Skip To Main Content

10 Tips for Kick-starting a New School Year

Published July 19, 2013

It may seem hard to believe but summer break is almost over and the new school year is just weeks away. Now is a good time for both parents and students to start preparing for the upcoming year. Below are a few ways to help make the transition as easy as possible.

  1. Sleep for school. Setting up a regular bedtime and wake-up routine before school starts is a crucial step to prepare your child for class and a practical way to cut down on first-day stress.
  2. Look up to learning. If your child is feeling a bit anxious about going back to school, keep a positive attitude. Recall the fun and exciting events, field trips, projects, and so on from years past, and show excitement about the opportunities for learning new things in the upcoming year.
  3. Update contact info. Make sure your child's school has your correct contact information. Contact the school to ensure they have your current address, phone number and email on file. That information is also used by the district for important call-outs regarding school closures and other matters.
  4. Prepare for what's ahead. Get to know the Scope and Sequence for your child's grade. Scope and Sequence refers to a brief outline of the standards and a recommended teaching order for a particular course/grade-level. CLICK HERE to view the WCS Scope and Sequence for each grade and course.
  5. Walk through it. Plan to attend back to school events with your child. All elementary schools will hold some sort of back to school event before the year begins. Familiarizing your child with the school and the teachers will typically help him feel more confident.
  6. Check the calendar. Be sure you've taken the time to look over the 2013-14 School Year Calendar. The district calendar contains important dates ranging from holidays to report card dates. CLICK HERE to view the district calendar.
  7. Immunizations. Students new to WCS or entering pre-school, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or seventh grade will need a new certificate of immunization. CLICK HERE for information about vaccinations and the Health Services Department.
  8. BYOT manual. Is your child planning to take a digital device to school this year as part of the district's Bring Your Own Technology initiative? If so, you may have questions regarding acceptable use, internet safety procedures or other concerns. Those issues and more are addressed in our 2013-14 School Year BYOT Manual. CLICK HERE to learn more.
  9. What's for lunch? WCS operates 39 kitchens within Williamson County, with most offering breakfast and lunch on a daily basis. Parents can CLICK HERE to learn more about the WCS Food Service Department's online payment system, view menus and learn about pricing.
  10. Transportation. Parents whose students will be using district provided transportation can CLICK HERE to learn more about the WCS Transportation Department. Bus route information for the upcoming school year will be released later this month. We will make the announcement on our Facebook and Twitter pages once that information has been released.