Starting All Over Again [First Day of 10th Grade]

Posted Aug 24, 2010 by Jeff Houck

Updated Aug 24, 2010 at 04:40 PM

It’s a big day for parents in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties who saw their children off to school this morning for the first day of the 2010-2011 school year. Guest blogger Jeff Houck writes about sending his 15-year-old son, Brian, off for another year of high school.

My son Brian went back to school today. It’s 10th grade, which is not so nerve-wracking as ninth grade, but enough to make me anxious and unable to catch a full breath at the thoughts of another year of pushing and prodding and guiding him through the school year.

When he, his mother and I went to orientation last week, it was apparent how much the summer had changed him. Friends and classmates gawked at his height. (Eyeballing it, he looks as if he tacked on a couple inches.)

Girls squealed and pointed and giggled. Teachers marveled at the growth spurt. It was good to see the surprise my wife and I experienced at home all summer become manifest in other people’s expressions.

Last night, I asked if he had everything ready to go. He insisted that he did.

“I packed my gum and my earbuds…”

Not exactly what I was hoping my young student would say.

“Yes, father,” the fantasy would say to me. “I read all of my summer books. I have labeled all my school supplies. My backpack is ready, I am well-fed and immaculately healthy. I cannot wait for the challenge of cramming more knowledge into my skull.”

Okay, that’s a work of fiction no parent would believe - or hope for. Still, I’d like there to be more priortization than gum and iPods.

Which brings us to this morning.

There he is in his new Michael Jordan shirt with his friends Domenick and Shaun. They’re about to head to the bus stop down the street.

Would you believe the kid on the left got up at 4:45 a.m.?

Would you believe he ran a mile on the treadmill before breakfast?

Yeah. Summer changed the boy alright.

I insist on taking these photos every year. Mostly because I cannot believe how fast they fly by. And, on cue, he insists every year that he’s barely tolerating our tradition.

This was last year’s:

That was his friend, Gabe.

That was the first year of the Dark Walk To The Bus Stop.

It was less hospitable for photo taking, but I managed.

Improvise, adapt, overcome.

Eighth grade.

He wanted that photo shot before his friends Ketchie and Derek walked up.

Seventh grade.

That year, he walked with Robbie to the bus stop.

And so on.

Next year? He’ll probably be driving then.

And I’ll be fainting on the front lawn.

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Speeding in school zones carries heavy fines

Posted Aug 24, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Aug 24, 2010 at 05:15 AM

As hundreds of thousands of students head back to school this week, police are monitoring school zones to make sure drivers stay within the posted speed limits.  Speeding carries the following fines:

  1-9 mph over the speed limit = $156.00
  10-14 mph over the speed limit = $306.00
  15-19 mph over the speed limit = $406.00
  20-29 mph over the speed limit = $456.00
  Over 30 mph = court appearance

Also, officers are patrolling bus stops to drivers are following warning lights and stop signals by school buses. Drivers must come to a stop behind the school bus when the stop signals are activated and the stop arm is extended.

Drivers must stop if coming from the opposite direction unless there is a raised median separating the two directions of travel.

If you don’t stop, you could face a $271.00 fine.

Officers will also be enforcing pedestrian safety including violating the right of way of a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

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Anti-Bullying committee meets Aug. 25

Posted Aug 23, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Aug 23, 2010 at 08:51 AM

From my inbox:

The Hillsborough County Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday, August 25 at 10 a.m. at County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 26th Floor, Conference Room B in downtown Tampa.

The Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee was created by the Board of County Commissioners’ Resolution Number R09-100.  The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and recommendations to curb and eliminate all forms of bullying throughout Hillsborough County.

For more information, call Carol Michel, Criminal Justice, 813-276-2033.

The Hillsborough school district gave The Tampa Tribune the latest stats on school bullying complaints for the 2009-2010 school year – the first year the district solicited anonymous complaints online.  Our FactFinders group analyzed it and added it to their existing database.

In the first semester, 41 of 199 were verified. No arrests resulted.

You can search the year’s worth of complaints by clicking here, but be warned: Some of the descriptions are pretty raw.

You can also click here to read a story from March and click here for an update in June on what the complaints show us about life on campus. Both stories, and the comprehensive database itself, are the work of education writer Sherri Ackerman.

Most of the latest batch of complaints, as before, come from middle and elementary schools. Few came from high schools.

Here are some highlights from the second semester:

Hillsborough High

“Friend was being bullied because he played his Nintendo DS during lunch and was being pushed around and shoved by seniors and you can tell his feelings were hurt.”

Coleman Middle

“Victim was knuckle-punched in the back of the head. Today after lunch was kicked in the genitals which caused him to collapse to the ground. The bullies then “high-fived” over him as he was lying on the ground. He suffers verbal abuse daily, has had his head banged against a concrete wall, books knocked out of his arms and his hat thrown into a dirty toilet bowl.”

Turkey Creek Middle

“He bullies me everyday and calls me names and hits me occasionally.”

Click here to file a bullying complaint with Hillsborough schools.

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School lunch ideas

Posted Aug 20, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Aug 20, 2010 at 09:14 AM

I asked this question on Twitter, “What’s the worst part of going back to school?” Almost immediately, a mom replied, “Having to make two lunches every day.”

So I asked my friends on Facebook for some homemade school lunch suggestions other than PB&J.  Here are their ideas:

•  Cucumber and cheese sandwiches

•  Tuna and cheese wraps

•  Turkey-wrapped cheese sticks

•  Turkey and/or ham sandwiches

•  Mac & cheese

•  Mini-ravioli

•  Soup

•  Chicken nuggets

•  Cereal

•  Bagel flats and cream cheese

•  Fresh fruit or fruit cup

•  Carrot sticks, pepper strips or other veggies

•  Yogurt and granola

•  Go-gurt

•  Hummus and pretzels

•  Applesauce

•  Pudding

•  String cheese

•  Chips

•  Juice box or water

Parents Magazine has a list of forty more ideas, including pasta salad, veggie pizza and hard-boiled eggs. Check them out on www.parents.com. And don’t forget to use a cold pack or thermos!

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School commute do’s and dont’s

Posted Aug 19, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Aug 25, 2010 at 06:24 AM

When you pick up your child from school, day care or camp, do you ask, “What did you do today?” 

You shouldn’t.

Laura Olson, vice president for education at Kiddie Academy and a child care expert with almost 20 years experience in education, put together this list of Do’s and Don’ts to help maximize your time in the car with your kids.

The Do’s:

Do take advantage of learning opportunities. When you are stopped at a red light, count the number of cars that pass by or search for a certain color car. You can also engage your children by having them guess where people in their cars are going, and make up stories based on what they see happening around them. 

Do pack a snack. If your child has been at school all day, bring snack if you have a commute longer than 15 minutes. Something as simple as apple slices and water will help stave off hunger and buy you some time to make dinner once you arrive home.  Since we’re in Florida, you may want to pack everything in a little cooler to keep it fresh.

Do make them comfortable. For younger children having something they can snuggle with, such as a favorite blanket or stuffed animal, can help them get comfortable and unwind during the ride.

Do have structure.  “Kids love to know what’s going to happen next,” Olson said.  “If you can prepare them ahead of time, that will help you get through the day, too.”

Do let them lead the conversation. “You can learn a great deal about your child’s likes and dislikes, and probably learn more than you want to about their friends and their families,” Olson laughed.

Do know their personality.  “My little one is willing to talk from the moment she wakes up until she goes to sleep.  But my older girl is not as verbal,” Olson said.  Follow their cues during your ride home.

The Don’ts:

Don’t force the issue if your child isn’t being talkative. Sometimes children need time to decompress after being around other kids and teachers all day, or like to relax in a calm environment before school.

Don’t always listen to the news. Occasionally playing music that the child likes, such as the Wiggles, Kidz Bop or the Jonas Brothers, can help them chill out after school. If you give them headphones, make sure they don’t have the volume turned up too high, which could cause hearing damage.

Don’t always refuse games. “It’s not good for our kids to be in front of a Nintendo DS or handheld computer game for a long period of time,” Olson said “But if that’s their way to be by themselves after being with 30 loud children, that’s fine for 15 minutes while you’re commuting.”

Don’t just ask, “What did you do today?” Find out from your child’s teachers what they did so you can ask specific questions. “ If you can be more specific, it’s going to help them with their storytelling and language skills,” Olson said.  “What book did you read?  What was your favorite part of the story?  What was your favorite character?”

Don’t forget to tell them about your day, too. Kids love to know what is going on in your life too: what people you work with, what types of activities are part of your day. This also shows them how to tell stories and helps develop their oral language skills.

 

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