End of Year Newsletter

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The Community Bulletin Board is a place to promote community events, programs and activities in Norristown, West Norriton, and East Norriton that may be of interest to the greater NASD community. Information posted here should not be interpreted as being sponsored by or endorsed by the district, but rather may be of interest to members of our community.

From summer camps and programs to reading challenges and sports teams, the NASD Community Bulletin Board is your go-to place for events in the community. Be sure to check back often to see new events, programs, and more!

Maya Angelou once said, “Reading aloud to your children is a gift that will last a lifetime”. Summer reading (whether students are reading on their own or listening to a loved one read to them) has a multitude of benefits. Here are 5 reasons to encourage summer reading at home this summer:

1. Maintain Reading Skills: Providing students a chance to practice their reading skills with a caregiver can help reduce “summer slide”, or the loss of skills over the summer. Point out opportunities to read everywhere- billboards, signs, mail, and more!

2. Expands Vocabulary: Research shows that a child’s vocabulary should grow 2,000 to 3,000 words per year. Reading is one of the most impactful ways to build children’s vocabulary.

3. Increase Content Knowledge: Does your child love the solar system? Does your child frequently have questions about plants? Reading a variety of books exposes your child to a range of topics from which they can build their knowledge, and ultimately make them better readers at home and at school.

4. Encourage Social-Emotional Learning: Reading at home with a loved one encourages bonding and is a treasured experience for all. Books offer a window into learning about different characters around the world, their lives, and the decisions they make. Reading can also support children’s ability to have empathy for others.

5. Fun: Reading is a screen-free way to provide endless entertainment for all ages! Your student can win prizes and books through some local reading challenges. Find them here on out Community Bulletin Board!

Helping Your Child in the Area of Math (English, Español),

• This tip sheet includes everyday practices to support mathematical and critical thinking in your home.

Young Mathematicians: Math At Home

• This website contains helpful videos about how to promote mathematical thinking and mindset at home, along with resources for simple games, books to read together about math, and more.

Mind Research Institute: 16+ Summer Math Activities for Kids

• Summer is a rich opportunity to bring mathematical thinking into fun indoor and outdoor activities. Explore numbers, engineering, measurements and more with structured math activities, or ask the right questions to evoke mathematical thinking in almost any activity! These activities are great to review math concepts, but also to explore new math concepts and experience them before a formal introduction in the classroom later.

Math Fact Fluency Games These are great games created by Jennifer Bay Williams that promote fact fluency

Math Fact Lab parents can have students create an account at home to work on building fact fluency

As the school year winds down and the days get longer, it's the perfect time to explore opportunities for continued learning, growth, and fun. Check out the following summer information to discover exciting ways to make the most of your break!

Summer reading for secondary students is important. It helps students stay sharp during the break so they remember what they learned during the school year. It is also an opportunity for students to explore new books and genres they might not get to read during classes. Most importantly, it helps our scholars develop a love for reading that can stick with them for life. Visit the link below for more information on the NAHS summer reading.

Central Montgomery Technical High School offers summer career experiences in Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Landscaping Design & Construction, Networking, and Exercise & Sport Science. Access the link below for more information

• CMTHS Summer Career Experiences

Since students will have their Chromebooks over the summer, they have the opportunity to stay engaged and continue practicing learned skills from this past school year. Below are some online resources.

And check here for Chromebook Care reminders!

IXL Skill Plans

IXL Skill Plans can help students in grades 5-12 solidify their understanding of key Math and Language Arts concepts over the summer! Try for a Smart Score of 80!

IXL offers test prep opportunities to help students prepare for upcoming assessments.

If your child plans to take the SAT, IXL has a personalized study plan to guide each student to the exact skills that will improve their scores. Students can enter their PSAT scores and the personalized study plan will create a customized list of IXL skills they can work on to improve their performance in each test section.

Your child can access IXL through ClassLink and by viewing this video.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a free online resource available to all students. Its purpose is to create a set of online tools that help educate students. Khan Academy produces short lessons in the form of videos and also includes supplementary practice exercises. (All Grades)

Scholastic

The Scholastic site offers fun-in-the-sun ideas for families. (5-8)

MiddleWeb: All About the Middle Grades

This site offers links to fun student activities and advice for parents to help engage students in reading over the summer months. (5-8)

PBS Learning Media - Grades PreK-12

Keep the spirit of curiosity alive this summer and explore all the ways learning exists in everyday activities. Find resources that encourage students in grades PreK-12 to spend the summer asking questions, spinning stories, and exploring all the ways that learning can be fun.

For additional summer resources, check out the Great American Read collection for summer reading materials, and find learning adventures for grades PreK-5 by visiting Summer Camp: fill each day with possibilities

Reading Adventure Packs

The Reading Rockets reading adventure packs contain the instructions, activities, and bookmarks for you to download and print, for free in Spanish and English for Grades PreK-3

Reading Eggs - Free Summer Learning Activities for Ages 2-13

Designed for ages 2‑13, Reading Eggs has hundreds of self‑paced lessons, fun games, lovable characters, and exciting rewards for your child to enjoy this summer. Avoid the summer reading slide with over 3000 e‑books in the Reading Eggs online library.

National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids free online resources are useful for quick bits of summer learning. The short nonfiction articles are high-interest and make a great source for quick summer reads.

Wonderopolis

Wonderopolis, a program of the National Center for Families Learning, is a collection of interesting articles designed to get kids to question, think, and explore. Each piece contains great vocabulary, images, and links to other reliable information on the Internet.

Sync Audiobooks for Teens

Sync is a summer program sponsored by AudioFile Magazine. Teens can sign up to be notified by text each week when two FREE audio books are released. These can be downloaded during the week and listened to any time through the OverDrive Sora app. Audiobooks are great for some reluctant readers but also just another way to read and consume great literature.