Summer Message

I cannot believe this year is over.  Your child has become one of “my kids,” and as I've told many of you in person I am having a really hard time letting them go as I feel I have watched them grow up before my eyes. I will miss them so much!  I am so proud of them, we have worked so hard this year to be 3rd grade ready.  They will rock the socks off of 3rd grade!! 

I wish you and your child a wonderful and restful summer break that will refuel and refresh them for the coming school year. It is great to relax and unwind during that time.  

However, it is common for students to forget some of the things they learned over the summer. For that reason, I give you some simple tips to help prevent that.

Try to maintain the learning without making it seem like school work. Keep it simple and fun. Here are some examples:

1. Read with your children every day or as often as possible for just a brief amount of time. Take a trip to the library, make it a mini "field trip" and let them find new books that interest them.  Maybe make a reading nook in your house to get them excited about reading.  Maybe even make it big enough that you can sit with them in their reading nook and read to them. Kids really do like it when you give them that special time. -This time can be used for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge (if you need your child's log in information let me know I can send it to you). 
2. Surprise them with a special notebook.  Suggest to them how much fun it might be if they keep a “diary” of their summer days. We've done a lot of writing this year where they write and collaborate.  Set aside a special time each day for them to write and share with you their thoughts of the day. Then, be their collaboration buddy (without sounding teachery) ask them if they can find anything in their sentence(s) that might need fixing (capitals, periods, spelling, etc.)  Guide them to find revisions. Make it fun, no pressure! Maybe even write them so they see you as a writer.  Let them offer you feedback! Maybe have them help you write an email, show them how you write in the real world. Praise them for their thoughts and writing skills. 
3. To keep up the math skills, play a variety  of math games; you can find many free ideas on teacherspayteachers.com.  Or, for those who enjoy coloring or if you don’t have as much time, encourage them to do one of the many color-by-number math sheets.  
4. Use all the digital resources we have provided this school year such as IXL, Freckle (Front Row), XtraMath, RAZ Kids, and the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge!. 

I hope these tips are beneficial to you and your child.  Have a great summer!  Don't be a stranger, come visit me next year!

                                                                  Best wishes,
                                                                 Mrs. Sullivan