Dear Families,
December has arrived! This month is certainly one of the most exciting months of the year for your children. The holiday season is a wonderful time for all of us to teach our students to be kind and show them the value of generosity.
Clinton’s faculty, staff, and I hope you and your family have a joyful, relaxing holiday season and we wish you all the best for 2025!
Mrs. McCartan
Helping your child set realistic goals is good—but achieving them is even more important.
Here’s a five-step process that can help your child reach his goals:
1. Write it down. Have your child post their goal where they can see it. Putting a goal in writing will help remind your child of their ultimate objective every day.
2. Brainstorm strategies to reach the goal. Once your child has selected a goal, it’s time to help them think of ways to break it down into smaller, achievable steps. For example, if their goal is to know their 1s-10s addition, subtraction, multiplication or division math facts, they might:
• Divide the math facts into smaller groups. Study just one group of facts at a time.
• Using the “one small list at a time” technique, until they know all of them correctly.
• Ask family members to give practice tests on a few facts at a time. They can ask them to say them aloud, write them down, use small items to act out math facts, etc.
3. Check progress. As your child completes each step, praise their progress. Remember—nothing succeeds like success! If they get off track, help them cope and refocus.
4. Look for lessons in both success and failure. Did your child reach their goal? Why or why not? If they did, what can they learn from their success? If they didn’t reach it, what can they learn that may help them in the future? Remind your child that even if they didn’t reach their goal, they are still learning.
5. Celebrate progress—and set another goal. Each time your child reaches a goal, they’re building their self-esteem and confidence. Help them set another goal that will make them stretch and grow just a little more.
Read Alouds
Reading aloud is one of the most important things parents can do with their children. Make your read alouds interactive and fun — a conversation between you, your child, and the story. Be sure to talk about the words and the illustrations and make connections to the characters. You’ll be introducing rich new words, providing a model of fluent, expressive reading, and letting your child know how wonderful books and reading can be. Reading aloud everyday can become a cherished family tradition.
There are many benefits of reading aloud:
*Boosts early literacy skills
*Helps children develop language and literacy skills
*Builds background knowledge
*Reflecting on different cultures and family experiences give all kids a window into the diverse world we live in.
*Nurtures a love of reading
*Develop social-emotional skills, such as empathy, understanding big emotions, and problem-solving
*Strengthens family bonds
Tips on Reading Aloud
*Choose books that are appropriate for your child’s age and interests
*It’s also important to allow your child to choose books that interest them
*Make your read alouds interactive and fun- use different voices and expression
*Talk about the pictures as you read
*Build vocabulary by focusing on and talking about new words
*Connect the story to your child’s world- make connections to the characters and chat about similarities and differences.
*Ask questions about the story and encourage your child to ask what they are wondering about -
*Make reading aloud a regular part of your routine — just 15 minutes each day can make a big difference in raising a reader
