Back To School

POST AND COURIER stories

1st job, 1st day: New teacher begins his classroom career in familiar surroundings

By DIETTE COURRÉGÉ
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Mark Christian wasn't sure what he should teach on the first day of school, but he winged it.

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Event helps kick off school year

BY DIETTE COURRÉGÉ
The Post and Courier
Monday, August 17, 2009
Olivia Brown enjoyed the breeze and the music while sitting on a bench surrounded by reusable shopping bags stuffed with free school supplies.

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Summer break? Not for some; Behind-the-scenes staff keep busy during vacation

BY DIETTE COURRÉGÉ
The Post and Courier
Monday, August 17, 2009
Summertime might be a relaxing break for students and teachers, but it's the busiest time of year for hundreds of school district employees.

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Sparkling new Cane Bay Elementary awaits students

BY DIANE KNICH
The Post and Courier
Friday, August 14, 2009
Principal Michelle Rogers brings strong Berkeley County traditions to the new Cane Bay Elementary School.

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Pye: Get everyone to next level

BY DIANE KNICH
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Since 1999, Joe Pye has been superintendent of Dorchester District 2, where many move to take advantage of high-quality schools.

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In Berkeley, children at center

BY DIANE KNICH
The Post and Courier
Monday, August 10, 2009
Berkeley County schools Superintendent Anthony Parker points to an inspirational team-development video featuring the Blue Angels, the Navy's dazzling flight demonstration squadron, playing on his computer.

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Charleston superintendent prepares for third year

BY DIETTE COURRÉGÉ
The Post and Courier
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Charleston County School Superintendent Nancy McGinley oversaw the closing of five schools, made adjustments to absorb $16 million in mid-year budget cuts and learned to work with three new school board members this past year. This year, her top priority is improving students' literacy.

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Deciding what to bring to college made easier by Web sites, checklists

BY ELIZABETH LASETER
The Post and Courier
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The ideal college checklist: comforter, alarm clock, desk lamp ... and duct tape? The frantic quest for dorm room supplies has begun. And Sarah Wilson, an incoming freshman at Presbyterian College in Clinton, is searching the aisles, list in hand.

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College life

BY ELIZABETH LASETER
The Post and Courier
Monday, July 27, 2009
Lindsay Sasser, a rising junior and student mentor at the College of Charleston, remembers the first two weeks of her freshman year as the most difficult.
She lived in New Hampshire before she headed down South for college.

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Educated choices

BY ELIZABETH LASETER
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
"Everything in moderation" is the best advice that Lindsay Barr, health educator at the College of Charleston, can give freshmen to stay healthy and avoid piling on extra pounds. While everyone likely has heard that saying one too many times, it really is the truth, she said.

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LOWCOUNTRY PARENT stories

ABC to 123

It's a brand-new school year! Our little learners are tasked with more educational responsibility and meeting higher expectations than last year.

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A Prickly Position

Kids routinely get vaccinated at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 year and 15 months. They also receive vaccines between the ages of 4 and 6 and again around age 12, says Dr. Terrence Steyer, associate professor of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Vaccines prevent children and adults against severe disease states and against complications from common infections, he says.

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Controversy and Vaccines

Controversy ignited in the late 1990s following a study described in The Lancet - a leading general medical journal and specialty journal in Oncology, Neurology and Infectious Diseases - that proposed a connection between the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine and autism

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Education/Supplies

Setting Up a Homework Station

Success in school is a marriage of many factors. Proper study habits and continued education at home are some of those factors.

"The assignment of homework, over time, serves to foster the kinds of qualities that are critical to learning -- persistence, diligence, and the ability to delay gratification," says Janine Bempechat, author of "Getting Our Kids Back on Track: Educating Kids for the Future" (Jossey-Bass, 2000). "These [skills] become increasingly necessary as students graduate to higher levels of scholarship in middle school, high school, and beyond." Read More

Extracurriculars

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace ... What?
Tips for Parents -- Talking to Your Teens About Social Networking

It's no secret young people growing up today are more technologically advanced than older generations like the Baby Boomers. In those days, communicating with friends was done primarily by talking on the telephone, writing a note or speaking face-to-face. There was no e-mailing, text messaging, IM'ing (instant messaging) or posting comments on each other's personal Web pages. Read More

School Costs/Money

College Prep: Home Sweet Dorm 101
Tips to help you save time and money

With millions of students headed to college this fall, chances are you may know a member of the graduating class of 2009. Soon both grads and their parents will begin seeking advice on how to prepare for this exciting but challenging time of life. Challenges like what to bring, how to get it to school and how to fit it into a room the size of a closet can seem daunting -- the experts at Bed Bath & Beyond recommend following some simple steps to help make getting to school as stress free as possible without breaking the bank. Read More