Students, Parents get ready for schools' opening on Tuesday

In just a few short days the 2012-13 school year will get underway.
Stores will likely be bustling this weekend with the last-minute back-to-school shopping... and students are eager to get back into the classroom.
This is where you hear the familiar sound of a record being scratched.
OK, not every student is ready to go back, but don’t you remember the excitement of the first day of school?
For some, the excitement was getting to strap on that new pair of shoes while others wanted to see friends they hadn’t seen in awhile; still others are anxious to get on with their education. And for many, it’s probably a little of all of these things.
The Harrison County Board of Education has agreed again this year to furnish school supplies for elementary students. This means there’s no need to send a box of crayons or pack of pencils. Everything will be at school and ready for the first day.
There’s something about a new box of crayons. They are all pristine and unbroken.
It’s great that each child will get to experience the same thrills of new stuff, just like the child sitting beside them.
They will miss, however, getting to arrange and rearrange their back packs before school begins on Tuesday.
My children are now beyond school-age. We have no more first days of school to celebrate. But, I can remember their first days like they were yesterday.
I remember standing at the bottom of my driveway as my oldest boarded the big yellow bus for the first time. I was certain I wouldn’t cry. I would be fine.
After all, I had taken her to a baby sitter since she was eight weeks old. How different could going to school be?
Well let me tell you, it was huge.
It was a new chapter, with several more to follow, in her book on independent living.
No matter how prepared you believe you are to send your baby off to school, don’t be surprised when the flood gates open.
It’s my experience that it’s best to let them get on that big bus from the beginning.
I’ve been at every elementary school in Harrison County on the opening day of school. It appears that the most stressed children are the ones whose parents have dropped them off and left them or are still trying to free themselves from the vise-like grip of a 5-year-old.
Heading off to school is a big step for children who have been at home with Mom and siblings all of their young lives.
If you put your child on the bus, they will be met on the other end with the smiling faces of the school staff.
Let your kindergartner know that when they climb down the steps toward these adult strangers that they are there to help them.
For students who will be riding the bus home in the afternoon, that means a bus number being written on their hands in permanent marker.
You know it has to be a scary day. The more they are prepared with what to expect, the less scared they will be.
Have a great year and stow a tissue in your pocket as you head to the bus stop with your new students.
If you have questions, call your school.
Northside, 234-7114
Southside, 234-7120
Eastside, 234-7121
Westside, 234-7115
HCMS, 234-7123
HCHS, 234-7117