Are you ready to go back to school?

Braden Woods' Amanda Chandler said her biggest "mom hack" when it comes to preparing her children to return to school is to take the first-day photo the night before. 

On Aug. 11, she will have each of her four children — 15-year-old Landen, 13-year-old Lillian, 9-year-old Loralei and 6-year-old Will — put on their school uniforms or first-day-of-school outfits and smile big for the camera. 

Chandler said taking the first-day photos the night before will save time as they're all in a rush to get to school Aug. 12. 

"No one is going to know it wasn't taken on the first day," Chandler said. "You can still post the pictures on social media on the first day if you want."

With Aug. 12 fast approaching, school district employees, parents and students are making the most of their final days of summer while preparing for the first day. 

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Omar Edwards, the associate director of strategic planning initiatives for the School District of Manatee County, is encouraging kindergarten parents to ensure their child is registered for school and ready to start kindergarten on the first day. 

Edwards said, the lack of transportation or the emotions of starting kindergarten could be reasons why some kindergartners aren't present the first day.

"Any delay is a loss of instructional time so we want to make sure we inform families of the steps they need to follow so they're ready to go," Edwards said. 

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According to the district, students who start kindergarten the first week of school are 35% more likely to be proficient on the third grade English Language Arts standards assessment. 

They also are 8% more likely to graduate high school as well, according to the district. 

"We want to make sure we start day one with instruction because we only have a certain amount of days throughout the school year so we have to make every day count," he said. 

The East County Observer spoke to principals and parents to compile a back-to-school checklist to help everyone start the school year on the right foot. 

While some items might seem obvious, others might be easy to forget. 

Back-to-school checklist

• Register your child for school
• Get your school supplies 
• Take your first-day photo the night before
• Have patience, especially in carlines as people are learning and adjusting to procedures
• Set an alarm for the morning. Or maybe two. Or even three.
• Establish a consistent routine
• Ask students what goals they would like to achieve this school year 
• Sleep is crucial— start establishing earlier bedtimes 
• Register to ride— in order to receive transportation through the School District of Manatee County, families must register their student at ManateeSchools.net/RegisterToRide
• Have a plan for rainy day dismissal— It's Florida. It rains... a lot. Make sure your child knows what to do if they normally walk or ride a bike to school
• Send easy-to-open items for lunch
• Teach your children how to open items such as snack bags, milk cartons and to use juice box straws
• If you have questions, call the school. Don't listen to rumors
• Create your FOCUS Parent Portal Account and update update contact information — school-wide communication is often disseminated this way
• Read with your child to help foster a love for learning and reading
• Want to volunteer? Make sure you fill out an application with the school
• Don't forget immunizations and update medical history
• Follow carline procedures
• For elementary students, teach them their first and last names
• Create a consistent method of transportation
• Don't park on the main road or drop off or pick up students off campus
• Make sure lunch money is loaded to your child's account at SchooCafe.com/ManateeCountySchools