At the end of each school year, there’s always concern on the part of parents and teachers that students will be victimized by brain drain over summer break. It’s no myth. Over the two to three months students are on summer break, they experience an overall learning loss of one month and it takes the first six weeks of school for kids to relearn old material.
Parents may remember, back when they were kids, schools had real classes—math, science, history—and fun classes—art and music. Parents may also remember they perhaps didn’t take art or music very seriously, looking at it more like a break from the demands of serious academics than an actual learning experience.
Whether large or small, technical innovations have always resulted in positive changes in education. New tech builds upon old tech, and we find ourselves where we are today, which probably started nearly 100 years ago.
February is Black History Month, which recognizes the many, often overlooked, contributions African Americans have made to America’s history. The evolution of Black History Month has an interesting history of its own, and dates back to the end of the Civil War.
Many kids spend the third Monday of February sleeping in late and enjoying a day off from school. With an extended weekend in their future, it’s a perfect time to explain to your children the full—and slightly complicated—history of Presidents Day.
Everyone knows what it’s like to go to work when we’re tired or not feeling well. The day is long, we don’t do as good a job as we usually do, and we’re sluggish and unenthusiastic. If that’s how it is for adults, think of how long and difficult the school day must be for children who aren’t feeling as well as they could be feeling.
Ask most kids, “When does one year end and another begin?” and they’ll probably tell you that the year begins in July or August, ends in May, with a chunk of summer between the end of one year and the beginning of the next.
Heritage families are invited to join us at the Williams Rodeo Barn on Friday, December 14, 6:30-8 p.m., for our annual Holiday Concert with a cookie and cocoa reception after the concert.
There are several holidays that kids love. They love the parades and fireworks on the Fourth of July; they love the decorations and excitement surrounding the end-of-year holidays; they may even love all the good food and getting together with friends and family at Thanksgiving. There is, however, no holiday more kid-centric than Halloween. Oh sure, many non-kids like to get in on the Halloween action, but they are interlopers…intruders.
This year, give those who are less fortunate a holiday to remember. Throughout November, donate unexpired canned goods or non-perishable items to the classrooms. Anyone can donate, so please help.
Our annual celebration of autumn will take place on Friday, October 26, 5-7 p.m.
There are hundreds of statistics to reinforce the value of developing good reading habits at an early age. While every parent has probably heard the dire warnings, the development of reading skills is so important, it bears repeating again and again. Good readers have brighter futures than poor readers, and the die is cast as early as fourth grade. Children who are not reading at a proficient level by the fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
790 E. Rodeo Rd., Williams, AZ 86046
Phone (928) 635-3998