I’ve only recently become aware of the phenomenon known as the “Sunday Scaries.” Psychologists have described it as a feeling of dread that comes over people on Sunday afternoons or evenings, the result of worrying about the upcoming work week. There should also be a name – maybe the “September Scaries” – for the lifelong anxiety that happens every Labour Day. While the calendar tells us there are still a few weeks of summer left, everyone’s world changes during the first week of September. Kids are back to school. Summer vacations are in the rear-view mirror. The warm sun of August is replaced by a chill in the morning and the smell of autumn in the air.

Our Education Editor Susannah Schmidt has spent a lot of time over the last few weeks preparing stories about the start of the new school year. Regardless of whether it’s someone’s first day of kindergarten or a return to university, “back to school” season is an anxious time – even more so because the pandemic is still a serious issue in classrooms.

For your long weekend reading, I’ve assembled a collection of our education stories that offer excellent advice on how kids and parents can avoid “back to school” anxiety. And I've also thrown in a great piece on "Sunday Scaries" that can help you get through the weekend.

Have a great – and anxiety-free – long weekend. We’ll be back in your Inbox on Tuesday.

Scott White

CEO | Editor-in-Chief

Long weekend reads: Back to school

Back to school: Time to revisit strategies for child and family mental health

Nicole Racine, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Dillon Thomas Browne, University of Waterloo; Stephanie G. Craig, University of Guelph

Family routines can provide stability during times of stress. Here are four strategies for building resilience against stress and family challenges to put into place as children head back to school.

Kindergarten transitions can be eased by supporting kids’ social and emotional needs

Kimberly Hillier, University of Windsor

Parents and caregivers are vital partners in education, and together, educators and families can ease back-to-school jitters and help make this an exciting and positive transition for children.

Why doesn’t Canada let schools provide child care?

Kerry McCuaig, University of Toronto

Canada has much to learn from other countries about better ways of providing learning and care for children.

If I could change one thing in education: Community-school partnerships would be top priority

Tanitiã Munroe, University of Toronto

As a researcher focussed on African, Afro-Caribbean and Black families’ schooling experiences, I appeal to school staff to understand the importance of the school-family-community partnership.

5 ways students can foster positive mental health at university

Jenney Zhu, University of Calgary; Elisabeth Bailin Xie, University of Calgary; Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary

The transition to a new school year will be an important time for students to focus on strategies for fostering positive mental health and well-being, and recognizing signs that help may be needed.

Starting post-secondary school with a complex health condition: 5 tips for students, plus 5 ways institutions can help

Jasmine Mah, Dalhousie University; Kaitlin Sibbald, Dalhousie University

Managing a chronic health condition can make the transition to post-secondary education more complex.

Microcredentials and mentoring: How universities can boost student employability

Ann-Louise Davidson, Concordia University

Recognizing and accrediting students’ prior learning and competencies is one way universities can tweak business-as-usual approaches.

How universities can support international students beyond orientation week

Juana Du, Royal Roads University

Year-round academic and extracurricular opportunities that encourage cultural exchange between international students, their peers and the wider society are important.

Students returning to campus want the ‘university experience’ missed during COVID-19

Blake Lee-Whiting, University of Toronto; Thomas Bergeron, University of Toronto

Students in an international survey said they really missed chances to be together in person for campus-related activities, not only due to academic concerns.

Three ways to tackle the ‘Sunday scaries’, the anxiety and dread many people feel at the end of the weekend

Jolanta Burke, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Research shows Sunday is our unhappiest day of the week – so it’s no wonder so many of us feel anxious on a Sunday evening.