By Jolene FarleyStaff members in the Hills-Beaver Creek district are busy preparing for classes to start Wednesday, Sept. 1. Kindergarten teacher Shelly Fischer began working in her classroom the second week of August.This week, she continues to prepare for the arrival of her 16 students. Before the school year officially starts, she designs bulletin boards, makes copies and nametags for her new students.Staff workshops are planned for Monday and Tuesday of next week. At the workshops, teachers get reacquainted with each other after the summer, set goals for the year, review information from the state, and sometimes listen to speakers. Each building has separate staff meetings before students arrive. Fischer contacts each of her students before school starts. "I send a letter in the mail — a welcoming letter," she said. An open house Monday, Aug. 30, at the elementary and high school are a good start to the school year, according to Fischer. "I think that’s a great way to communicate with parents," she said.It’s also a way to relieve some anxiety students have about attending school for the first time.Hills-Beaver Creek District encourages the public to attend the open house from 6 to 8 p.m. at the elementary school and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the high school."This is a great opportunity to meet the staff, drop off the school forms from student packets and to pay for any fee or lunch account," Superintendent Dave Deragisch writes in the school newsletter. Fischer has some suggestions to prepare students for the new school year:oEstablish a routine such as an earlier bedtime in the days before school starts. oMake sure children eat breakfast before school each day. Fischer finds that students can’t concentrate on anything but lunch if they skip breakfast.oGo over family schedules so students know when and where to go after school, what bus to ride or what day care to walk to. oFischer also suggests reviewing reading and math skills with children before they start back to school.