Returning to routines helps students get off to a good start during new school year

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-One educator after the other said getting back into a routine and going to bed early are top tips for the start of the new school year.

Friday is the first day in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Some schools suggests having a back to school rehearsal by visiting the school, especially if it is a new school.

Adam School Principal Kelly Fresch said the day before school starts has a fun name.

"Tomorrow is actually called School Year's Eve which is so exciting. It is the day before school starts."

The Adam school mascot is a tiger and the tiger will help them with the roll out of the new school year.

"Our tigers absolutely love coming on campus to find out who their classroom teacher is every year, " said Fresch, "We invite all of the families, we will have our tiger here, we will have bubbles, and popsicles and we will welcome them to campus. They can peak inside the classroom to see who their teacher is going to be and what their classroom is going to look like so they are ready on the first day of school."

Educators say getting back into a routine and getting a good night's sleep are top tips for the start off in a positive way.

Many educators including Adam Asst. Principal Hortencia Corral are parents,too.

"Build a routine in your home, get your child to be on time so they will wake up in time so they are not stressed to get to school and you are not fighting to get a child to school, " said Corral.

Young children will starts their school day at the same time as last year, but under California law high school students will start a half an hour later than usual, but even that will take some getting used to.

Many students will be going to new schools and that can feel scary.

Putting clothing out the night before, packing lunches, and buying the books and notebooks can help reduce anxiety.

Ella Banting recommends getting organized.

The high school senior stopped by Chaucer's Books to buy a book while on vacation.

Banting visited UCSB and said she knows applying to colleges her senior year will be a lot of work, but she said being organized has always made her feel more confident when a new school year begins.

Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Hilda Maldonado sent welcome letters to families in her district.

The letter covers the first day of school and highlights a new program called "Off and Away" that will empower teachers to balance the use of technology including cell phones, laptops, iPads and smartwatches.

She said the goal is to protect the learning zone.

Even so, school websites have gone high tech.

Corral works on the Adam School website and said parents can find a lot of information on school websitesm including school calendars.

"One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to be involved, " said Corral, "so really reach out to your school find out no matter what skills you have you always have a skill that can be useful in a school."

She said a parent who speaks Spanish could volunteer to read to a child for just 15 minutes a day.

There will be a lot of new faces in the district this year and Maldonado said they now have enough bus drivers for the first day of elementary school, but they are still working to hire more.

Back-to-school tips and strategies will also be the subject of a summer speaker series online.

Community Memorial Health System has invited Dr. Sun M. Lee to talk and take questions on Thursday Aug. 18 at 6p.m. To register for the free seminar log on visit www.cmhshealth.org/RSVP