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With the start of the school year around a week away, Fairfield County School Superintendent J.R. Green has some advice for parents and students.

He said it is time for the students and parents to begin to transition into more of an academic setting to counter the “summer loss” in reading, writing and math skills that can occur while children are not in class.

“We’d like them to begin to read and to writing and math concepts that they may not have engaged in for the last few weeks or months,” Green said.

He also called upon parents to think about the structure of the day for their young people.

Of particular importance to Green is something he requires of his own children, which is daily review and reflection time.

Different from homework assignments, Green says that each day when his children come home from school they must spend some time studying.

Studying does not mean completing homework necessarily though homework could be a part of it. Studying for Green is a student reading or writing or reviewing what they have learned that day.

“You may not always have homework, but there is always something to study,” Green said. “We would like our students to commit to at least one hour per day to studying.

He also encouraged parents to begin moving students’ bed times earlier in the evenings to make sure they are getting proper rest.

Green said parents know their children best when it comes to figuring out the right amount of sleep needed but that he recommends at least the standard eight hours of sleep per night which helps students be more alert and able to focus.

Parents also are encouraged by Green to adopt a positive attitude about the upcoming school year.

“If students start with a positive attitude, we find it leads to a better year,” Green said.

He said the positive outlook from a parent or parents can trickle down to the students and have a transformative effect on education.