Strategies for the Year-end and Summer Months
Before you banish the backpacks and books, seize the final weeks of school and early weeks of summer as a time to assess this closing academic year and to plan for the next. As the countdown begins, here are some helpful tips for parents and students of every age:
Lower School/Elementary School
- Review your child's final progress report with him or her. Emphasize the areas of growth and achievement and give praise for a job well done. Set goals in areas to work on over the summer; for example, set a goal of reading (5) books or practicing the times tables so they are memorized before the summer's end.
- Be aware of the summer
reading assignments that are given out at the end of school.
This is a good time to get a library card, if your child does
not already have one, and make weekly trips to the library a part
of your summer routine. Many libraries offer creative reading
programs that encourage children to continue the reading habit
throughout the summer.
- Choose a children's classic that you and your child can read aloud together. Anne of Green Gables, Swiss Family Robinson, etc. are great titles to share. Summer gives families lots of uninterrupted time to enjoy longer books that children may not be ready to read by themselves.
- Cook with your children. Working through recipes reinforces reading and math skills in a fun and creative way.
- Plan family field trips to places of interest. Day trips to museums, aquariums, zoos and nature preserves are excellent ways for families to continue learning together—even though school is out!
- Encourage your child to master a new craft or skill. Perhaps your child would like to learn to knit, sew, sail, or grow a vegetable garden. Perhaps your child would like to learn how to paint or try photography.
- Resist the temptation of television. Children who watch more than 30 minutes of television per day are missing the many physical, creative and social opportunities that summer offers.
- Encourage children to keep a journal over the summer. Writing just ten minutes a day will keep their skills sharp and their writer's mind tuned up. Learning to touch type would be a great help for incoming fourth and fifth graders. Again, by practicing just 10 minutes a day children will see dramatic improvement in their typing skills.
- Ask your child to retell favorite stories, act out stories, draw pictures about stories they have heard, create a puppet, and so on. Comprehension and interpretation skills will be honed through this creative play.
- Encourage children to practice skills they have learned as they explore, investigate and discover while they play...for example, collect, sort and count seashells or white stones found on the beach; practice writing letters, numbers, words, etc. in the sand at the beach, and so on.
- Send a letter or postcard to a friend.
- Most importantly, enjoy the special joys that summer can bring. Use this special time to enjoy your children, rejuvenate your spirit and recharge your batteries for the next school year.
Middle School
- Help sustain a high level of academic momentum and focus through the end of the year. As teachers implement creative units to maintain student excitement and enthusiasm, discuss these activities with your child at home.
- Emphasize the importance of maintaining appropriate behavior and focus when participating in end of year activities on and off campus.
- Contact your child's adviser. Students should have final meetings with their advisers to revisit the goals for the year and to discuss how they would assess their achievements and challenges. This begins the process of looking toward the fall and recognizing the expectations ahead.
- Identify areas in need of academic reinforcement and strengthen these during the summer. Ask your child's teachers for suggested resources or activities to complement their learning and prepare them for the coming academic year.
- Read,
read, read.
- If your child is entering Upper School or High School next year, use the end of year as a time to preview life there. Discuss the transition with your child to help him or her anticipate the changes ahead
Upper School/High School
- Summer is a great time for entering 9th grade students and their parents to become familiar with their new school. Students and parents should visit the school if possible, and meet with administrators to discuss the academic program and to ask any questions. In addition, students may want to check in with the Athletic Department to discuss athletic options.
- Entering 10th grade students should shore-up academic weaknesses as well as begin to explore their personal strengths and competencies. This summer is also an important time to focus on extra curricular activities. It is highly recommended that students engage in community service projects.
- Two words for students entering 11th grade: college preparation. Before the school year is over, students and their parents should arrange to meet with college counselors at their schools to discuss college options. Then, they should schedule college visits. In addition, spending time in a formal enrichment program—academic, travel, or leadership oriented,—is highly recommended. Consult your school's college counseling office for more information about these programs.
- Entering 12th grade students should schedule follow-up visits to colleges of interest, work on college applications and make final preparations for college entrance exams (SAT's, SAT II's and AP's). This is also a great time to ask teachers for early letters of recommendation. Students and their parents are also encouraged to begin preparing for the transition into college by researching expectations for college students. Richard Light's non-fiction book, How to get the Most Out of College: Students Speak Their Minds, is a great place to begin.
By taking advantage of the final weeks
of school and the summer months, your child will be a big step ahead
for next year.
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