OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — The start of school is just a week away for Jefferson County and Oldham County Schools students.
What You Need To Know
- Oldham County and Jefferson County students return to school Aug. 10
- Doctor encourages families to get back into a routine before the first day
- Families should get back into sleep schedule and regular scheduled meals
For 5-year-old Cooper Reynolds, he has some mixed emotions heading back to the classroom.
“I can’t wait to meet my new friends, but I’m excited and I’m scared to go to my new school,” Cooper Reynolds said.
Nerves are normal in Cooper’s situation. He’s making the switch from preschool to kindergarten in just a week.
“Longer days, all day long,” Cooper’s mom, Samantha Reynolds, said. “Really, I think it’s him just going, going, going. It’s going to be very long for him and us. I think that first month is getting back into the swing of things.”
A big transition that starts with getting back into a routine.
Something Dr. Mark Brockman Jr., pediatrician with Norton Children’s Medical Group, stresses what kids need to do in order to do their best work.
“You don’t want to hit the ground right off the bat with being tired at school, being exhausted, really not knowing what to expect,” Brockman said. “So children two weeks prior should really start to get into a routine, what time they go to bed, what time they get up.”
Brockman also encourages families to have regular meals. Something Samantha Reynolds has already picked up on and hopes to practice school lunch routines with her son soon.
“That is our main concern, not totally necessary what he eats but actually eating,” Samantha Reynolds said. “That’s actually something we need to work on next week. I actually bought lunch containers, so hopefully he can flip open all the latches.”
Doctors also recommend getting back into reading, which hasn’t been an issue for the Reynolds family.
“My mom read to me. She read a lot of the Harry Potter books to me when I was young,” Samantha Reynolds said. “So reading them with him and the same with my husband, it’s just a huge nostalgia.”
As children return to school, Dr. Brockman also encourages parents and families to monitor their children’s health. Looking for signs of COVID and not sending students to school if they are experiencing symptoms like fever, shortness of breath or cough and/or to get checked by their physician.
Students at Oldham County and Jefferson County Schools will return for their first day on Wednesday, Aug. 10.