For more than two months, many children in Selma have taken advantage of their summer vacation time. Instead of sitting in classrooms eight hours a day, they opted to engage themselves in activities more suitable to their liking. Not anymore.

School is back in session for the 2002-2003 school year in Selma City. Yesterday was the last day for teachers and administrators to finalize their preparations, and it was the last day for parents to enroll their children in the school of their choice.

Mylinda Simpson, a Selma Middle CHAT Academy language arts teacher, spent her last day arranging her room and putting the proper necessities in place. She, in return, is looking forward to greeting students that have a whole new take on the learning process. &uot;I expect students to come in with a positive attitude,&uot; the seventh grade teacher said.

Her co-worker Roslyn Farris, a special education teacher and instructional technology coordinator at the Academy, agreed. One way to achieve this, she said, is for parents be more involved in every aspect of the educational process.

But parental involvement doesn’t stop there. Feeding children before school is just as important, and even vital, to their performance. And not feeding them just any type of food, but something nutritional.

The American Dietetic Association’s official website highlights breakfast as being the most important meal of the day for school kids. Children who eat breakfast &uot;have better problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination and the ability the concentrate.&uot;

Shelley Hancock, a nutrition instructor and the University of Alabama, said it is extremely important for students to consume food of nutritional value before heading to school.&uot;There have been numerous studies that show changes in performance and behavior when children don’t eat,&uot; she said.

A glass of orange juice, milk and a bowl of cereal, preferably unsweetened, would do the trick, Hancock said.

She noted that small children and adolescents have growth spurts. This will cause them have a tremendous appetite during various times of the growing period, and to maintain some level of food base in their system will keep them going.

Hancock pointed out that a &uot;fast-food&uot; breakfast meal is not the ideal type of food intake for children. Not only is it not healthy, but it is teaching children bad eating habits which will have an effect on their bodies in the long-run.

If finding time to feed is an issue, ADA says parents should consider yogurt with cereal and fruit; a cereal bar with a glass of milk and a piece of fruit; a peanut butter sandwich with a glass of milk or a pita, stuffed with low-fat cheese and salsa. &uot;The key is to fuel up for learning.&uot;