Search Castle Rock August 2025

We’re so close to the end of summer!Although, it’s not that surprising when youremember we only get two months ofsummer break. Whatever happened to “Back to School”being in September? Oh, come on, don’t look at me likethat. I’m not the one who makes the schedule.Starting the second week of August, kids across DouglasCounty will be headed back to their desks. From enthusiasticteachers and relieved parents to procrastinating kids,back to school brings on a lot of emotions.Light TheFireI should probably have told you from the beginningthat this article will be a bit biased. Not just because I’ma student with some teaching experience, but because Iabsolutely love school. I know - it’s pretty weird in today’ssociety.Even from a young age, back to school fascinated me.The new clothes, new classes, new supplies and newpeople made starting school so exciting! Most kids I knewback in kindergarten and the younger elementary gradeswere excited for school to begin.As students grew older, the enthusiasm for school thatcame easily when they were younger began to disappear.It’s hard to be excited for school when you’re stressedabout summer assignments, pushing yourself to live up tostraight “A” standards, and always feeling overwhelmedby the amount of work you have. I often felt stressed orcompletely overwhelmed by school the older I got.The reason I still love school, and particularly learning,is centered on a quote I came across by Mark Twain.He said, “I have never let my schooling interfere with myeducation.” Once I realized that school and grades werenot the most important thing, I began to focus more onfurthering my knowledge and broadening my experiences.This relieved so much of the stress and pressure from me,and I was able to center my efforts on purely learning.I still worked hard, doing all my assignments and studyingfor my tests, but the attitude was different now. When youfocus on a single letter grade for an entire semester ofinstruction and experience, you miss out on so much. I sawthat the more you enjoy learning, the more working ongrades came naturally.As summer comes to an end and we head back toschool, I hope parents, teachers, and students will allremember what school really is about. When we light thefire of wanting to learn and become educated, that iswhen school becomes truly wonderful.SamiaHS Graduate 20198 SEARCHCASTLEROCK

First Day of SchoolAdvice for Parents, from Parents and TeachersIf you have little ones, chances areyou’ve seen the movie “FindingNemo” dozens of times. You’ll recallthat scene early on, when Marlin isterrified of sending Nemo off to schoolfor the first time. He’s overly cautious,dubious of new experiences andterrified that something will happen toNemo. Later in the movie, Dory putsthings in perspective by telling Marlin,“Well, you can't never let anythinghappen to him. Then nothing wouldever happen to him.” Letting go ofsome of those fears and embracingthe amazing things that are to comefor your little one starting school is justpart of growing up… for us parents!Perhaps you have some of the sameconcerns our readers shared with us:“I am worried about the longer day.Preschool was only 2 1/2 hours;kindergarten is a full day. I am worriedthat I won’t have her ready. Will sheknow her letters and numbers beforeshe goes? I don’t want her to bebehind.”The longer day can be a little difficultto adjust to for kids at the start of theyear, but it’s a quick adjustment.Making sure they are getting to bedand getting enough sleep each nightis paramount; establishing a routinewill help in all aspects of bedtime andgetting up and ready for their day.Kindergartners come from all differentexperiences. Some have been in fullday preschool/child care, some comefrom a part time Pre-K experience andothers may not have experienced anykind of school environment yet. If youdo have major social or academicconcerns at the start of the year, thebest thing to do is schedule a time tospeak to your child’s teacher.“I was worried about her riding the busand that she wouldn’t find her way toclass initially. As time went on, I worriedabout how others would treat her; she isso sweet and sensitive. Was she safe atschool?”The bus can be a big deal for kids.It’s daunting and super exciting, allat the same time. If you’re worriedabout them getting on and off at theright spot don’t be afraid to talk to thebus driver, they can always give yourkiddo a little extra TLC until they getthe hang of it. Also, see if there’s anolder kid at their stop that can buddyup with them until they (and you) area little more confident. As far as peerrelationships go, that’s something wehave very little control over, other thanto prepare your child, as best you can,for interacting with others. Trust thatyour little one will meet lots of kids theyenjoy spending time with in and out ofschool. School safety is paramount.Yes, teachers are there to educatetheir students, but their safety and wellbeing are top priority. If parents havespecific concerns about safety, theyshouldn’t hesitate to talk to the schoolstaff about their policy and proceduresso you are fully advised on everythingthey do to keep students, staff andvisitors safe at school.“My middle child will be going into 1st.He has anxiety (like we see a doctorkind of anxiety). Kindergarten wasan amazing year for him. He lovesschool, his teacher and friends. Hegrew amazingly in both social andacademic areas. I’m worried about thisyear. I’m worried that he’s not goingto be as comfortable and is going tohate school. He shuts down completelyonce his anxiety kicks in.”Kids feed off of parent anxiety andvice versa, so the more parents canspeak definitively and be matter-offact,the better. Remind your childwhat he’s accomplished so far andalways take the time to celebrate thelittle successes. Maybe go outsideand blow bubbles while talking aboutthings causing any anxiety to reinforcedeep breathing. Also, it’s importantto engage kids in anything havingto do with numbers. Try counting inpatterns or do simple fun math games.It’s proven that your brain can’t beanxious at the same time it’s engagedin activities that demand left brainfunction. Another good idea is to setsome fun dates (outings, movies, etc.)to look forward to that he can focus onwhen he needs a happy place.“My oldest is going into 3rd. She isacademically advanced (she isworking on a 6th grade level). I’mworried about keeping her engagedand challenged.”Wow! That’s amazing. On the onehand, a skilled teacher will recognizeand challenge her. On the other hand,there truly is only so much a teachercan do given the 20+ other kids in theclass. Be sure to talk with her teacherand the administration to make sureshe is getting the interventions neededthroughout the year. Also, maybe seeabout other enrichment activities theymay offer after school like roboticsor chess to peak her interest. Findactivities, not necessarily all focused onthe academic, that challenge her andengage her at home.“And then my youngest... heaven helphis teachers. He starts Pre-K this year.He is academically and socially readybut he is a handful. I worry about himbecause he is a social butterfly. I don’twant him getting in trouble and thendeciding that he hates school. But onthe other hand, I also don’t want himto charm his way out of trouble. It’s aCatch 22.”Pre-K teachers are a very specialbreed. Their patience and creativityseems to be limitless, and many daysthat is a good thing! So much of Pre-Kand even Kindergarten is learninghow to be a little human. The socialand emotional growth children gainbuild confidence and demonstratea readiness to learn. Every child whocomes to Pre-K has that same lackof school day experience, but thoseteachers can work magic. Give ‘em aweek and watch what happens.AUGUST 2025 9