Mary Cuffy

The start of a new school term is ex­cit­ing, but let’s be hon­est, it can al­so make us feel a lit­tle ner­vous. New class­es, new teach­ers, and the thought of a heav­ier work­load can be scary. Every­one feels those but­ter­flies some­times! But what is the se­cret to over­com­ing those nerves? It is keep­ing fo­cus and prepar­ing ear­ly.

Coryn Anaya Clarke, a 10-year-old au­thor who was born in beau­ti­ful Trinidad and To­ba­go and cur­rent­ly lives in equal­ly beau­ti­ful Saint Kitts and Nevis, shares how she stays on track. With school start­ing soon, she wants to help you get pre­pared, too.

Here are Coryn’s top five tips for a great school year:

1. Start the year be­liev­ing in your­self. A new school year means new chal­lenges, but don’t be afraid to try. You might sur­prise your­self with what you can do.

2. Start or­gan­ised, stay or­gan­ised! Keep track of home­work, projects, and im­por­tant dates. It’s much eas­i­er than try­ing to catch up when every­thing piles up. As an au­thor and the reign­ing Ju­nior Ca­lyp­so Monarch of Saint Kitts and Nevis, I have a lot of ap­pear­ances and oth­er ex­tracur­ric­u­lar ac­tiv­i­ties. In my ex­pe­ri­ence, stay­ing ahead of my work makes it eas­i­er for me to en­joy my life be­yond school. Be­ing or­gan­ised al­so helps me to main­tain the per­fect bal­ance.

3. Ask ques­tions! If you don’t un­der­stand some­thing, speak up. Ask­ing for help doesn’t mean you aren’t smart; it means you’re ready to learn.

4. Be kind and in­clude oth­ers. Some­one in your class might be ner­vous, new, or hav­ing a dif­fi­cult day. A smile, a kind word, or invit­ing some­one to join you can make a big dif­fer­ence.

5. Read for fun! As an au­thor, I know that books are mag­i­cal. Read­ing isn’t just for home­work; it’s a way to ex­plore new worlds and re­lax. Find a sto­ry you love and let your imag­i­na­tion grow. It will help your brain stay sharp and make you a bet­ter stu­dent, too.

I hope these tips help you feel ready and con­fi­dent for the term ahead. Re­mem­ber to take a deep breath, be­lieve in your­self, and en­joy the jour­ney. I am wish­ing all stu­dents a very suc­cess­ful and hap­py school term. You’ve got this!

Mary Cuffy is an ed­u­ca­tor and lo­cal chil­dren’s au­thor of the La­dy­bug se­ries. Cuffy be­lieves the best in­vest­ment we can make in chil­dren is in the ear­ly years.

Email mary.cuff@ya­hoo.com . IG:marycuffy . FB: mary cuffy/Lo­la and the Danc­ing La­dy­bug