Posted by  bakercounty

Chances are your young student is excited to head back to school and reconnect with friends, see favorite teacher and sign up for fun extracurricular activities. Of course, they'll also need to dive into their studies - a little something many would rather skip. No such luck. However, there are ways that you as parents can help make that whole homework and studying thing a little more bearable for kids and teens. Here's how…

• Send them back in style: Make a fun day of shopping for back-to-school supplies and clothes with your kids. Check with your child's school and teachers to make sure you've got a full list of required supplies and allow your kids to choose supplies and clothes in their own styles. A sense of self is so important to a child's confidence, particularly during the teen years. Wrap your shopping day with dinner at a favorite restaurant and perhaps an afternoon movie or other fun activity that you can share with them. 
• Stay informed: Get a list of all planned school projects, exams, games and practice schedules, field trips and events, as well as related community events. Create a central calendar somewhere in your home, so that both you and your children can easily see what's coming up and plan accordingly. Don't forget that today's kids are far more tech-savvy than you needed to be back when you were in school. Search for smart phone or tablet calendar apps that can synch schedules on multiple devices, assuring that the whole family's goings-on are easily accessed.
• Give them space and set limits: Designate a quiet, comfortable place in your home that's strictly for homework and free of distractions like TV sets, game systems and smartphones. Allow your kids a few minutes to unwind with a healthy snack after school, then insist they get started on homework and study time. Should your child need help with a particular subject, study up yourself, or search for other sources of help, such as subject-based study aid websites or local tutors. Also, set and enforce reasonable bedtimes so that your child gets adequate rest.

For more detailed information visit your child's Baker County school website. And if you're a parent considering a move to a new Baker County home, check out our area's vast education, recreation, business and quality of life benefits.

• Baker County Pre-K / Kindergarten Center 
• Westside Elementary School 
• Macclenny Elementary School 
• J. Franklyn Keller Intermediate School 
• Baker County Middle School 
• Baker County High School 

Posted by bakercounty

The 4th Annual Glitz, Glam & Goodies was held on Saturday, February 1st, 2014 from 10am-2pm at the Baker County Ag Center and was a huge success.  This event that is geared towards women in the community is usually held in May but was moved to February this year to encourage men to also attend the event to buy some gifts for the special women in their lives for Valentine’s Day.  This event was open to Chamber and Non-Chamber members as a way to promote their businesses in the community.
There were three raffle prizes that were donated by Chamber members…$700 worth of furniture was donated by the local Gibson McDonald Furniture Store, a beautiful patio set from Wal-Mart DC #6099, and a 4 day cruise from Country Federal Credit Union, Moonlight Blessings and the Baker County Chamber of Commerce, the raffle winners were drawn and announced at the end of the event.
The vendors that were a part of this event that are Chamber members were Mary Kay Cosmetics showing their make-up and cosmetics, The American Cancer Society, Baker Women’s Political Network, Oldcastle Southern Group, Vitas Innovative Hospice Care and The Baker County Health Department were all giving out information about their organizations, Metabolic Research Center showed their weight loss products, Avon Products-Joyce Hall  and the youth department of First Baptist Church of Macclenny sold chicken salad sandwich plates and were a favorite among those attending the event.  Vendors that also had booths but that were not members of the Chamber were, Jessica Kittrell -Thirty One Products, Melanie Delaney-Lia Sophia Jewelry, Susan Register-Dixieland Delights, Scrubs-LaSondra Bridges, Debbie Crews- Pampered Chef, Leigh Ann Dubie-Wine Shop at Home Products,  Tabitha Blackshear-Cajun Cupcakes, Morgan Craven-Plexus Weight Loss Products, Honey-Judy Altimiller, Rada Cutlery-Nancy Oliver, Joyce Johnson-Tupperware Products and Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Tiffany Spreadbury which we are sure will be a huge hit for women and men with Valentine’s Day coming up.  Each of the vendors involved also had a prize to giveaway that was announced at the end of the event.
Entertainment was provided by all the cute little ones involved in the Macclenny Elementary School Glee Club who came and sang a few songs to get the morning started off right and then Anytime Fitness Zumba Instructor Kendra Morgan conducted a Zumba Fitness Class and throughout the day Miss Forestry Queen was walking around, signing autographs and taking pictures.
There were many guests coming in and out of this event throughout the day and the weather could not have been better especially with the county just a few days before having an artic freeze.  The vendors were very pleased with the amount of traffic coming to visit their tables during the event and we believe that this was the best and most successful year of this event.
We would like to thank all of the sponsors, vendors, and participants of the 4th Annual Glitz, Glam & Goodies, we know that this was such a success because of your involvement!!!