June 18, 2020
Dear First and Second Grade Families,
This school year (and year in general) has been different than any other; it is certainly one that we will never forget. First and foremost, we want to thank you all and let you know how much we appreciate your openness, flexibility and hard work during this remote learning time. We also appreciate all of your support from the beginning of the year when we were in the building as a community! It seems hard to remember the beginning of the year, but we did have a great school year together in the building too! Some memories include: Primary Sing, the All School Outing at Hubbard Park, writing narrative stories in the fall, Winter Wellness, Global Day of Play and our day to day fun together!
Ending this school year and transitioning to summer also feels different this year. We worked to celebrate and have closure on this school year. That being said, please feel free to contact us over the summer. Don’t hesitate to reach out- just send an email. Please understand that it will take us longer than during the school year to reply to emails.
You also may be able to access some of our apps this summer- such as SeeSaw, Epic and iReady (through August 8th). Your child should feel welcome to use SeeSaw as another way to connect with us and share summer activities- academic or not, although we won’t be posting new assignments! Feel free to send us letters in the mail! (Our addresses are below). We can also be available to connect over the phone, Zoom, etc. if you feel like this would benefit your child!
This year has been stressful for many of us and this summer should look however you would like and need for your family to help you recharge and relax. That said, if you are interested in continuing some school type activities for your child here are some ideas. We will also be sending home some summer packets if you are interested. These are totally optional! We just want you to have resources if you are interested!!
Read, read read!
A guide to leveled texts: https://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/guided-reading-levels.html
Please get in touch with us if you’d like your child’s reading level to ensure the books you get them from Scholastic (see below) or the library are a “Good Fit”
Ben’s Scholastic Class Book Code: MNQC2
- Other Online Resources
Scholastic Summer Read-A-Palooza https://www.scholastic.com/
site/summer/home.html TD Bank is offering a $10 incentive for reading over the summer. It's an easy form to download and fill out. https://www.tdbank.com/
summerreading/index.html - Just Right Reader - Serves PK-2nd Grades. A box of books comes each month with activities for parents to follow to enhance engagement. There is a cost involved, but they are offering one month free. https://www.justrightreader.
com/how-it-works - Summer Reading Lists by Grade Range - Association for Library Service for Children
- Camp Wonderoplois - is a free online summer learning destination for that's full of fun and interactive STEM and literacy building topics. http://camp.wonderopolis.org/
- NEA Read Across America - this site has all kinds of links to summer reading and activities
Have interactive books read to you online. Go to: Tumblebooks and use the username: rumney and password: books.
Keep a journal about what you do this summer—write and draw pictures!
Go outside, observe what you see. Ask questions!
Count anything you can find!
Look for words and numbers around you in the world.
Talk about money and practice counting pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters.
Look around your family and/or neighborhood and see how you could help others.
Draw, create art in nature, listen to music, dance, move your body, use Spanish words, be mindful!
Take time to relax and enjoy yourself—it’s summer!
Run, play, laugh.
We also acknowledge that the end of this year and this summer brings more uncertainty than usual. This is something that staff and families are feeling alike! We are waiting to make decisions about placement and grade configurations for next year until we have the most recent information on both health practices and student numbers at different grade levels. Therefore, you can expect to hear more in August on what the upcoming school year will bring. We know that waiting can be challenging and we appreciate your patience. We are trying to let time help us make the best decisions to support kids both academically and social/emotionally.
Thank you again for all you have done and are doing. It has been a pleasure working with you all this year. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. Take care and have a great summer!
Sincerely,
The ½ Team
Christine Babcock, Caitlin Morgan and Ben Weiss
Mailing Addresses for letter writing:
Christine Babcock
213 Bartlett Rd.
Berlin, VT 05602
