Starting School Year Right

We're back to school this week, and I want to make the year go smoothly. What are some of the really important things to do to make this happen? -- For a Great Year
Answer: To make the school year go smoothly, a family discussion really helps. Talk about the things that worked will last year and those that didn't. Focus on such everyday activities as the time to get up, go to bed, eat and do homework. It also is important to discuss how the children will organize getting everything ready for the new school day, get forms signed and handle lunch. Early agreement on all these things is important. Nothing, however, should be written in stone. Routines can be changed if they are not working.
Once the nitty-gritty of each day is organized, parents need to focus on the things that they can do to make the school year look a whole lot better. For many families, the answer is to slow things down to be able to avoid feeling exhausted and tense from too many activities. A steady diet of rushing to ballet, sports and clubs for the children and meetings and exercise classes for the parents can just about eliminate the chance for family members to relax or enjoy family time.
One thing that we advocate is making time for everyone to have dinner together. This should not be a time to bring up problems, discipline children or nag. It should be a time to enjoy family members and to share what everyone has been doing. Funny jokes and interesting news can enliven meals. For example, "Can you guess what happened yesterday to Grandpa and Grandma when they went to an amusement park?" Or "Did you know that our math teacher will be on Jeopardy"?