Calgary parents, students prepare for back to school

If you ask Torin, who was begrudgingly tagging along for back-to-school shopping on Monday, how he feels about heading into a classroom in just a few days, his answer is short.

"Could be better," he said with a shoulder shrug.

The soon-to-be seventh grader is one of more than 180,000 Calgary students set to head back to the classroom this week.

The Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District both have students going back to school either Thursday or Friday, depending on the grade they're in. That means parents are loading up on binders, backpacks and clothes ahead of another school semester.

"It feels like this summer had gone by in three seconds. It just feels like it went by so fast," said Wesley, who is set to head into Grade 4 in just days.

He was heading into a south Calgary Staples with his mother to get some last-minute supplies.

"(It's) bittersweet. It means summer is over, but I love back-to-school shopping, so that is fun for me," Lysia said, standing next to Wesley.

According to a survey by the Retail Council of Canada, about 77 per cent of people who back-to-school shop will spend $50 or more.

School supplies shouldn't be the only thing parents do to prepare for another school year, experts say. New teachers, new subjects and sometimes new schools can lead to both students and parents feeling anxious for another year, but there are steps to take to minimize the anxiety.

"I think with anxiety, one of the best ways for caregivers to start is to get back to a routine with children. Usually getting back into that routine a week before classes start, or maybe some children are just starting school, is a really good way to help some children prepare," said Wendy Hoglund, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Alberta.

Hoglund says parents can take their children to the new school building to try and familiarize them if it's a new school, and they should communicate with their kids about how they're feeling before school starts.