Kim Kline

As fast as the students came “MARCH”ing in…they took a quick T-STOP and then ROLLED right into April full speed!!

April...Areas of Focus:
*March Madness/Brain-Body Integration (Cupstacking)
*Striking with feet
*Fitness/Nutrition---Fitness Assessment (Fitnessgram…4th grade)

May…Areas of Focus:
*Striking with hands…long & short implements/ball handling
*Special events/preparing for field day

Total School Miles Walked: 4,010 miles (as of March)

Special Event: In February, our school participated in Hoops for Heart/Jump Rope for Heart to help raise money for the American Heart Association.  The total amount raised was $1247.06.  AWESOME JOB, EVERYONE !!  

REMINDER: Amelia Earhart’s field day will be held on Monday, May 12, 2008 at the Goddard High School football field (K-2 A.M--- 9:30-11:30/K, 3rd & 4th P.M--- 1:30-3:30).  I will be sending home more specific information in April.

***Thank you EVERYONE for all your help and support in making our Physical Education program the BEST it can be!!

Suzanne Sullivan

Summer Reading Loss
Summer reading loss refers to the decline in children’s reading development that can occur during summer vacation times when children are away from the classroom and not participating in formal literacy programs. Far from being an intuitive perception in the minds of educators, the reality of summer reading loss is well documented. Researchers have uncovered evidence to suggest that the impact of summer reading loss on students in general and on at-risk students in particular, is significant. Access to reading materials has been consistently identified as a vital element in enhancing the reading development of children. Of all the activities in which children engage outside of school, time spent actually reading is the best predictor of reading achievement—the more students read, the better readers they become.

Below are some ideas to help your child NOT have that summer reading loss this summer.

Literacy tips for early readers

• Point out print in the child’s environment: on cereal boxes, food labels, toys, restaurants and traffic signs.
• Sing songs, say short poems or nursery rhymes, and play rhyming word games with your child.
• Tell stories to your child.
• Read aloud to your child. Point to the words on the page as you read.
• Read a short passage several times to your child until your child can read it with you. Then encourage your child to read the passage to you.
• Encourage older children to read with younger children.
• Encourage your child to read (or pretend read) to you. Make this reading enjoyable. Don’t worry if your child does not read all the words correctly, but, rather, applaud your child’s efforts to read.
• Go to the library together.
• Have books, magazines, and newspapers around the house. Let your child see you reading.
• Encourage your child to write messages such as grocery lists, to-do lists, postcards or short messages to family members or friends. Don’t worry about conventional spelling at this point, but rather, encourage your child’s first efforts at authorship.
• When watching television, have the captioning feature enabled so that the children view the words while hearing them performed aloud.

Literacy tips for more advanced reader

• Talk to your child about what he or she is reading. Ask open-ended questions such as “What do you think about that story?” “What would you have done if you were the character?”
• Make reading and writing a regular part of your daily home activities. Let your child see you using reading and writing for real purposes.
• Visit the public library. Help your child to get his or her own library card.
• Read to your child regularly, even after your child is able to read some books independently.
• Listen to your child read. Use strategies to help your child with tricky words. For example, when your child comes to an unfamiliar word, you might say, “Skip it and read to the end of the sentence. Now try again—what makes sense and looks like the word that you see?”
• Praise your child’s efforts at reading.
• Play word games such as thinking of different words to describe the same things.
• Support your child’s writing. Have writing materials such as paper, markers, and pencils available. Read what your child writes.
• Set reasonable limits for television viewing.

This is just a start of what you can do to help prevent summer reading loss in your child over the summer. Enjoy a good book together and have a great summer!!

Based on the article, “Summer Reading Loss” by Maryann Mraz and Timothy Rasinski.
The Reading Teacher, May 2007.

Judy Wilson

Field Trips
*4th-Great Plains Nature Center - April 17th
*3rd-Earth Day @ Zoo - April 22nd
*1st & 2nd Zoo-May 19th

Please keep Mrs. Wilson in your thoughts. Mrs. Wilson fractured her hip and will be out of school for awhile. Get Well  Mrs. Wilson!

If you have any questions please call 794-4080 or email me at jwilson@goddardusd.com