,” he says. “My best advice: Save yourself time and money and ask the teacher.”

Where in Bristol and Warren do you head for school supplies? Have you seen any special deals in the area? Let us know in the comments section below.


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