Students in the Foothills will soon be heading back to school.

And for some kids, it can be a time of anxiety as they wonder about teachers and friends for the year.

Dr. Morris Gibson School Principal Kevin Newman suggests parents not rush into back-to-school planning.

"First of all, they need to just take time and enjoy the last bits of summer and enjoy their long weekend and be kids," Newman says. "Often parents start the whole back-to-school piece so early, before school's going back in, that they help build that anxiousness for kids. Let them be kids, let them get out there and play."

He says that a few days before school starts is a great time for parents to start helping kids organize their school supplies and pack their backpacks. It's also a great idea to start returning to a normal school day routine, with scheduled bedtimes and wake-up times.

There are lots of positives about returning to school and Newman says parents can help ease the first-day jitters by reassuring kids.

"They'll get a chance to see the friends that they haven't seen all summer and they'll get to play with them at their recess times, they'll get to see them before and after school," he points out. "A lot of kids have favourite teachers. If they had a great year the year before, they'll get to go back and even see that previous year's teacher even though they might be in a different grade now. Try to make those positive connections that kids have going in their minds."

For parents of Kindergarten students, Newman says that, as hard as it is on moms and dads, it's best to drop the kids off and then leave before too long to let the little ones get on with their day.

"A lot of parents end up sticking around," he says. "And their kids will be fine. They'll cry when the parent walks out of the room and, about 30 seconds later, if even that long, the kids are engaged and playing with all the other kids, they really don't miss their parents once they're out the door and gone."

Newman says he's noticed, over the years, that once the school day gets underway, those first-day jitters tend to vanish quickly.

"It's funny because by about 9:30 the first day, half an hour into the school day, it feels like we were never gone. It feels like everything is back to normal, all is good and here we go, the year is on."

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