Costco Connection: Control the Clock with Back-to-School Tips from Teachers on Call’s Joanne Sallay

In the August 2025 issue of Costco Connection magazine across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., Joanne Sallay—President & CEO of Teachers on Call—contributed to the special back-to-school section with her article “Control the Clock: Teaching students time-management skills for school and life.” As both a parent and education leader, Joanne confesses that she initially struggled with time management herself, and notes it is also one of the most common challenges she hears from parents of elementary and high school students—especially since many are unsure how to help their children when it is difficult for them too. Read on to discover some of the key highlights from the article and how you can incorporate these ideas into your own child’s learning, along with extra tips we’ve added for back-to-school and fall routines.

Why Time Management Matters for Back-to-School

This back-to-school feature in Costco Connection underscores that success in school depends on more than academics alone. Developing strong executive functioning skills—organization, planning, and time awareness—can help students feel confident and reduce stress. This is also a specialty of Teachers on Call’s online and in-person tutoring service, where provincially certified teachers act as academic coaches to help students strengthen time management, study strategies, and planning skills alongside curriculum support. By drawing on expert advice from educators and professionals, the article provides a roadmap for families to set routines that work both inside and outside the classroom. For more tips on this topic, parents can also read Harvard Summer School’s article “8 Time-Management Tips for Students” — read here. Keep reading to explore three key takeaways and practical strategies you can use at home this school year.

Three Takeaways from the Costco Connection Control the Clock Article

Here are three simple but powerful steps families can put into action right away to help students build stronger executive functioning skills and set them up for back-to-school success:

1. Executive functioning strategies benefit all students
   These skills aren’t innate—they can be taught and strengthened over time. Joanne emphasizes that all students, not only those identified with learning challenges, benefit from learning how to organize, plan, and manage their time. Families can also explore more special education strategies for diverse learners here.
2. Use past report cards as a guide
   The front page of report cards, which highlights learning skills and work habits, provides valuable insight into areas where students may need to improve. Rather than focusing only on academic grades, parents can use these observations to guide children in strengthening organization, planning, and time management before new challenges arise in the upcoming school year.
3. Managing extracurriculars with confidence
   Balancing academics with activities is an important part of student well-being. Joanne points out that overscheduling can leave students feeling overwhelmed, while careful planning allows them to stay engaged in both their studies and their personal interests. Learning how to pace commitments builds confidence and reduces stress.

Expert Voices Reinforce the Importance of Planning

The article also features insights from education and coaching experts who share practical perspectives on how families can guide students to strengthen executive functioning skills.

• Kim Abramowitz and Eimear Fitzpatrick, Executive Function & ADHD Coaches at Springboard ADHD Clinic in midtown Toronto (40 Holly St Suite 701, Toronto, ON M4S 3C3) and Oakville locations (209 Oak Park Blvd Suite 201, Oakville, ON L6H 0M2) emphasize patience, progress, and using the right tools as essential building blocks.
• Dr. Peter Chin, Associate Dean of Teacher Education at Queen’s University in Kingston (Duncan McArthur Hall, 511 Union St, Kingston, ON K7M 5R7), reminds parents that learning skills and work habits on report cards are a valuable early guide, not just academic grades.
• Colleen Reed, Founder of American College Consulting, which supports applicants to U.S., Canadian, and U.K. universities, stresses the importance of planning ahead and balancing commitments when it comes to extracurriculars.

As Forbes highlights, executive function is often the “secret ingredient” to student success, underscoring just how important these voices are. Families can set the tone for a strong school year by applying Joanne’s advice in everyday routines. Review report cards with your child, set realistic schedules that balance school and activities, and make visible tools part of daily life.

Extra Tips: Back-to-School and Fall Time Management Checklist

Kick off the new school year with tools that boost efficiency—and even add a little fun. Here’s a time management checklist featuring both traditional and creative picks to build strong executive functioning skills. Bonus round! These tips weren’t in Joanne’s Costco Connection article, but they go hand-in-hand with it to give you even more ideas for back-to-school and fall routines.

Traditional school tools and must-haves:

• Alarm clock – helps children start their day on time without relying on a smartphone. It also supports building solid routines, including getting to bed on time and waking up refreshed for school.
• Watch (analogue or digital) –  encourages time awareness throughout the day. The VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch is a great option for younger children to practice independence in a fun, age-appropriate way, offering a grown-up feel while still being designed specifically for kids.
• Wall or desk calendar – for visual or tactile learners, having a physical calendar to see, touch, and mark off each day helps make time more concrete and easier to understand. Specialty designs that tap into a child’s hobbies or favourite themes can make schedules more engaging.

• Agenda or planner (physical or digital) – specialty planners tailored to student interests can motivate kids to use them consistently.
• Colour-coded binders, folders, and highlighters – visually separate subjects and priorities while drawing attention to key tasks.
• Labels – our tutoring team loves Mabel’s Labels, a team favourite for keeping school supplies, binders, and bins clearly marked by subject. We also love personalized name labels to help ensure kids don’t lose their belongings during the busy school year.
• Visual timer or smartphone app – keeps track of study sessions, breaks, and routines.

Creative items to make learning fun:

Cookbooks and bake books – help kids follow recipes, practice sequencing, time their steps, and measure ingredients accurately, with a delicious reward (see our Hooked on Books interview with The Baker Sisters for inspiration).

Ice cream and frozen drinks maker – our community loves Ninja back-to-school essentials for teaching students about time management. Using specialty cookware reinforces sequencing, preparation, and waiting through multi-step processes. Even fun tools like an ice cream or slushy maker help kids learn to plan ahead—measuring ingredients, organizing steps, and patiently waiting for the treat to be ready—while offering a playful way to hold onto summer a bit longer throughout the school year.

DIY sand timer or craft clock project – makes time passage visible and hands-on. It supports visual learners by providing a clear way to see time move, and tactile learners by allowing them to build and manipulate the timer or clock themselves.

Task jar with time estimates – families write tasks on slips, estimate completion times, and compare against real results.

Children’s books – picture books like Reese Witherspoon’s Busy Betty and Over-Scheduled Andrew by Ashley Spires spark conversations about balance, routines, and time management in an age-appropriate, engaging way. Reading together is always a helpful tool for learning, and these stories add a visual dimension that allows children to follow along and connect with the concepts more easily.

By mixing essential tools with creative, hands-on activities, families can turn time management from a chore into an engaging, practical life lesson.

Academic Coaching Support by In-Home and Online Tutors

Much like a fitness coach helps with health goals, in-home and online tutors can act as academic coaches. Organization and time management skills do not come naturally to everyone. Many students require help to develop and hone these important capabilities. In addition to subject support, Teachers on Call’s elementary and high-school tutors provide academic coaching to help students with executive functioning challenges build good study habits and practice effective learning and planning strategies. These tools not only help students achieve academic success in school but also support them in their daily lives and set them up for future success in post-secondary education and the workplace.

Time management skills are more than just tools for school—they are lifelong strategies for success. As Teachers on Call’s Joanne Sallay highlights in her Costco Connection 2025 back-to-school feature, "Control the Clock: Teaching students time-management skills for school and life", these approaches help students reduce stress, build confidence, and develop independence both inside and outside the classroom. Strong executive functioning and time management abilities are not only critical for academic achievement, but they also prepare today’s learners for the future of work, where adaptability, planning, and balance will be vital for success. To read the full article online, click here.

For more back-to-school insights from Teachers on Call, explore past Costco Connection contributions:

• How the Use of a Tutor Can Help Your Child Succeed – showing how one-on-one tutoring support can make a real difference in academic achievement.
• 8 School-Life Balance Tips – practical advice to help families find balance during the busy school year.
• Super Sleuth: How to Help Your Child Become a Math Detective – encouraging families to turn math into a fun and engaging puzzle-solving adventure.

Together, these features reinforce the message that with the right strategies—and the right support—students can take charge of their schedules, balance school and life, and build the skills they’ll need not only for academic success, but also for future careers and lifelong learning.

Photography by Jennifer Allison from JSHUTTER Photography