Rocky River City Schools Home



[pic][pic]

-----------------------

The question is:

How do I make sure my children maintain the gains they have made during the school year as we move through summer?

Many students do experience summer learning loss. The summer reading lists help, but it is critical that students use the knowledge they have gained during the school year in summer to keep it fresh in their minds. Summer learning should be fun! There are so many activities that parents can incorporate into summer plans that reinforce content and bolster a child’s love of learning!

I have included articles with several ideas to help parents thwart summer learning loss.

You can also use a great FREE summer resource from ODE, “Beach Bags” and Camp INFOhio. This resource provides helpful information for parents to keep children learning at home this summer. Parents can visit the website for more information and free materials:



Dear Parents

Spring is here! The end of the school year is quickly approaching. The sun is shining, the grass is growing and the flowers are blooming. Students continue to work hard, learn and grow!

This is the last edition of this year’s newsletter. Please feel free to contact me with questions or ideas for next year.

[pic]

Kensington Calendar:

5/14 5th Grade Class Picture

5/15 2nd graders Pen Pal Day

Dare Class

5/18 MS Jazz Assembly

5/20 3rd Lolly the Trolley Trip

5/21 Band/Choir Awards Assembly

5/22 4th Grade Fishing Trip

5/26 Beechbrook (through 5/29)

6/1 Academic Awards Assembly

6/4 5th Grade Dare Event

3rd/4th Pirate Daze

Last Student Day

[pic]

Upcoming Events

□ 5/15 Pen Pal Day for 2nd Graders at KIS

□ 6/4 Dare Event for 6th Grade & Pirate Daze for 3rd/4th Graders

□ 6/4 Last day of school for students

Contents

Guidance Corner 1

Dear Parents 1

Upcoming Events 1

Teach Your Child How to

Communicate… 2

Parent-Teacher

Communication… 3

Melissa LIberatore

School Counselor

May 2015

Volume 4, Issue 4

[pic]

Kensington Intermediate School Newsletter

Guidance Corner

Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

Samuel Butler

[pic]It’s summer time. Breathe deeply. Hear the splash in the pool, the crunch of the cicadas underfoot. For a few sweet weeks, let the chaos of the school year recede; forget about schedules and rushing around.

You can almost do it, until the dreaded question pops up on the radio, in a newspaper or magazine, or as part of a discussion thread on the neighborhood e mail list: What are you doing to prevent summer brain drain?

Just the name conjures images of multiplication tables oozing out of your child’s ears and onto a sandy beach.

Brain drain- or summer learning loss as it’s sometimes less ominously referred to- is nothing new. It’s the impetus behind year-round school and the reason many kids start their summer vacation with backpacks filled with math packets, summer reading lists and essay assignments. And it’s real.

Gary Huggins, chief executive of the National Summer Learning Association, says studies show kids lose two to three months of math and reading skills over the summer, with losses being more marked among lower-income kids. Additionally, a recent survey of teachers found that 66% of them said they’re spending three to four weeks at the beginning of the school year on old concepts that are forgotten. “Summer is a great break from school, but it doesn’t have to be a break from learning,” Huggins says.

So what’s a parent to do? Should we push our kids during the summer to help them get ahead? Do we use that time to help a child catch up to her classmates? So it seems fair that teachers should have some say in how we, as parents, deal with summer brain drain. With that in mind, I talked to three Washington area educators- at the elementary, middle and high school levels- about what they would like parents and kids to do this summer to be prepared for the new school year.

Elementary School:

• Talk to your child. “Summer is a time to chat. Spend time getting to know your child, getting to know how they think about the world around them. And letting them get to know you.”

• Plan a vacation. Having the whole family involved in the planning of a trip can reinforce math skills (budgeting, days spent on specific activities). Figuring out what you want to do requires reading for information.

• Write post cards. While you are on that vacation, have everyone write post cards. It helps with penmanship and makes kids sort through information to find the important facts, and yet the space is small enough that kids won’t see it as a chore.

• Have kids’ dinner night. By age 10 or 11 kids can provide help with dinner. That means kids come up with the shopping list (mom and dad still pay, setting the table, preparing the meal, deciding on dinner conversation topic and cleaning up afterward. It involves math, organization and, perhaps most importantly, life skills.

You can go to parenting to see the full article

Adapted from

How to Prevent Summer Brain Drain: Tips from Teachers

Parenting

By Tracy Grant

Page 2 of 3

[pic]

KIS School Newsletter

Help Your Students Avoid Summer “Brain Drain”



Summer vacation is almost here, and with the sun comes the inevitable “brain drain.” NEA recommends several websites to reinforce the knowledge they have gained this year.

Elementary School: Grades K-5

These sites are robust enough to be used across the grade levels. Of course younger students will need some help navigating and reading instructions.

• Game Goo- An interactive set of games designed to build upon each other. Start at the bottom for younger students and move up through the games.

• - Fun Brain offers something for every student. Educational games have different levels so the practice can be customized. The site has areas dedicated to math and reading.

• Smithsonian Institute for Kids- Take a closer look at these engaging online exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution covering art, science & nature, history & culture and people & places.

Upper Elementary: Grades 3-5

• America’s Story- Presented by the Library of Congress, students will get caught up in the interactivity of the site as they Meet Amazing Americans, Jump Back in Time, Explore the States, Join America at Play and See, Hear and Sing. Check it out.

• FactMonster- Discover this well-organized, kid-friendly resource for fun facts and outstanding games and quizzes.

• KidsReads- Looking for a few good books this summer? Check out this site with reviews and recommendations as well as sections devoted to popular book series.

• MathPlayground- Created by a math teacher, this site offers games that require specific and complex skills, logic puzzles and an amazing supply of word problems. The games use manipulatives to help make even the most abstract math concepts clear.

• PBSKids Go!- While it shares some content from the PBSKids site geared toward younger elementary students, this site has a look and feel to engage the over 8 crowd. In addition to PBS character sections, there are terrific sections dedicated to the American Experience: Wayback, Democracy Project, History Detectives and more.

• National Park Service Web Rangers- Complete more than 4 dozen activities- puzzles, mysteries, quizzes, etc- to earn your “WebRanger” status. The activities vary in difficulty level and topic (parks, animals, nature, people, history, science and puzzles.

For full article, you can go to

|[pic] |

|. |

|Is my Study Place free from |

|interruptions? |

|It is important to have |

|uninterrupted study time. You |

|may have to hang a DO NOT |

|DISTURB sign on the door or take|

|the phone off the hook. |

|Is my Study Place free from |

|distractions? |

|Research shows that most |

|students study best in a quiet |

|environment. If you find that |

|playing a stereo or TV improves |

|your mood, keep the volume low. |

|Does my Study Place contain all |

|the study materials I need? |

|Be sure your Study Place |

|includes reference sources and |

|supplies such as pens and |

|pencils, paper, ruler, |

|calculator, and whatever else |

|you might need. If you use a |

|computer for your schoolwork, it|

|should be in your Study Place. |

|[pic] |

|Does my Study Space contain a |

|large enough desk or table? |

|While working on an assignment |

|or studying for a test, use a |

|desk or table that is large |

|enough to hold everything you |

|need. Allow enough room for |

|writing and try to avoid |

|clutter. |

|Does my Study Place have enough |

|storage space? |

|You need enough room to store |

|your study materials. Be sure |

|you have enough storage space to|

|allow you to keep your desktop |

|or other work surface clear of |

|unnecessary materials that can |

|get in the way. |

|Does my Study Place have a |

|comfortable chair? |

|A chair that is not comfortable |

|can cause discomfort or pain |

|that will interfere with your |

|studying. A chair that is too |

|comfortable might make you |

|sleepy. Select a chair in which |

|you can sit for long periods |

|while maintaining your |

|attention. |

|Does my Study Place have enough |

|light? |

|The amount of light you need |

|depends on what you are doing. |

|The important thing is that you |

|can clearly see what you need to|

|see without any strain or |

|discomfort. |

|Does my Study Place have a |

|comfortable temperature? |

|If your Study Place is too warm,|

|you might become sleepy. If it |

|is too cold, your thinking may |

|slow down and become unclear. |

|Select a temperature at which |

|your mind and body function |

|best. |

1.

|: |

| |

|Is my Study Place available to me whenever I|

|need it? |

|Your Study Place does you little good if you|

|cannot use it when you need it. If you are |

|using a Study Place that you must share with|

|others for any reason, work out a schedule |

|so that you know when you can use it. |

|Is my Study Place free from interruptions? |

|It is important to have uninterrupted study |

|time. You may have to hang a DO NOT DISTURB |

|sign on the door or take the phone off the |

|hook. |

|Is my Study Place free from distractions? |

|Research shows that most students study best|

|in a quiet environment. If you find that |

|playing a stereo or TV improves your mood, |

|keep the volume low. |

|Does my Study Place contain all the study |

|materials I need? |

|Be sure your Study Place includes reference |

|sources and supplies such as pens and |

|pencils, paper, ruler, calculator, and |

|whatever else you might need. If you use a |

|computer for your schoolwork, it should be |

|in your Study Place. |

|[pic] |

|Does my Study Space contain a large enough |

|desk or table? |

|While working on an assignment or studying |

|for a test, use a desk or table that is |

|large enough to hold everything you need. |

|Allow enough room for writing and try to |

|avoid clutter. |

|Does my Study Place have enough storage |

|space? |

|You need enough room to store your study |

|materials. Be sure you have enough storage |

|space to allow you to keep your desktop or |

|other work surface clear of unnecessary |

|materials that can get in the way. |

|Does my Study Place have a comfortable |

|chair? |

|A chair that is not comfortable can cause |

|discomfort or pain that will interfere with |

|your studying. A chair that is too |

|comfortable might make you sleepy. Select a |

|chair in which you can sit for long periods |

|while maintaining your attention. |

|Does my Study Place have enough light? |

|The amount of light you need depends on what|

|you are doing. The important thing is that |

|you can clearly see what you need to see |

|without any strain or discomfort. |

|Does my Study Place have a comfortable |

|temperature? |

|If your Study Place is too warm, you might |

|become sleepy. If it is too cold, your |

|thinking may slow down and become unclear. |

|Select a temperature at which your mind and |

|body function best. |

1.

[pic][pic]

Page 3 of 3

KIS School Newsletter

We’re on the Web!

Web site address

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download