Time to start Back to School prep

Now is the time to start preparing to go back to school.  With only a month left before school starts back in Oconee County, Superintendent Dr. Mike Lucas is encouraging parents to begin preparing their kids now.  “They need to start now getting back into the routine.  One thing I would encourage parents to do and I did put on my blog a list of website where parents can go, it is hard to believe but when we start back for the first six weeks we re-teach some things that we had the year before because kids forget.  So, I would encourage parents to look at our website and if they have kids make sure they go to some of those websites to look at some fun educational activities they can do this summer.” Time in the car can serve as a great learning environment, adds Dr. Lucas.  “Of course, parents can help us out by making sure that time in the car is spent productively with Math facts and all kinds of things that they can do as they drive down the road.” Dr. Lucas offers this advice on summer learning activities to parents of middle and high school aged students.  “One of the things that are real important with the Common Core of State Standards is being able to write persuasively and they actually call it argumentative literacy.  If you have ever run into a middle school kid, they love to argue and so what I would say is take some news events and things of that nature and have kids back up their opinion based on certain facts.  That is very easy to do, especially with upper elementary, middle and high school kids.  Do not say this is the way I want it, ask for specific details.  How would you support your argument in favor of that?” Teachers in the School District of Oconee County return to school on August 13 and students go back on August 20.  For summer learning activities and suggestions, visit the School District of Oconee County’s website at www.oconee.k12.sc.us.