Back To School

City children will be given backpacks filled with school supplies at the mayor's annual back-to-school rally scheduled for today at school system headquarters on North Avenue. The backpacks will be handed out during a rally from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., during which parents will receive information about the school year that starts Monday. Students also will be able to get free haircuts. "I believe that this effort will help give our children the right tools to start the school year off right," Mayor Sheila Dixon said in a statement.

Every year, Linda Redwine Bell hears the same questions from Fort Meade parents: Where do we register? What academic programs do you offer? What shots do my kids need? With the approaching summer - a busy time for military relocations - Bell, Fort Meade's school liaison, decided that parents needed a clearinghouse of information that would introduce them to everything from mental health services to uniforms to parent-teacher-student associations. Parents will be able to get information on Anne Arundel County schools, particularly those on post, at Fort Meade's first Back-to-School Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow at McGill Training Center on the Army post in western Anne Arundel County.

After her husband died, Barbara Austin said she couldn't afford school supplies for her son and stepson. She looked for deals in the weekly advertisements, but rarely found items that were affordable, she said. So when the Westminster resident heard about a program that gives out free school supplies, she signed up. "I'm low on money, so there are some things that I just can't do right now," said Austin, who lives on Social Security benefits. "If this program didn't exist, my kids wouldn't get some of the things they need for school."

Nearly everyone can recall a first day of school, walking into a new classroom dressed in a smart-looking outfit and spiffy shoes and carrying a book bag full of supplies.Shepherd's Staff, an ecumenical ministry to the needy, wants to guarantee those memories for the many children whose parents can't afford the expenses associated with the opening of school.With its fifth annual Back to School program, the Westminster center expects to give away nearly 1,000 school kits and several hundred backpacks.

WE'VE ALL seen the television commercial: A man takes his son and daughter shopping for school supplies. Dad dances through the aisles with glee, and the kids follow scowls on their faces. In the background, you hear a song: "It's the most wonderful time of the year. "Howard County schools open in 12 days , and west Columbia neighbors are preparing for the new school year with mixed feelings.Amy Holcomb, 10, is entering the fifth grade at Swansfield Elementary School. She echoes a sentiment shared by most children when she says, "I sort of want to go back to school, but I don't want summer to end."

For kids, back-to-school means the end of staying up late and sleeping till noon. But for countless parents, back-to-school means something even more disturbing: open wallet and dump out contents.Back-to-school budgets include way more than just paper and pencils. There are haircuts, athletic fees, band fees and prepaid lunch cards. It's pants and shirts, belts and backpacks, hair ribbons and how much?Worse yet, the costs seem to sneak up on you. Even the most careful planner could miss this annual budget buster.

Parents of Wilde Lake Middle School students came out en masse last night to stand up for a school they believe in.With people spilling into the hall at the standing-room-only Back-to-School Night, parents rallied around a school that received a blow when 63 children transferred out of Wilde Lake Middle this year to Lime Kiln Middle School in Fulton.Fifty of those pupils are from the Clemens Crossing neighborhood. Their parents sent them to Lime Kiln because they doubted the quality of education at Wilde Lake Middle.

The Howard County chapter didn't sign on when the NAACP began back-to-school rallies in 1990 to encourage students to stay in school; dropouts were not a Columbia problem.County high schools stayed within the 1.25 percent dropout rate considered acceptable by the state.This year, though, the chapter kicks off the school year with five rallies, beginning tomorrow. The NAACP will hand out school supplies at the rallies."In certain schools, the dropout rate -- especially among African-American males -- has gone to double and triple the state standard," said Natalie Woodson, who chairs the education committee of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

When parents help their children prepare for school, they are opening doors to a new, exciting world, and building the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Here are a few suggestions to initiate now:Getting ready* Begin to develop a daily routine for school by gradually setting earlier bed and wake-up times.* Set aside time each day for quiet reading or writing activities, and gradually shorten the TV and video game time.* Visit your child's school for a brief walk-through the week before school opens.

What are you doing to help your child get ready for the start of school?If you have ideas to share, please send them to us by Saturday, Aug. 21, at Reading by 9 Back to School, The Sun, Features Department, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278.Or e-mail your suggestions to us at readingby9@sunspot.net.You can also post your ideas on our Web site at www.readingby9.com. Go there and then click on the link for the Reading by 9 discussion board.In a future edition of Parent & Child, we will reprint your suggestions.

It's hard to see a silver lining when you're out of work. But some unemployed workers believe getting a pink slip was a blessing in disguise, according to a new survey by SnagAJob.com, which focuses on hourly jobs. Of 584 workers who have been laid off since the start of the recession in December 2007, four in 10 saw the positive in getting the ax. And 26 percent who do not see their layoff as a blessing expect it will eventually become one. "Once they got over the initial shock, they were able to refocus on themselves, spend more time with their families, their hobbies, their volunteer work," says Cathy McCarthy, a senior vice president and marketing director at SnagAJob.

A slow economy and labor market can lead many workers to consider going back to school. In fact, schools geared toward working professionals generally report higher enrollments during recessionary periods. But it might not be the right choice for everyone. Before taking the leap back into academia, take some time to ask questions and do some research. For starters, consider whether additional schooling or another degree will advance your career. Career experts and recruiters say an advanced degree doesn't always mean you'll get a higher salary or a better job. Researching your industry and salary level will help you determine whether that is the case.

For the past several months, former NFL safety Keion Carpenter has been going back to school. Roaming the halls of Woodlawn High School, he slips into classrooms for lessons on federal versus state government powers. He stops to chat with teachers and students between classes. And when the dismissal bell rings, Carpenter, 31, joins the varsity football players as they practice, exchanging quips with and shouting instructions at the athletes during grueling exercises. For Carpenter, who graduated from Woodlawn in 1995, the time spent with students as a volunteer coach and mentor is a chance to show them life's possibilities - and teach them what's necessary to turn their potential into reality.

Before the first day of school, county students were invited to attend an open house at their respective schools. During this night, the students were introduced to their teachers, shown their classrooms, and met classmates and schoolmates. Now it's the parents' turn. As their children adjust to new buildings, new teachers, new friends, class changes and schedules, parents are invited to attend an orientation meeting in their child's school. "The parent nights are an essential start of the home and school partnership," said Peggy Kirk, principal at Emmorton Elementary in Bel Air. Called Back to School Nights, the events are held in the evening, and bring parents in droves to the schools.

Students were not the only ones who woke up early and spent the day going from classroom to classroom as the first day of the new school year arrived. Howard County Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and school board Chairman Frank Aquino were up and out early, visiting seven schools Monday as part of Cousin's annual ritual. The two started at Howard High School just before 7 a.m., where 125 staff members, playing percussion instruments, welcomed students back to school. The teachers toted drums and formed "rhythm circles" near the school's entrance as buses pulled up. Cousin said he was impressed by the display of enthusiasm.

Troy Todd has spent the summer moving, only to come right back where he started. The 36-year-old principal at Running Brook Elementary is a familiar face to students and staff. He spent the past three years there as a respected, dynamic assistant principal. It was hard for him to leave the school when he was transferred to Waterloo Elementary as an assistant principal at the beginning of the summer. But a series of transfers and promotions within the school system created an opening at his beloved Running Brook, which resulted in his returning to the school just as he had virtually completed the transition to his new assignment.

Events OLIVE OIL CLASS : Learn why cooks use extra-virgin olive oil, how Italian brands compare with oils from other parts of the world and how to cook, drizzle and flavor with olive oil from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday at Williams-Sonoma in Cross Keys, 70 Village Square. Free. Call 410-435-6020 or visit williams-sonoma.com. BACK TO SCHOOL : Whole Foods Market offers a sampling of back-to-school products featuring breakfast options, lunchbox favorites, after-school snacks and easy dinners.

CHICAGO - The sharp paring of consumer spending is about to cut into its next victim: back-to-school sales. Consumers beaten down by prices at grocery stores and gas stations are taking their newfound money-saving ways to the shopping centers and school-supplies stores in what promises to be one of the most challenging back-to-school seasons in many years. "This year's back-to-school season, without question, is continued belt-tightening as the consumer tries to stretch the dollar as far as possible," said Thom Blischok, president of IRI Consulting and Innovating.

For some workers looking to bolster their careers amid a slumping job market, going back to school can seem like a good choice. "When people are trying to decide whether to go back to school or not, they ask the question, 'How would this advance me in my job?'" says Susan D. Strayer, a former Johns Hopkins University career adviser and author of The Right Job Right Now. "Simultaneously, when the economy isn't doing well, you see fewer raises, advancements and promotions so you say, 'this is a good time to go back because I'm not going to miss out on anything.

There was a time when kids could lounge at the pool until Labor Day, when going back to school coincided with the first chills of autumn air. But most of the hundreds of thousands of students returning to classes this week don't remember that far back. They know standardized tests and August beginnings, as those dreaded March assessments drive schools to squeeze in more teaching earlier. In Maryland, the only children left at the beach are those from Worcester County, where traditions die hard and the first school bells won't ring until Sept.