Counselor: Routine, Attitude Key To School Return

With the new school year about to begin, positivity and routine are the best ways for parents to get children ready to return to class.

Cookeville High School Counseling Department Head Julie Smith said students can struggle during the first weeks of school as they readjust to the structure and responsibility they have not had all summer. Smith said parents can help with the transition by encouraging students to develop healthy morning and bedtime routines before the first day of school.

“Just be an encouraging side for us,” Smith said. “As far as parents go, I think that that’s positive. So if parents are positive about starting school, I think that that falls, you know, down into their children and their students and be helpful for them.”

Smith said it is important for parents to get involved in the transition so teachers can collaborate with them to make the process as smooth as possible.

She said that although it is more common in elementary and middle school, parents need to take part in school activities, to help your student feel supported regardless of grade level.

“Parents sort of, you know, naturally tend to not be as involved at the high school level because they’re teenagers and sometimes they don’t want you to be involved in school,” Smith said. “But just, you know, coming to activities, staying present, following our Instagram and our Facebook pages for Cookeville High School to know like what exciting events we have coming up, what’s going on at school outside of the school day. We want to bring fun back into our school, and I think we’re doing that.”

Smith said parents in Putnam County can also use the PowerSchool program to stay informed about what is happening at school and how their students are doing.

“PowerSchool is just a huge key for parents to be involved,” Smith said. “They can see attendance through their PowerSchool portal, they can see grades, they can see postings, and have that communication piece. And that is just super, super important for parents to be aware of, you know, what classes my kids are attending, what teachers they have, what their grades are, and what their attendance looks like is a key, key component of students being successful in school of all grade levels.”

Smith said having parental support is so important because students spend the majority of their day at school, so any improvements in their relationship with school will have a large impact on them.