Back to School Transition Tips

The start of a new school year can cause anxiety for children, adolescents, and parents.  Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County would like to share a few tips to ease the transition of summer vacation to returning back to school. The following tips are meant to assist children with alleviating symptoms of school anxiety.

• Address Back to School Jitters. Parents and caregivers should not assume they understand the reason behind their child’s back to school jitters. An open discussion with children and adolescents allows them an opportunity to explore their feelings and concerns with a trusted individual. Parents are then able to better direct support where it is needed. For example, a child may be having concerns about not being able to make new friends during the school year. Parents can provide a supportive environment by reminding children of past successes in order to ease their anxiety. According to Tara Gleeson, pediatric nurse practitioner at Goryeb Children’s Hospital, parents may wish to encourage their child to think about what are the things they are most looking forward to about starting school and what they are not looking forward to once they go back to school.

• Restart Routines. Prepare approximately two weeks in advance in order to allow kids adequate time to adjust to a new schedule. Follow regular bedtimes and breakfast mealtimes, and maintain the same sleep schedule on the weekends. Kids generally have more flexibility during the summer months and will need extra time to adjust to going to bed earlier and waking up earlier in the mornings. Penn State Extension recommends making a few practice runs of the morning routine to ensure you and the children have plenty of time built into your schedule for getting to school on time.

• Go Over Ground Rules. Establishing guidelines prior to the beginning of the school year will ensure you and your children are on the same page once school is in session. The Scholastic website recommends going over tricky topics including: Can your child watch television after finishing homework? How late can friends visit on school nights? When and where should homework be completed? Discussing the rules beforehand will help children understand what is expected of them once they return back to school.

• Engage in Extracurricular Activities. Recreational activities outside of school are a great way for children to cope with stress and anxiety. Whether its sports, dance, theater, or science, extracurricular activities gives kids another arena to demonstrate mastery and competence, which is important to their self-esteem and identity development. According to the Child Mind Institute, older kids especially benefit from after school activities because it provides a form of protection against dangerous behaviors including substance abuse.

• Manage Your Own Anxiety. It’s important to maintain a positive attitude about summer ending and school starting, advises child psychologist Edward Christopherson, “If you are nervous about school starting, then your child is certainly going to be nervous about returning back to school.” Parents and caregivers also benefit from following the back to school tips because it provides structure and alleviates stress and confusion about what to expect once school begins.

Anxiety is a normal response to life stressors, however, if your symptoms are difficult to manage and interfering with your life, it is important to seek professional help. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues, we are here to help.

Mercer County Teens and Naval Cadet Credit Their Leadership Roots to Philanthropy

Over 600 people joined the Jewish Community Youth Foundation’s (JCYF) annual Philanthropy Fair and Check Presentation Ceremony, held Feb. 22 at Robbinsville High School. Over $72,000 was distributed to 24 programs by 170 area teens representing 17 Synagogues, 12 Middle Schools and 21 High Schools.

JCYF is a teen philanthropy program and a project of Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County and funded by the Ricky and Andrew J. Shechtel Philanthropic Fund and the Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks.  The program has disbursed over $600,000 since its inception 12 years ago.

Highlights from the evening included JCYF Alumnus and Naval Academy Cadet, Darren Freedman of East Windsor addressed the audience regarding how the skills he learned in JCYF translated to his leadership experience at the Naval Academy.   Freedman stated, “JCYF is unique in that it combines decision-making and critical thinking skills with group dynamics and peer leadership.  The result is a program that gave me important skills that have served me well in many ways as well as strengthen my connection to the greater Jewish community.”  The Jewish Community Youth Foundation awarded JCYF’s Annual Alumni Award to Molly Fisch-Freidman for her outstanding work post JCYF at Princeton University and the American Jewish Committee.   Rabbi Jay Kornsgold of Beth El in East Windsor delivered a D’var Torah on the importance of helping others.

Molly Fisch-Friedman of Princeton Junction, a junior at Princeton University and a 2012 JCYF graduate, won the fifth annual JCYF Distinguished Alumni Award for her participation in many philanthropic and community service activities. She received a $360 award which she will donate to Greenwood House, an organization that provides skilled nursing, assisted living, short-term rehabilitation, homecare services, hospice care and kosher meals on wheels to Seniors. Fisch-Friedman told the current JCYF participants: “Participating in JCYF showed me that small actions, like donating time or money, can improve the lives of people across the world, and every little bit of philanthropy can contribute to something great.”

Peri Feldstein of Princeton, said, “I am so proud to have gained leadership experiences by participating in JCYF. The program is unique in its mission, and executes it in a way that breeds collaboration and instills Jewish values of giving in all of us. I’m excited to take what I’ve learned here at JCYF with me to college and beyond!”

For more information, contact Celeste Albert, coordinator of teen programs at JFCS of Greater Mercer County, at 609-987-8100 x210 or celestea@jfcsonline.org, or visit www.jfcsonline.org/jcyf .