CPSB Superintendent says start preparing now for the new school year

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - The clock is starting to tick towards the beginning of the new school year. That means it’s time to start getting children into the back-to-school routine.

“I was a kid for a long time too, right? So, I don’t think any kid is raring to go back. A lot of them are ready to see their friends again but the bottom line is that teachers are ready for them again,” Jason VanMetre, Calcasieu Parish School Board Superintendent, said.

VanMetre explains that a child might become more excited to attend school based on the reaction from a parent.

“One of the things we can do, both parents and teachers alike, is talk about the excitement that we have to have them back and start that new year. You know, positivity is contagious and when parents are positive about that experience, and you know the teachers are going to be positive, the kids are going to be too,” VanMetre said.

Children might want to stay home and sleep until noon and play video games for the remainder of the summer, but it’s important to begin getting our children ready for that first day back.

“The first thing we can do as parents is start that process of getting the schedule again. One of the things about summer is maybe the schedule becomes a little bit lax. Start them getting up a little bit earlier again, so you are not on the very first day of schedule having to wake up early again and everybody is grouchy,” VanMetre said.

Moving mealtimes, reading books, and slowly shifting sleep schedules are three of the many ways you can get your children back into that school routine.

The school board wants parents to know they are excited to welcome students back into the classrooms for a new year.

“We are so ready for all the kids in Calcasieu to be back, for the teachers to be back as well. It’s going to be a great year and it only happens because of the great people in Calcasieu,” VanMetre said.