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FILE
Some ‘school
survival’
tips include
making sure
your child
eats a good
breakast,
and selecting
the right
backpack.
Back to school ‘survival tips’
for parents, students
BYCOLLIN KELLEY
By the time you read this, some
schools will already be back in session
for 2013-14. Atlanta Public Schools re
sumed classes Aug. 7, and Fulton and
DeKalb county schools on Aug. 12.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has
offered up some survival tips for kids
and parents as the school year routine
begins anew. These tips are some ba
sics for eating properly and maintaining
study habits, as well as selecting a back
pack that is safe and comfortable.
Survival Tips
• Eat breakfast. The old saying “break
fast is the most important meal of the
day” is never more true than when
you’re going to school. Students are
more alert and perform better in
class if they eat a good breakfast.
• Get enough sleep. Studies show that
teens need at least 8V2 hours of sleep
each night to feel rested. Sleep de
privation can lead students to fall
asleep in class (embarrassing if you’re
caught!) and can also make it hard to
concentrate. It can be more produc
tive to get the sleep you need than
it is to stay up late cramming: A re
cent study found that students who
got adequate sleep before a math test
were nearly three times more likely
to figure out the problem than those
who stayed up all night.
• Do more at school and you’ll have
less to do at home. Take advantage
of those times during the school day
when you’re not in class: Review
notes, go to the library or computer
lab, get a head start on your home
work, or research a term paper. You’ll
be thankful later while you’re at the
mall or a concert and your classmates
are stuck at home cramming.
• Be a joiner. One of the best ways
to make friends and learn your way
around is by joining school clubs,
sports teams and activities. Even if
you can’t kick a 30-yard field goal or
sing a solo, getting involved in other
ways — going to a school play, help
ing with a bake sale, or cheering on
friends at a swim meet — can help
you feel like a part of things.
Tips for Choosing and Using
Backpacks
• Consider the construction. Be
fore you grab a new bag off the
rack, make sure it’s got two pad
ded straps that go over your shoul
ders. The wider the straps, the bet
ter. A backpack with a metal frame
like the ones hikers use may give you
more support (although many lock
ers aren’t big enough to hold this
kind of pack). Make use of another
hiking tip: Look for a backpack with
a waist belt, which helps to distrib
ute the weight more evenly across the
body. Backpacks with multiple com
partments can also help distribute
the weight more evenly.
• Balance the load. Before you load
your backpack, adjust the straps so
the pack sits close to your back. If
the pack bumps against your low
er back or your butt when you walk,
the straps are probably too long. Al
ways pack your backpack with the
heaviest items closest to your back.
Don’t drop all your stuff in the main
compartment (using the side pock
ets will distribute the weight more
evenly). Wear both straps over your
shoulders.
• Try a pack with wheels. Lots of kids
use these as an alternative to back
packs, but there are guidelines and
considerations to keep in mind with
this kind of pack, too. Many schools
don’t allow rolling packs because peo
ple can trip over them in the halls.
• Don’t overdo it. Doctors and physi
cal therapists recommend that people
carry no more than 10 to 15 percent
of their body weight in their packs.
This means that if you weigh 120
pounds, your backpack should weigh
no more than 12 to 18 pounds. Use
your bathroom scale to weigh your
backpack and get an idea of what the
proper weight for you feels like.
Robert Di Meglio, MD Joel Rosenfeld, MD
GEORGIA UROLOGY
TREATING PATIENTS.
HEALING PEOPLE.
Specializing in medical and surgical
urological services including:
• Urological cancers (including prostate,
kidney, bladder, and testicular)
• Male and female incontinence
• Kidney stones
• Robotic surgery
• Prostate problems
• Erectile dysfunction
• Urinary tract infections
• Male reproductive health
(including vasectomy)
35 Collier Road NW, Suite M245 | 678-205-8211 | www.gaurology.com
T.J. & Lois
ANDERSON
Residents since 2012
Composer • Conductor
Orchestrator • Professor
Volunteer • School Librarian
Book Reviewer
Atlanta’s premier non-profit continuing care retirement community
The Andersons invite you to discover their Canterbury Court.
0%
Canterbury Court
Life is better among friends
3750 Peachtree Road, N.E. - Atlanta, Georgia 30319 - (404) 261-6611
canterburycourt.org
Among the fascinating people who
live and work at Canterbury Court:
We appreciate spirited discussions and connecting with
NEW INTERESTING FRIENDS.
The idea of retirement community living never really occurred to
the Andersons. Their daughters wanted them close by and willingly
did the research, visiting several communities, and eventually
choosing Canterbury for its welcoming feeling. With T.J. actively
composing most days, their newly renovated apartment had to
provide a gracious home for his piano, as well as expansive art and
book collections. That it also offered a great view of Peachtree
fireworks was icing on the cake.
www.ReporterNewspapers.net | AUG.9—AUG. 22, 2013 | 17
