It’s that time of year again—back to school! Are you worried about the school’s bully? Here are some tips to moderate the bullying at school.

1. Encourage open discussions with your child about bullying. You want to make it an open forum so that your child feels comfortable telling you if he got bullied. Let him or her know that it’s normal to experience sad, angry, or hurt. Figure out a way to tell him he should report the incident and be specific in his descriptions.
2. How did your child try to stop the bullying? Is there a way to avoid the bullying? Either avoidance, new friends, being near adults, finding a different game, etc.
3. Share your concerns with the school itself.

Never encourage your child to confront or fight the bully back. Don’t confront the bully or his family either. Just keep the school informed and make sure your child feels open to talk to you.

Back to School- What to Anticipate for the New Year

1. Kindergarten: Kindergarteners are excited and ready to learn but often scared to leave your side on the first day.  Kindergarten will begin with learning the rules of the classroom, such as taking turns, raising hands, following lines, and working in a group.
2. First Grade: Here comes the homework! In addition to a homeroom teacher, your will interact with art, music and physical education teachers. Since the rules are familiar, this year should be an easier transition from summer than the last
3. Second Grade:  By this age, concentration increases and reasoning skills increase. Responsibilities increase in school, as do  group work and social  skills.
4. Third Grade: This is the year where the focus on reading comprehension, learning new vocabulary words, and identifying plot are important. There will be more homework, more reading, and the introduction of long-term projects.
5. Fourth Grade: Longer books, longer papers, more homework, and social changes abound this year. Outside activities become increasingly important, and social ranks begin to take place at this point. It can be challenging to deal with all of this at once, so it’s important to keep communication open and healthy in your household to make sure your child is managing all the new changes well.

Middle School: As middle school (5^th/6^th grade) begins,  children come into their own as they head toward adolescence. Kids begin using lockers, changing classrooms, and working with different teachers in each subject everyday. Your child will learn how to use a planner, take notes, and how to study. Homework loads increase, as do long-term projects and papers. These changes may seem gradual to you, but it might be hard for your child to keep up with the increased responsibility. Be sure to stay involved with your children, making sure they manage their time, responsibilities, and learn study skills that they will use for the next 10 years. It’s extremely important to instill good habits from day one since it’s something you’ll use for at least another decade.