Holiday Break Ends, Kids Head Back To Class

MIAMI (CBS4) - Okay kids, after two-week of hanging out with your friends and staying up late, the 'party', or should we say the 'holiday party' is over.

After being off for two weeks for the holidays, more than 600 thousand students will head back to class in Miami-Dade and Broward on Monday.

The second half of the school term is considered to be crunch time by some teachers as they prepare their students for midterms and the highs stakes Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests (FCATs), according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

To help students get ready for the FCATs, which will be administered on April 11th and 25th, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Saturday FCAT prep classes will begin in the next few weeks.

Some schools are even planning motivational pep rallies to help the gets kid excited about the tests and not overwhelmed.

It is common for children of any age to feel stressed when they have big exams, Nova Southeastern associate psychology professor Gene Cash told the paper.

`The main thing is for parents not to overreact,'' Cash said. "Statements like `I know you can do it' and `I have faith in you' go a long way.''

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