Summers seem to flit away faster than a heartbeat and, before you know it, fall has arrived. Aug. 20 is the first day of school for Miami-Dade County and with that knowledge comes a wave of preparations that will leave many doing last-minute checks on everything back-to-school.

Summer reading is one preliminary step students should take to prepare for the upcoming school year. The first tests or quizzes administered for the year are based — more often than not — on those district-selected books. It’s also important to keep reading throughout summer for other reasons. Books, newspapers and magazines reinforce what students learned the previous year, giving them an extra edge.

“I once spent a whole summer without reading and when I went back to school it was like trying to do something I hadn’t done for a while. I was rusty,” said Lisa Junco, a senior at Miami Killian High. “In comparison to when I did read, I fell into the flow of the school year a lot more smoothly.”

Now, the obvious: Have a book bag, pens and notebook paper handy on that first day. There is nothing more bothersome than asking someone for materials, especially so early in the school year.

Make sure to get those eight valuable hours of sleep, which have a significant effect on the way we function. Eat a good, healthy breakfast. When people are hungry, they are more likely to be unfocused and are prone to zoning out.

“For teens, the nutrients taken in at breakfast set the tone for the whole day. Studies have also shown that teens who eat breakfast make better food choices all day long,” Theresa A. Niklas, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, told Agricultural Research magazine.

Make sure to take notice of what you put on your body as well. Check out the school’s dress code. Many schools are now enforcing uniforms and will give students only a few days to get them before they are penalized. Know the rules and regulations regarding what can and cannot be worn. Don’t go to school looking like you just picked your clothes out of your dirty laundry hamper; make sure you look clean and crisp.

“We encourage students to wear their uniforms from day one; we’ve never had a big uniform problem. Once you start telling kids that they have one week, two weeks or a month to get their uniforms in order than they leave it off till the last minute because they just don’t like to wear them,” said Highland Oaks Assistant Principal Adalys Perez.

Health paperwork is also a main part of that first day of school. Make sure immunizations are up to date and that you’ve turned in the proof.

If you’re new to the school, keep your map and schedule handy. Getting lost on your first day is not a good way to start the year. If possible, tour the layout before school starts, so you have a better idea of where everything is that first day.

Now that you know how to start off on the right foot, here are some tips for keeping pace the rest of the year:

*Turn in all your homework, and do any extra credit that’s up for grabs. Missing even one assignment can put a dent into your class GPA.

*Raise your hand: Don’t yell out answers or saunter out of class to use the bathroom.

*Do not become the self-proclaimed peanut gallery for the class and comment on everything the teacher says. Be an active, not annoying, participant.

*And always, no matter what, try to get to class on time. Don’t rush in right when the bell rings; arriving a minute or two early is ideal.

Intern Nathalia Rojas is a senior at Southwest Miami Senior High.

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