For some families, that means excitement.
New backpacks. New shoes. New teachers. Seeing friends again.
For others, it means stress.
Schedules change. Mornings get earlier. Lunches need packing. Activities start again. Traffic gets worse. Budgets get tighter.
And for a lot of kids, going back to school comes with a mix of both.
At The Nest, we see a lot of families.
We see parents trying to get through the morning.
We see kids celebrating the last day of school, the first day of school, a good report card, a soccer win, or sometimes absolutely nothing at all beyond the fact that ice cream sounded like a good idea.
And we love that.
Because school is a huge part of any community.
Teachers, education workers, bus drivers, crossing guards, parents, grandparents, volunteers and students all play a part in making it work.
It takes a lot of people.
It also takes a lot of patience.
So as we head toward another school year, this feels like a good time for a reminder:
Be kind.
Be patient with the parent who’s running late.
Be patient with the school bus in front of you.
Slow down in school zones.
Watch for kids who are excited, distracted and occasionally convinced that looking both ways is optional.
Thank a teacher.
Thank a crossing guard.
Give your kid a little grace when they come home exhausted after spending the whole day adjusting to a new routine.
And maybe give yourself some too.
Not every morning is going to go smoothly.
Some lunches will be forgotten.
Some permission forms will disappear into whatever mysterious dimension children’s backpacks connect to.
Somebody will miss the bus.
It will be fine.
What kids remember about these years isn’t usually whether everything went perfectly.
They remember the people.
The teacher who believed in them.
The friend who sat beside them.
The parent who showed up.
The neighbour who knew their name.
The place they stopped for ice cream after something worth celebrating.
That’s community.
And as another school year begins, we’re pretty happy to be a small part of it.
To every student heading back to class, every parent reorganizing life around a school schedule, and every person working in our schools:
We hope you have a great year.
And if the first week is a complete disaster?
We’ll have coffee.
And ice cream.