Back-to-School Tips and Deals!

August 2, 2016

Ready for back-to-school adjustments? We know, we know — it’s still summer! But it’s also time to get ready for homework assignments, play rehearsals, school sports, nightly studying and taking tests!

Yippee, right?

For Southshore parents who have your hands full switching routines and bedtimes and scoping out back-to-school sales on everything from backpacks and school supplies, to clothes and computers, we’re here to lend a hand.

Check out these savings at Coupons.com, Amazon and Dick’s Sporting Goods for all kinds of deals to get you and your kids all “stocked up”.

Back-to-School Anxiety?

Adjusting from summer freedom to structured school schedules can be exciting and stressful, so we found some great tips at PBS Parents and WebMd to help with the transition.

One tip we keep stumbling over is “get organized” to ease the anxiety.  Lifehacker.com suggests de-cluttering homework spaces, and inspiring younger children with “Get Ready for School” checklists.  For teens and college students, try this web-based Semester Planner and time management scheduler. (Can we just add that deactivating distracting apps might also help?!)

What Makes a Great School?

It’s popular to grouse about public schools these days but Education World found at least “50 Signs Your School is a Great School!” after polling a pride of principals.

Their list celebrates the little things that make a school praiseworthy; things that can’t be tracked on standardized tests. Like janitors taking it upon themselves to landscape and beautify school grounds, children celebrating one another’s successes, not just their own, and teachers tutoring slower students without compensation.

In the Cherry Creek School District, the Star Mentor program pairs first-year teachers with master teacher-mentors to help new hires shine and insure quality education for every child. It’s why, at least in part, the district has one of the lowest teacher turnover rates in the Metro area!

As you prepare to head back to school, visit GreatSchools.org. The website allows parents to check out the ratings and reviews of the schools their children attend. Initially created to help parents get involved in their children’s education, GreatSchools is the country’s leading source of information on school performance, with listings of 200,000 public and private schools, more than one million parent ratings and reviews, and over 40 million unique visitors a year.