You've probably heard the radio ads. It's back-to-school time, and WEAC has pulled together tips from educators and parents on how to get students/sons/daughters ready for the new school year.

One of the features on our Back-to-School Page is a video of 14 WEAC members giving quick tips. Among them:

• Weston teacher Deidre Yirkovsky suggests that parents set a firm bed time for their children "because the sleep really matters once they get to the school day."
• Amery teacher Marie Knutson recommends that parents start packing their child's backpack the night before school to avoid the hectic rush in the morning. "This way you are all ready after breakfast. Wash up, grab that backpack, jump on the bus, and you're ready to go for another great day."
• Southern Door bus driver Ted Chaudoir urges parents to focus on the positive if their children are not yet excited about going back to school. "Just remind them how much fun they will have on that bus and they will be looking forward to the first day of school."

Our online back-to-school features also include the entire Classroom Connections brochure, available as a standard pdf file or a page-turning pdf. In addition, if you just want to read a specific section of the brochure - say about bullying for instance - you can click on the appropriate graphic in the rotating box on the top of the page.

If you haven't already heard WEAC's statewide back-to-school radio ad you will find that on this page also, and we have created a forum where we encourage you to share your back-to-school tips, such as this one from Ellen:

• "This will be our first year in school, so we're talking a lot about what's different between how things are now and how they are going to be, talking about all of the exciting changes. We'll go back to school shopping soon, but are going to wait until a bit closer because time is a hard concept and I want to not 'overdo' the excitement and create unnecessary nerves."

So, what are you doing as an educator to get ready for the new school year? We asked that question on the WEAC Facebook Page, and here are three of the responses we received so far:

• Kati Walsh: "Putting up bulletin boards, putting away new supplies, curriculum planning."
• Rachel Olson: "Getting my room set up and getting scripts for the fall play out to ETC members before auditions on Sept. 1. My room, BTW, was 90 degrees at 11am today. School begins on the 27th and we don't have AC!"
• Julie Mecikalski: "I have 2 classes that I am attending, shopping for classroom supplies, and preparing in my classroom."

This is an exciting time for teachers, education support professionals, parents and children. So, whether it's on Facebook or weac.org, Join the Conversation and let's share ideas so we can all learn from each other!