TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) -- School bells are ringing across North Florida and South Georgia and we are celebrating on WTXL Sunrise with "Back To School Week"!
HOME AND GARDEN: For college students, dorm rooms don't have to be bare and dull. In this week's "Home & Garden", Katie Jones and Stephanie Sadler with Michael's craft store join us to show off a few fun crafts students can use to decorate their dorms. (Watch VIDEO to see more)
TEEN TALK: Family therapist and WTXL contributor Jane Marks join us to talk about best tips and advice for teens and parents to kick off a new school year.
- Take good care of yourself.
- Starting, maintaining and completing your homework.
- Setting a healthy sleep routine.
- Connect with teachers and instructors.
- Participate in extracurricular activities.
- Focus on healthy friendships.
- Avoid gossip and drama.
- Test taking.
- Avoid risky situations.
- Set up rules for home and school.
(Watch VIDEO to see more)
MONDAY COMMUNITY CHAT: A new school year is often welcomed with new challenges and new opportunities.
This year state education leaders are adjusting how schools and student performance is tested. It could mean many impacts for your child in the classroom.
Michelle Gayle, Leon County School's Divisional Director of School Improvement and Instructional Technology, and Scott Crow, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching Learning, appeared Monday on WTXL Sunrise to talk about how Leon County Schools plan on taking education up another notch this year.
(Watch VIDEO for more).
BACKPACK SAFETY: Occupational therapist Darlene Wingard and first grader Isaiah Wingard stopped by for some advice all parents should follow.
Darlene says backpacks are not one size fits all; you should look at the size and age of the student to determine which backpack fit is best.
For more tips, check out the video or click here.
TUESDAY COMMUNITY CHAT: KC Smith and Gary Pettit from the Museum of Florida History stopped by to talk about this year's Florida History Fair.
It's a free event for students of all ages to get involved outside of the classroom.
The state competition is held at Tallahassee Community College, and state winners are invited to participate in the National History Day in Maryland.
For more details, check out the video and click here.
PINTEREST PARTY: You've seen Shelly Harshbarger on Sunrise's Pinterest Party before and this week she's showing us how to make something to help us keep track of our reading.
Bookmarks are a great way to get kids (and adults) excited about reading, especially when they take the time to make it themselves.
You can check how how to make these awesome reading tools by clicking on the video to the left.
And while you're helping your avid reader make their very own back-to-school bookmark; be sure to check out all of the great classes the Lafayette Park Arts & Crafts Center is offering this fall for kids and adults. You can learn about the center and the classes by clicking here.
WEDNESDAY COMMUNITY CHAT: Marcia Huszagh, a nurse practitioner at the CVS Minute Clinic, talked to us about 5 steps parents should take to ensure good health for students headed back to school.
1. Determine if your child needs a physical before the new school year.
2. Check to make sure your child is up to date on vaccination requirements in the state of Florida.
3. Consult with your child's school or school nurse about what prescription and over the counter medicines they can bring in their backpack to school.
4. Discuss good hygiene with your child.
5. Remind your student about the importance of sunscreen and bug spray.
TECH SMART: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, also known as 'STEM' fields, have been the focus of many schools and programs across the country in recent years.
One area teacher spent his summer learning how to engage students in STEM curriculum through the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program for educators in Huntsville, Alabama.
Peter Carafano was one of only 100 teachers accepted into the program and will be sharing everything he learned in the program with his students for years to come.
You can listen to him talk about his experience by clicking on the video to the left.
THURSDAY COMMUNITY CHAT: Leon County Schools is hosting a variety of programs this year for secondary school students. We were joined by Dr. Randy Pridgeon, the Director of Secondary Schools for the district to talk about some of the different programs.
The first is "After-School Academy" which is a program for High-School students where they can earn extra course credits and classes by participating in this voluntary after-school program. These classes can be regular academic classes or courses like art and music.
Next we talked about a program Munford Middle School is building on this year. They have a vegetable garden where they not only sell their produce at a local market but they learn about growing, to composting. This year they even have chickens in the garden.
Finally, Griffin Middle School is one of the top schools in Florida when it comes to students getting IT certified. Some of the programs they can get certified in before they go to high-school is the Microsoft Office Suite.
You can watch the full video by clicking the video on the left.
WHAT'S TO EAT: The Leon County School system provides lunches to hundreds of students across the county every day.
On Friday morning, Cathy J Reed, the Nutrition Services Director, and Amy Hayden, the Central Kitchen Manager, joined us on Sunrise to show us how they make the granola given out to students in their fruit and yogurt parfaits.
Hayden has even recreated the recipe used so you can make the granola at home for yourself:
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
1) Heat oven to 300° F and arrange oven rack in the middle.
2) In a large bowl mix together the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
3) In a small bowl combine the honey, oil, and vanilla. Pour over the oat mixture and mix until the oats are coated well.
4) Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5) Bake for 15 minutes then stir. Continue baking until light golden brown, about 15 minutes more.
6) Allow granola to cook to room temperature, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Note: It will harden as it cools.
7) Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
8) Optional: After granola is cooled, dried fruit, nuts, and/or seeds may be added.
FRIDAY COMMUNITY CHAT: The first week is over and students will be heading home this afternoon to enjoy the weekend.
Leon County Superintendent Jackie Pons joined us this Friday morning to talk about how the first week went for the district as well as what parents and students can look forward to as the year progresses.
You can watch the full interview by clicking on the video to the left.
