The back-to-school basics: Check ’em off

It feels like summer, looks like summer and the calendar says it’s summer. But as far as the region’s school districts are concerned, beginning next week, it’s fall.

The 2016-17 fall school semester will be under way and that means getting you and your children back into the academic groove.

While many of us growing up didn’t have to worry about school starting until after Labor Day, now it’s an early August first bell. Modesto City Schools begin the semester Aug. 8, Sylvan Union on Aug. 10, Turlock Unified on Aug. 11 and just about every other county district opens sometime next week or the week following.

That means it’s crunch time for getting organized – for both your children and for you. To that end, we’ve come up with a last-minute checklist to help get the back-to-school ball rolling:

Early to bed: First and foremost, you need to start the kids back on a school-year sleep routine. Ideally, you should begin weaning your children off later bedtimes two weeks out, but it’s not too late to launch the process.

Ease bedtime back some each night, matching that with earlier wake-ups. That way the kids will be used to the new schedule and well rested for the first day of school.

Fresh fashion start: Most kids want to start off the school year with new clothes. But summer and the valley heat remain – and your budget says all those shorts and T-shirts they’ve been wearing all season are just fine.

Still, it’s nice to buy a few fresh items for the first couple of days. Good news: Now is a great time to get summer clothes on sale. Pick up some clearance shirts and shorts and know – thanks to our long summers – they’ll be wearing them right through September and maybe even into early October.

Make the (hair)cut: Once they have the new outfit, send them out looking even more prepped with a fresh haircut. But don’t wait: It’s best to trim hair a week or two out, so that tell-tale “new cut” look has grown out a little.

Pick a pack: Most stores also will have backpacks on sale now for back-to-school promotions. Invest in a sturdy one that also will fit your child’s frame and won’t stress their back and shoulders. What they want their packs to look like will depend on their age – “Frozen”- or “Star Wars”-emblazoned packs will charm the elementary set, but older kids will want calmer tones and popular (i.e., more expensive) labels.

But maybe wait on supplies: Sure, you can pick up pens and pencils, paper and the like before school starts, and retailers have their school supply aisles packed. But it’s not a bad idea to wait until after the first day of school to buy some items. That way, kids can be armed with a needs list from teachers based on their classes. I had no idea book covers were a thing, for instance, back when my son started elementary school, but it turned out teachers wanted him to outfit his books with color-coded covers.

Later, when he hit high school, he guaranteed me he’d need a calculator for math and insisted we get one before school started. Surprise! It wasn’t what his teacher wanted the class to use and we had to go out and buy a second one.

Yes, the evening after the first day of school will be vastly more crowded in those retail school supply aisles than they are now, but chances are, you’re going to have to be there anyway once teachers give kids their marching orders.

Get physical: If your high schooler plans to play fall sports, he or she likely will need to provide a sign-off from a doctor at the beginning of the year. It’s probably too late to get an appointment with your pediatrician or family doctor to meet the school’s deadline – we found this out the hard way back when our boy started high school. He needed a sports release and he needed it fast.

Turns out that his high school would accept a note from a chiropractor. Some local chiropractors will accept last-minute appointments for high school sports physicals and usually charge a comfortable rate. We found one who saw him the same day we called in for just $25.

Whew!

Mark it on the calendar: Start the year out organized from the get-go. Grab a calendar and start jotting in all the coming dates you’re going need to remember: Back-to-school night, school picture day, fall festivals, holiday parties, sports practices, games, teacher conferences, band concerts, etc.

You’ll be adding more and more to the calendar as the year wears on while staying on top of your kids’ busy schedules.

Final summer fling: Finally, before school starts, take the kids on one more fun family outing – a day at the lake, a walk through Calaveras Big Trees, a jaunt through Columbia, a visit to the Great Valley Museum. Heck even an afternoon at the movies or a trip to the arcade will do.

Finish it off with one last leisurely dinner together – at home or at a favorite restaurant – before homework, activities, clubs and other busy school commitments eat into your family time.

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 11:02 AM with the headline "The back-to-school basics: Check ’em off."