Families,
The end of the school year is always bittersweet. On one hand, there’s the palpable excitement that comes with being able to start my day with my toddler and his dirty diaper versus an alarm clock. On the other hand, all the progress we’ve made in school comes to a pause for some and a close for others. Being a fellow parent, you know how hard it can be to juggle your professional career with all the responsibilities that come along with parenting young ones. On the last day of school, I made sure to thank the class for their patience, perseverance, and dedication as I’ve grown as a teacher and father and they’ve grown as students.
Our last Idiom of the Week was Serve a Purpose. As your child(ren) could probably tell you, I’m an absolute sucker for talent reality shows, like America’s Got Talent. I never watch the shows in their entirety, but I watch clips on YouTube. Are they somewhat cheesy? Yes. Are they entertaining? Yes. Do those two questions also address the use of puns? Absolutely. We watched a clip of a man named Kodi Lee performing an audition on a recent episode of America’s Got Talent. Kodi is blind and autistic. At a young age, his mother recognized the importance of music and saw how it helped Kodi thrive. It was a powerful clip and it became a viral sensation on the good ‘ole internet. I showed the class this clip because it summed up the idiom perfectly. As my students and your children move forward with their life, it’s important they focus on their goals and serve a purpose. I encourage them to make meaningful, impactful, and helpful choices such as helping with younger siblings, assisting in the family business, trying to communicate with their siblings with more respect and patience, and recognizing differences in others and how these differences are strengths.
It’s extremely important your child stay up-to-date on their literacy and math skills this summer. This was my thirteenth year of teaching, and I can say with disappointing confidence that it’s alarming how much students lose over the summer in terms of regressing in their multiplication facts, reading skills, and overall academic skills. Their IXL and Reflex Math accounts stay active through the summer. It’s really important students read as well. Epic, an online reading account, is having a sale on subscriptions for only $3 for the whole summer. Your local library is FREE! All you have to do is sign up for a membership and go once every two or three weeks. It’s easy, certainly attainable, and effective!
Progress reports will be mailed this week. Look for them in your mailboxes at the end of the week. Have a great summer!
~Mr. B