NATCHEZ &8212; Students won&8217;t succeed this year without you, administrators say.

They need parental support and community support starting today and it needs to last the whole year through, Robert Lewis Middle School Principal Bettye Bell said.

&8220;You need to stress to them the importance of academics and behavior,&8221; she said. &8220;You need to visit our school on a regular basis, support them when they are doing well. Parents need to come and make contact with each one of the teachers the first week of school.&8221;

With all area schools starting over the next few weeks, parents should take positive steps now to ensure this school year will be a good one, Morgantown Principal Fred Marsalis said.

&8220;Send us (your) children in a frame of mind ready for learning,&8221; he said. &8220;Have them physically and mentally ready to learn. You do that just by encouraging them and visiting the school. Just be positive with us.&8221;

And parents need to think of the little things that may be stressors to children during the first week, Marsalis said. He encouraged parents to have transportation plans finalized and make sure things run as smoothly as possible on the first day, and the first week.

&8220;That first day is just kind of an adjustment day,&8221; he said. &8220;It&8217;s about getting them to us. They each will see at least six teachers that day.&8221;

Concordia Parish Superintendent Kerry Laster said students moving up to a new school may need special attention too.

&8220;Starting a new school year can be an anxious time for both students and parents,&8221; she said. &8220;Transitions from one grade to the next are particularly difficult if it means a change to a different school. A blend of structure and independence can help students negotiate changes even in the middle and high school years.&8221;

And the details do matter, she said. She recommended parents establish a routine by putting out supplies and clothing each night before bed. Color-coded notebooks make organization easier, and parents can help children practice on a combination lock for those who will have a locker for the first time.

Vidalia Junior High Principal Paul Nelson said students need to put summertime attitudes behind them and leave any problems from home or the neighborhood at the door.

&8220;Stress the importance of education,&8221; he said. &8220;That&8217;s one thing we don&8217;t do much anymore, and education is the only way to get ahead in life, to work up the ladder by having an education and job skills.&8221;