The backpacks are on sale, the mornings are getting a little darker, and the first bell is closer than anyone wants to admit. Most back-to-school lists focus on supplies and schedules, but the things that actually determine how your child’s year goes tend to be quieter: whether they’re sleeping enough, whether their vaccines are current, whether anyone has asked how they’re feeling about going back.
Here’s what’s worth handling in the next few weeks.
Start With Immunizations
Oregon requires all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start programs, and certified child care facilities to have up-to-date immunization records on file, or a valid exemption, in order to stay enrolled. Requirements are based on your child’s age and grade, and some have changed recently, including new documentation rules around chickenpox immunity.
You can review the current requirements at the Oregon Health Authority’s school immunization page. If your child is behind, late summer is a far easier time to catch up than the middle of the school year, when appointments are scarcer and a missed deadline can mean missed classroom time.
Schedule the Annual Well-Child Visit
An annual wellness exam is the single most useful appointment on this list. It tracks growth and development, screens for vision and hearing concerns, updates vaccines, and creates a private, unhurried space for your child to bring up things they might not mention at the kitchen table.
It’s also the visit where chronic conditions get reassessed before the school year adds pressure to them. Asthma action plans, ADHD medications, food allergy paperwork, migraine management: all of it is easier to sort out in August than in October.
Rebuild the Sleep Schedule Early
Summer bedtimes drift, and asking a child to snap back to a 6:30 a.m. wake-up on the first day of school rarely works. Shift bedtime and wake-up time earlier by 15 to 20 minutes every few days over the two weeks before school starts. Screens off an hour before bed helps more than most parents expect.
School-age children generally need nine to twelve hours of sleep a night, and teenagers need eight to ten. Sleep debt shows up as irritability, trouble focusing, and headaches long before a kid will tell you they’re tired.
Don’t Skip Breakfast, and Check the Backpack
Students who eat in the morning concentrate better and have steadier energy through the school day. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Protein and whole grains beat sugary cereal every time.
While you’re at it, check the backpack. It should sit high on the back with both straps used, and loaded weight should stay under roughly 10 to 15 percent of your child’s body weight. Persistent shoulder or back pain in a student is worth a conversation with a provider.
Ask How They’re Feeling About It
New teachers, new classrooms, new social dynamics: the start of a school year is genuinely stressful, and children often express that as stomachaches, sleep trouble, or irritability rather than words. Ask what they’re looking forward to and what they’re nervous about. Both answers matter. If anxiety is interfering with sleep, eating, or a willingness to go at all, talk with your child’s provider.
And If You Have an Athlete: $10 Sports Physicals
Under Oregon law, students in grades 7 through 12 who participate in extracurricular sports must have a physical examination on file at least once every two years. The exam checks heart health, blood pressure, joints, past injuries, and warning signs like chest pain or fainting during exercise, problems that may not show up during a normal school day but can become serious under the demands of competition.
Santiam Hospital & Clinics is hosting sports physical clinics at several locations this August. Physicals are $10, cash or check, and athletes under 18 need a parent or guardian signature.
- Wednesday, August 12 | 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. | Santiam Medical Clinic, 280 S 1st Ave, Mill City
- Thursday, August 13 | 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. | Stayton High School, 757 W Locust St., Stayton
- Tuesday, August 25 | 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. | Santiam Medical Clinic, 280 S 1st Ave, Mill City
Full details are on our Classes & Events page. Keep in mind that a sports physical is narrower than a well-child visit, so most athletes still benefit from a full annual exam.
We’re Here All Year
Our primary care clinics care for patients at every stage of life, from newborns through adulthood, and each is a state-certified Patient-Centered Medical Home. Whether you need immunizations, a wellness exam, or help managing a condition through a busy school year, our team is close to home and ready to help.
Here’s to a strong, healthy school year.
