Even though we're still in the thick of summer, "Back to School" is looming. For parents, this often means a series of interconnected logistics, inventory and personnel puzzles staring at us dead in the face. How does Kid A get to School 1 with lunch money, soccer equipment, after-school snack and completed homework in hand? Now add Kid B, with equal amounts of accoutrements, and bless you if this child is going to a different school or daycare setting. 

UPS and FedEx? They've got nothing on parents.  

If the thought of all this coordination sounds daunting, let me share a few tips and tricks to help you on your "Back to School" journey:

1. Family Calendar

We've all heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child." Ain't that the truth? Chances are it's not just one person organizing school, sports and other activities for your family. Get a family calendar and put it in a place where everyone can see it, like the refrigerator. It can be a paper calendar or white board--whatever works for you. 

Start your calendar by filling it out with school breaks, business trips and the like. If you can visually see what is going on it will be easier to pinpoint where you're double booked or need help. Go ahead and get your calendar started by putting on important Denver Academy dates. 

For techy families, check out the Cozi app. It's a free app where you can share calendars, shopping lists and more. The whole family can access it (Grandma too!) anytime, anywhere. Available for Apple, Android or Windows devices.   

2. Sports Physicals and Immunizations

Doctors' offices are slammed in August because, you guessed it, everybody waited until the last minute to try and get sports physicals and updated immunizations. Print out the DA Physical and Athletic Emergency forms, familiarize yourself with immunization requirements and schedule your appointment now before the rush starts. 

3. Lunch

Hands down the easiest thing to do about lunch is just to have your child buy hot lunch from the school. Denver Academy uses Michael's of Denver to cater hot lunch. Michael's of Denver lets parents create an account and pay online. That way you won't have to worry about kids losing the money or pocketing it for Yu-Gi-Oh cards. 

If you brown bag it, I like to take the kids to Costco with me a few weeks before school starts and have them pick out some of their own snacks. That way, there's less complaining about what's for lunch because they picked it out. 

4. School Supplies

Have you ever wandered from Walmart to Walmart looking for hard to find school supplies? Look no further. Many schools have a service where you can pre-order school supplies and they'll show up on your student's desk on the first day of school. Thank you to the Denver Academy Parents Association (DAPA) for arranging just this sort of time-saving miracle. You can find the order form here. The deadline is August 4th.   

5. After School Activities

Your job doesn't end at 2:30 p.m. so you can leave and pick up your kids from school? Mine neither. Whether your kids are little and really do need supervision or if they're older and could just use an after school activity, start thinking now about what they're going to do after school. Some activities have limited space or have paperwork hurdles (see sports physicals above), so it behooves you to be on the ball.

For the younger ones, DA offers aftercare and our Elementary Sports Program (ESPm). At the middle school and high school level, students can enjoy a variety of clubs and sports (see start dates in High School and Lower School News below).  

By starting to work on a few of these logistics now, you can enjoy those lazy days of summer  just a little bit more, knowing that you've got "Back to School" covered. Happy planning!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Barry

Director of Marketing (& busy mom of two)

Denver Academy