School supplies are ready, and some families look forward to new school year

It is the last weekend before school starts and many families are taking this opportunity to soak up some sunshine. 

Carla Campbell is able to focus on fun with her kids this weekend as she completed shopping for school supplies, that was taken care of a few weeks ago. 

“The supply list is out early enough, and I didn’t want to tie up my last couple of weeks of summer worrying about school supply shopping,” she says. 

Her children are going into middle school and high school, and Campbell says they are excited for the new year to begin. 

“My kids love their teachers, they love learning, it’s a great environment for them to be in,” she says. “It’s not a struggle getting them out of the door in the morning.” 

Meanwhile, Jenn says her family made the most of the summer holidays with some family time in nature. 

“We have been enjoying a lot of outdoor time. We also went to a cottage as a family for a week. That was really nice. Stayed at the lake, did some fishing and lots of outdoor stuff,” she says. “And for the most part, just hanging out at home playing with friends.” 

Her kids are mostly looking forward to school, she says with some uncertainty. Jenn explains that it will be the first year of kindergarten for one of her kids and there might be some hesitation there. But she quickly adds that being able to join the older sibling on the school bus is definitely something that is exciting. 

Lisa says her family is thriving in the chaos of summer holidays. Her children spent some time in daycare and day camps over the summer and now they are all taking vacation time to enjoy the last of summer before both children head into school full time. 

“It’s been a little bit cold actually, but I'm hoping for some hot days yet so we can go to the beach and stuff,” she says. 

For many parents, it has been helpful to leave the school supply shopping for the school’s parent advisory councils. Parents just pay a set fee for the package. 

But some families prefer taking the time to go through the store and hunt down the necessary supplies. 

“The kids enjoy back to school shopping,” says Rosie Winter. “It gets them pumped up for a new year.” 

Hot and sunny weather is expected for most of the long weekend and there are many events to enjoy throughout the Southeast. 

Many children will have the opportunity next week to meet their teacher before starting the school year. Visit the school website for more details. 

-With files from Kenton Dyck

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