Your child might have found the most sought after backpack and all the latest school supplies and tech gear, but are they actually prepared to enter through those classroom doors next week?

If you suspect their answer to that question would be ‘No’ or ‘I’m not sure’, then please read on.

The Royal Gazette asked a handful of teachers and educators to give us their best advice for what students can do to have a successful school year.

Some of their tips take as little as 20 minutes a day, but could make a huge difference by the time those report cards come rolling in.

Make a checklist. Primary Six Teacher Tamika Williams, from Heron Bay Primary, urges students to start making a list of tasks that need to be accomplished each day, whether it’s a new assignment or something simple like packing gym clothes for school the next day. “The checklist should also be based on what they want to accomplish, either at the end of the year or the end of their academic career,” she said.

“This allows them to stay focused and gives them the freedom of doing it themselves, rather than having someone else nagging them to get it done.” This checklist is particularly handy for children known to juggle various extra-curricular activities or those who frequent different households during the week.

Find books that interest you. Ms Williams finds that young people take more to reading when it’s a topic that they care about. She said reading outside of their normal course work will not only help them to improve their vocabulary, but also allows students to develop their own area of expertise.

Study on the road. Student athletes often have to miss school in order to compete in overseas competitions, but this time away shouldn’t be seen as a vacation or a break. Ms Williams encourages students to take their books with them on sports trips, rather than losing out on precious study time.

Read outside the box. Everyone knows that reading every night is important, but sometimes it can be hard when children are exhausted. Educational Therapist, Lindsey Lehman, recommends audiobooks and reading apps, where the words are read aloud and displayed on the screen. She said this technology is “a great way to encourage the positive habit of daily reading on those nights when a child is too tried or worn out”.

Have a ‘Homework Bucket’. Mrs Lehman encourages parents to purchase a plastic shower caddy basket that they can fill with pencils, pens, tape, glue, a ruler, scissors, post-it notes — or anything else a student might need to do their homework. “This basket cuts down on a child leaving the table during homework time to get something which would cause them to be distracted by other things (petting the family dog, getting a glass of water, talking to a sibling, checking the iPad, etc).”

Don’t be afraid to ask if you need help. Stephanie Correia, soon to be a P5 Teacher at Port Royal Primary, urges young people to ask as many questions as they can so they can better understand the material. This simple tool allows them to be successful and take charge of their own education, she said.

Be prepared. Miss Correia said another easy thing students can do is plan ahead to make sure they have all the things they’ll need during the day. “If you have homework or a project, know when they are due so you can be on time,” she added. “Time management is beneficial to learn now because it benefits you in all aspects of your life.”

Get plenty of rest. Stephanie Cordeiro, a Year Five Teacher at BHS, believes it’s important for children to get back into the routine of going to bed early a week before school starts. That way, waking up first thing in the morning isn’t a hassle and a stressful daily thing. “Also, I think it’s so important for kids to have a healthy and filling breakfast in the morning to fuel their brains and get them ready to start the day with lots of energy and the readiness to learn,” Miss Cordeiro said. “I’m also getting myself into the habit of this so I can be ready to teach.”

Read every night. That’s the advice from Somersfield Academy Teacher, Nadia Khan. She said: “I strongly suggest a minimum of 20 minutes of reading age-appropriate material. The benefits of this nightly reading has been well documented and I think sometimes parents and students underestimate the importance of reading. For primary aged students I also suggest practising basic math facts (addition, subtraction, times tables).”

Enjoy your time in school. Ms Khan agrees that school is about learning new things and following rules, but she said: “There’s no reason you can’t be a focused student and have fun!”