Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The body is breaking the fast it has endured during the night when its metabolism slowed. A child needs a breakfast high in protein to get their metabolism going for the day. Unfortunately, those days of big family breakfasts with eggs, bacon, toast or biscuits, homemade jams and jellies, milk fresh from the cow or newly squeezed orange juice are no longer the normal on a typical weekday.

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Almost every university and college in the USA requires either the SAT or ACT test as a part of the college admission requirements. The SAT is offered once a month with 2009 dates including Oct 10, Nov 7, Dec 4, Jan 23, Mar 13, May 1 and Jun 5.

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The 2009 PSAT/NMSQT test dates are October 14th and October 17th. Your child must register at their high school or another local high school depending on the testing site.

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How is your child's reading comprehension? As you begin this new school year, you may want to read the book 7 Keys to Comprehension by Zimmermann and Hutchins. These authors enumerate the 7 strategies utilized by all proficient readers.

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The teachers in our lives, both good and bad, are always influential. Having grown up in the military and moved 18 times between Kindergarten and my 12th grade, I had a lot of teachers. I remember my high school chemistry teacher very well. He taught me to love science and taught me the value of logical thinking. I finished my senior year feeling like I was capable of accomplishing anything. What is your favorite teacher memory?

The NC budget has finally been approved. More than 900 of the 1,500+ teachers that were let go this summer will be rehired. However, with a $225 million dollar cut in funding, school principals are having to make tough choices.

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This is an excellent handout for teaching children how to prevent spreading germs and keeping themselves healthy through good hygiene practices.

As we begin the new school year, the Swine Flu (H1N1 Flu,) has families and school officials concerned. The H1N1 strain appears to be a combination of human, pig and bird flu. The H1N1 virus is also known as Swine Flu and is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes which allows the germs to spread to other people. Another way to pick up the virus occurs when a person touches a surface which has the swine flu germs on it and then the person touches their mouth, nose or eyes. To date, the Swine Flu cases in the USA have been less severe than in Mexico.

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The West Johnston High School team, the Sequoias, placed 2nd in the Canon Envirothon. The team was made up of five students. Congratulations!!!

As legislators continue to debate the NC budget, principals are floundering as they attempt to schedule classes and teachers. As we face an uncertain year of fewer teachers, higher class sizes, cuts in courses offered and discontinuing the opportunity for high school students to attend local community colleges, we are all concerned that the quality of our children's education will suffer. Tutoring may well be a viable option for not only helping struggling learners, but to challenge gifted students and help the typical learner stay on track for college and future career goals.