It has been a pleasure to work with your children this year.   As summer is just around the corner we thought we would end the year with some ideas for a successful summer. 

Routines

All children benefit from clear expectations and some structure during the summer months:

• Children need adequate sleep year-round for their development.   Have set wake-up and bed times.
• Maintain regular meals too. Poor summer habits such as skipping breakfast or excessive snacking will come back to haunt your kids next school year.
• Establish daily routines, such as family game time after chores or morning walks for the dog.
• But don't overschedule. Children need downtime to explore, create, and relax.

Feed the Brain

Many children experience academic slippage during the summer, which can make it difficult for them to get back on track when school starts again.  Fight academic amnesia by keeping kids intellectually engaged throughout summer.

• Set aside a regular reading routine. Many libraries offer children's reading clubs with a theme, such as detective books or science fiction.
• Keep your children physically active by limiting video game, computer, and TV time. Take family bicycle rides or walks, play hopscotch, or shoot hoops.
• Maintain kids' writing skills by encouraging them to keep a journal of their summer experiences.

Summer Plans

A successful summer is a well- planned one.

• Let the kids have input when planning summer activities. Suggest outings such as picnic lunches and day-trips to the zoo or a museum to stoke your kids' imaginations, then ask them for their ideas.
• Keep them apprised of camp dates, daycare, family trips, and other plans by giving them a detailed calendar. This helps them visualize what's ahead and how to prepare.
• Set up regular play dates now before vacation schedules make it tough to reach friends.

Above all, have fun together.   All too soon it will be back-to-school time.

Mrs. Katie DeMunbrun                                               Mrs.  Kim Jackson            

Grades 2-5                                                               Grades K-1

314-415-6658                                                            314-415-6859

kferb1@parkwayschools.net                                   KJackson@parkwayschools.net

It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over!  Congratulations to Mrs. Bernstein’s class and Mrs. Ortyn’s class whose students tied for reading the most Mark Twain nominated books. Each class as a whole read 124 Mark Twain nominated books and they will soon enjoy a pizza party to celebrate their accomplishment. Great job to everyone that read! The winner of the 2012-2013 Mark Twain Award for Missouri is Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper with 3,723 votes from across the state. We also had 22 students who read at least 10 out of the 12 Mark Twain nominated books. Way to go and keep up the great reading!  

The 1^st-3^rd graders participated in the Show Me Book award program and each got to vote for their favorite along with all the other 1^st-3^rd graders in Missouri. The winner of the 2012-2013 Show Me Award for Missouri is The Blue House Dog by Deborah Blumenthal with 25,088 votes across the state.

With summer fast approaching please encourage your children to read this summer as much as possible. The St. Louis County Library (www.slcl.org) and the St. Louis Public Libraries (www.slpl.org) both have excellent summer reading programs that give prizes based on how much a student reads. There are also many free events that take place at the public libraries that children can attend. They include magic shows, puppet shows, author visits, making crafts, story times, and watching movies. Some of the major bookstores such as Barnes and Noble also offer summer reading programs for children.  

Please access the link below for Parkway's Summer Reading List:

https://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/panda/subjectlinks/elemSRL2013.pdf
    

Have a great May and a fabulous summer. I look forward to seeing everyone in August and asking about what great books the students read over summer!

Mrs. Alison Brightwell

Library Media Specialist

314-415-6685

abrightwell@parkwayschools.net