5 Things Maine Families Should Do Before School Starts

It's already started in most retail shops across the nation: the push for Back-to-School season.

And while many families are just trying to squeeze the last drops out of summer, in the back of every caregiver's mind is a running list of things that need to be purchased or completed before school starts.

While tasks like grabbing new backpacks, lunch boxes, school supplies, and a fall wardrobe might be the obvious items on most families' "to-do" lists, there are five things that, if you do them now, will make your life and the lives of your students easier.

1.) Figure out rides and routes, and then practice them.

Will your child walk, ride the bus, carpool, or bike to school? And what route will they take to get there?

It's often something we don't think too much about until just before the first day, but if you can get your child used to how that morning commute will go, by practicing the run and talking about what paths to take and which to avoid, it can help reduce their anxiety and yours on that first day of school, as they head out the door.

2.) Complete sports physicals, dental checkups, and eye exams before they start classes.

If your kids plan to play sports in the fall, most schools require a doctor to sign off on whether or not your child is healthy enough to participate. You will likely need a signed sports physical. Those appointments can take a few weeks to set up, so give yourself time before sports start to obtain the proper paperwork.

Getting your student's eyesight and teeth checked out before the start of the school year also ensures there's a little buffer of time if things like glasses have to be ordered or fillings performed. And completing those appointments at the end of the summer can mean less interupptions to the school year once classes start up.

3.) Take them to get their back-to-school haircuts before picture day rolls around.

It always seems like kids start school and then just a few weeks later, picture day happens.

Rather than try your luck with a brand new haircut that may or may not be too short, if you get your kids' haircuts during the last two weeks or so of summer, it allows for them to get used to the new style, and allows for a little time for hair to grow out before their images of adolecents are captured forever by a photograph.

4.) Make a folder or cheat sheet to make filling out those back-to-school information sheets easy.

Another inevitable part of the back-to-school ritual is the mountain of paperwork put on parents to fill out in the first few days.

A lot of it is emergency contact info, medical histories, and a list of medicines and allergies for each student, along with insurance information and sometimes even a pick-up/drop-off permission slip. If you can gather all of that information in either a folder or create some sort of document or cheat sheet, it will make filling out all of those forms much easier.

5.) Get your student used to the new state cell phone/technology policies for the state of Maine.

As many parents might already know, Maine public schools will be implementing new, stricter cell phone/technology policies this year because of a new state mandate.

This not only pertains to their phones but also earbuds, tablets, personal computers, and smart watches. The way they are used to doing things could change in a major way, and it would be better to help them start to wrap their minds around these changes now than have them have to add that to the long list of changes they'll already be experiencing that first day.

The dates for the first-day-of-school vary from the end of August to the beginning of September, across the state. Hopefully, by crossing some of these things off your list now, it will make for a smoother transition back to learning in the fall.

Good luck!