Starting school in a new year can be a time of great excitement, and anxiety. The tips below will help you calm your child’s fears and yours.

Also, we have highlighted security tips for students, head of schools and anyone who desires a more secured academic year for their wards.

For kids, one of the biggest back-to-school fears is “Will I like my new teacher?” Breaking the ice early on is one of the best ways to calm everyone’s fears. Take advantage of your school’s open house or back-to-school reception. Some teachers welcome phone calls or e-mails — another great opportunity to get to know each other before the year begins.

If personal contact with the teacher isn’t possible, try locating the teacher’s picture on a school website or in a yearbook, so your child can put a name with a face. If your child’s teacher sends a welcome letter, be sure to read the letter together.

Tour the school

If your school hosts an open house, be sure to go. Familiarizing yourself and child with the environment will help avoid a nervous stomach.  Together you can meet your child’s teacher, find her desk, or explore the playground.

Connect with friends

A familiar friend can make all the difference when heading back to school. You might try calling parents from last year’s class and finding out which children are in your child’s class this year. Refresh these relationships before school starts by scheduling a play date or a school carpool.

Tool up

Obtain the class supply list and take a special shopping trip with your child. Having the right tools will help him feel prepared. While keeping basic needs in mind, allow for a couple of splurges like a cool notebook or a favorite-colored pen. These simple pleasures make going back to school a lot more fun.

School supply lists also provide great insight into the schoolwork ahead. Get your child excited about upcoming projects by explaining how new supplies might be used. Let him practice using supplies that he’s not used before — such as colored pencils or a protractor — so he will be comfortable using them in class.

Avoid last-minute drilling

When it’s almost time to stop playing, give a five-minute warning. Giving clear messages to your child is very important.

Chat about today’s events and tomorrow’s plans

While it is important to support learning throughout the summer, don’t spend the last weeks of summer vacation reviewing last year’s curriculum. All kids need some down time before the rigors of school begin. For some kids, last-minute drills can heighten anxiety, reminding them of what they’ve forgotten instead of what they remember.

Ease into the routine

Switching from a summer to a school schedule can be stressful to everyone in the household. Avoid first-day-of-school mayhem by practicing your routine a few days in advance. Set the alarm clock, go through your morning rituals, and get in the car or to the bus stop on time. Routines help children feel comfortable, and establishing a solid school routine will make the first day of school go much smoother.

Schools Should Mend Broken Walls or Fences

Prior to resumption, a security risk assessment is expected to be carried out in order to guard against a security breakdown. Most schools usually equip their laboratories and buy other valuable equipment during the holidays.

When you have your school walls or fences broken, you leave yourself open to an attack from the ‘men of the unknown’. A security risk assessment would have opened your eyes to the need to mend a broken wall. As a school administrator you might not be aware of a broken wall especially if you have a large expanse of land.

Employ the Services of a Security Guard

Security guards are men and women who have been trained on how to guard you in the most civil way. Their job is to make you worry less about your safety. They more or less help you bestow confidence in the mind of students and staff; they don’t have to be scared on being attacked by a criminal.

Get Familiar with Your School’s Security

Tertiary institutions are expected to have a security post/station where they meet to strategise on ways to better police the school, resolve conflicts and detain suspects.

New students are expected to familiarise themselves with the school’s security protocols. Basic information like time for gate closure and openings are few things you should know as a student.

Know the security officer and their designations, name tags on officer can help you identify them by name.