Today is the first day of school for students in the San Francisco Unified School District, so we expect all you responsible parents sent the little rugrats off to school properly with sharp pencils and lunch boxes stocked with wholesome side items and such. (If not, you might want to check lunch menus for August and September.) When the kids get home today, let's not forget to help them absorb all that useful information in the most nurturing ways possible. SFUSD has some handy tips:

Reasonable Bedtimes - Start Now Teacher Celia Magtoto sees sleepy kids in her classroom at Jean Parker Elementary every fall. She has a few hints for families.

'Start a reasonable bedtime before school starts and stick to it,” says Magoto. “And make time for breakfast for them because, honestly, it does make a difference in your child’s day.'

As the year goes on, don't forget to keep those little brains churning:

As the school year continues, Teacher Celia Magtoto says it’s important to continue asking those open-ended questions. “Ask things like, ‘what was the best part of your day today?’” (And remember that ‘recess’ or even ‘going home’ are legitimate answers.)

And, of course, those rules can apply to those unruly teens as well. As Balboa High’s assistant principal Susan Ritter says, “Most teens need 8 hours of sleep to have a good day at school.” - which means switching off cellphones, hiding the XBox controllers and turning of the late night TV shows.