7 things parents need to know this school year from Beaufort Co. principals
The day back-to-school commercials have been foreshadowing for weeks is what’s just around the corner: the first day of school.
There’s a sense of anticipation in the air as yellow school buses begin appearing on the road and the store’s school supply section dwindles.
Beaufort County schools start August 21, and The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette spoke with Bluffton Middle School Principal Matthew Hall and Coosa Elementary School Principal Melissa Pender to find out what parents need to know to help their students succeed this school year.
Fast Facts
According to the most recent data provided by the district and the South Carolina School Report Card, Beaufort County School District:
- 32 schools
- About 21,500 students
- 3,165 total employees
- 235 new teachers this year
- 86.2% of students graduated on time compared to the state’s 83.8%
- 22.6 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio in core subjects
- 55.9% overall average poverty rate, compared to the state’s 60.6%
- 25 schools consist of more than 40% low-income students, and all of their students receive meals at no cost
- $320.4 million budget, up 7.5% from last year
Famous Alumni
Pat Conroy - the best-selling novelist was both a student and teacher at Beaufort High
Candice Glover - the singer and American Idol season 12 winner is a St. Helena native
Sean O’Haire - the American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kick boxer went to Hilton Head High School
Scott Mullen - the former Major League Baseball pitcher went to Beaufort High, where he previously coached
What classes would you take if went back to school? Here are some of Beaufort County’s coolest
7 things parents should know
1. Stay up to date with school alerts
One of the ways that the district communicates to parents is through BrightArrow, a text messaging service. It also sends content like SAT words and math problems of the day to students.
Parents and students can opt into the service by texting “yes” to 87569. If you haven’t already, be sure your child’s school(s) have your correct cell phone information.
Individual schools and the district’s Facebook pages are another way to keep up to date with what’s going on. Parents can also ask teachers if their school has a newsletter or other types of communication they should look out for.
2. Don’t expect students to do everything themselves
Hall said that one of the best things parents can do is to support their children in making connections with their teachers and administration.
“Not every student has that skill set to know how to socially interact with each other,” he said. “They just don’t have the self-confidence to step out and do that on their own.”
Hall encourages parents to walk up to teachers, principals and administrators with their students to help them engage in those conversations.
“(They’ll) realize, hey, the principal isn’t this scary person,” he said.
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3. Communicate
This means both with with your student and their teachers.
The principals said parents should ask their students questions about their day and what they’re learning. This helps students feel like their parents are invested in their education and gives an opportunity for parents to understand if something might be wrong. For example, if a child is coming home saying they don’t have homework for weeks on end, that would be a good time to reach out to a teacher.
And if parents are having issues, “cut out the middleman” and take it to the administration instead of social media. Parents can call or email their student’s school.
“We are the ones who have the boots on the ground,” Pender said. “(We) have the answers to make things right for you. So come to us.”
4. Show up to events and get involved in the classroom
It’s the one time Hall says not to listen to students.
“When we have events at school. Their kids are gonna say ‘No Mom, no Dad, don’t embarrass me, don’t show up,’” he said. “I tell my parents to show up. Don’t listen to your child.”
Parents can volunteer for parent-teacher organizations or school improvement councils.
“It’s a great way to be part of the decision-making team in the school,” Hall said.
5. Don’t forget pencils!
The two principals said the most commonly forgotten school supplies are pencils and headphones.
Pender encourages parents who are having financial issues with school supplies to reach out to the administration.
“If we have someone that doesn’t show up (with what they need) on the first day, we give them whatever they need for that day,” she said. “And then if we notice something the next day, we’ll reach out to the families and see if they need any assistance.”
Pender said they do the same for uniforms.
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6. Make sure your student is fully registered
Before students return to school they should have their proof of immunizations and residency. They should also make sure their SNAPCODE information is correct.
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7. Be patient with the buses, pick-up and drop-off
Chief Operations Officer Robert Oetting warns that during the first couple weeks of school the district is still working out the kinks on the bus pick-up and drop-off schedules.
If a student doesn’t get picked up by the bus he said it could one of two things: either a timing issue or a new stop the district wasn’t aware of. He said parents should call their school to let them know so that next time they’ll be picked up. In the meantime, parents would be responsible for getting their child to school.
He said that during the first few days more parents drop off their kids by car, so traffic is heavier than normal.
“They clog up a lot of times the roads and then on day, three or five, their child will ride the bus,” he said. “A lot of times don’t settle into their routines until week two or even possibly week three.”
