Newfane El
End of Year Newsletter
Principal's Message
Coming to Kindergarten? This video is for you!
Heading to Fifth Grade? This video is for you! Get a sneak peek at the MS hallways and learn how to open a locker!
Check out Mrs. Gaskill's Virtual Art Show below! We have some amazing artists at the El!
Check out the tips below for Summer Learning & Fun!
Summer Fun at Newfane Public Library!
Our theme this year for the 2020 Summer Reading Program is Imagine Your Story! Sign up will be a little different this year – you can either call the library (778-9344) and schedule a time to pick up your packet, or keep track online with READsquared at http://newfanelibraryny05.readsquared.com/.
Sign up begins June 22nd, and runs through August 28th. We are tracking the number of minutes you read this year in 15-minute increments, and any book you read, whether it’s a library book or your own book, can be used. Small prizes will be given out, and we’ll still have fun prizes to try and win!
As part of our Summer Reading Program, since we can’t meet in person, Newfane Public Library will be offering Page Turner Adventures Summer Virtual Programs this summer: 5 days a week for 10 weeks of comedy story theater shows, crafts, recipes, author interviews, guest performers, games and more! Check out our Facebook page (@NewfaneLibrary) or our website (www.NewfaneLibrary.org) for more information.
And stay tuned for information on a virtual visit to Challenge Island this summer!
Happy Reading!
Summer Reading Tips
Reprinted with permission from The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities.
Summer shouldn't mean taking a break from learning, especially reading. Studies show that most students experience a loss of reading skills over the summer months, but children who continue to read will gain skills.
Efforts should be made during the summer to help children sustain reading skills, practice reading and read for enjoyment.
Reading builds visualization, thinking and language abilities. Taking the time to read with your child can help you evaluate your child's reading skills. If you discover that your child is having trouble with reading, he or she may have a learning disability. 80% of children with a learning disability have difficulty with basic reading and language. But early identification of such a disability gives a child the chance to develop ways to learn how to read effectively, and skills to lead a successful and productive life. A recent National Institutes of Health study showed that 67% of young students at risk for reading difficulties became average or above average readers after receiving help in the early grades.
Parents should remember that children need free time in the summer to relax and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. So summer reading should be fun. Following are a few tips to make reading enjoyable for your children this summer:
1. Read aloud together with your child every day.
Make it fun by reading outdoors on the front steps, patio, at the beach or park. Also, let your children read to you. For younger children, point out the relationship between words and sounds.
2. Set a good example!
Parents must be willing to model behavior for their children. Keep lots of reading material around the house. Turn off the TV and have each person read his or her book, including mom and dad.
3. Read the same book your child is reading and discuss it.
This is the way to develop habits of the mind and build capacity for thought and insight.
4. Let kids choose what they want to read, and don't turn your nose up at popular fiction.
It will only discourage the reading habit.
5. Buy books on tape, especially for a child with a learning disability.
Listen to them in the car, or turn off the TV and have the family listen to them together.
6. Take your children to the library regularly.
Most libraries sponsor summer reading clubs with easy-to-reach goals for preschool and school-age children. Check the library calendar for special summer reading activities and events. Libraries also provide age appropriate lists for summer reading.
7. Subscribe, in your child's name, to magazines like Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic World.
Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines, to keep up the reading habit over the summer and develop vocabulary. Ask them what they think about what they've read, and listen to what they say.
8. Ease disappointment over summer separation from a favorite school friend by encouraging them to become pen pals.
Present both children with postcards or envelopes that are already addressed and stamped. If both children have access to the Internet, email is another option.
9. Make trips a way to encourage reading by reading aloud traffic signs, billboards, notices.
Show your children how to read a map, and once you are on the road, let them take turns being the navigator.
10. Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook.
Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities picture postcards, ticket stubs, photos. Have your children write the captions and read them and read them aloud as you look at the book together.
10 Exercises for a Great Parent-and-Kid Workout
By Angela Bekkala
While exercise is often a parent's time to decompress, it's also a great activity to do with your kids when there's not time to squeeze one in. It's good for kids and parents to be active, and doing it together allows parents to set a good example of how physical activity is important for a healthy body and mind.
The next time you can't make it to the gym or your kids have excess energy to burn, crank up some music and get sweating together with these 10 exercises. Do each exercise for 60 seconds and repeat the circuit two to three times. You'll have a complete workout in less than 30 minutes, and your kids might even be a little less energetic.
Squat:
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width, toes slightly turned out. Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower into a squat, keeping your chest lifted and your back straight. Squeeze your glutes as you return to standing. Repeat with a steady rhythm.
Push-Up:
Start in a high plank position. Place your hands firmly on the floor with an engaged core and flat back. Bend your elbows to lower your body toward the ground, keeping your back flat and your body in a straight line. Keep your arms close to the body with your elbows facing backward. Exhale as you push back up to starting position.
Mountain Climber:
Start in high plank position, then bring your left foot forward directly under your chest while keeping your right leg extended. Keeping your hands on the ground and your core tight to jump and switch legs. The left leg should now be extended behind the body with the right knee forward. Repeat continually with a quick rhythm.
Plank:
Begin flat on the ground. Bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms to make a 90-degree angle between your shoulder, elbow and hand on each side. Engage your core to form a straight line from head to toe. Hold this position.
Wall Sit:
Slowly slide your back down a wall until your upper legs are parallel to the ground. Make sure your knees are directly above your ankles and your back is straight. Hold this position.
Star Jumps:
Bend your knees and squat down. Your knuckles should brush the ground, your knees should be in line with your toes and your bottom should be parallel to the floor. Jump as high into the air as you can in one explosive movement, extending your arms and legs to the sides to make a star. Bend your knees as you land, and end in the squatting position in which you started. Repeat this motion with a quick rhythm.
Inchworm:
Stand up tall with your legs straight and your knees loose but not locked. Then, bend forward so your fingertips touch the floor. Slowly walk your hands forward. Once in a push-up position, start taking tiny steps so your feet meet your hands. Repeat this movement, and remember to maintain an engaged core to relieve stress on the back.
Plank to Low Squat:
Begin in a high plank position. Jump your feet to the outside of your hands, coming into a deep squat while leaving your hands on the floor. Quickly jump back to plank. Repeat this movement with a quick rhythm.
Alternating Reverse Lunges:
Stand tall with your hands on your hips or overhead. Take a large step back with your left foot. Lower your hips until your right leg is parallel to the floor with your right knee positioned directly over your ankle. Your left knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle and pointing toward the floor with your left heel lifted. Return to the starting position by pressing your right heel into the floor and bringing your left leg forward to complete one rep. Repeat this movement, alternating sides.
Burpees:
Start out in a low squat position with your hands on the floor. Next, jump your feet back to a push-up position, complete one push-up then immediately return to the squat position. Leap up as high as possible, raising your arms overhead and then returning to the low squat position when you land. Repeat this movement as quickly as possible while still maintaining proper form.
Fun Summer Math Games For Kids
At Imagine Learning, we know that “fun” and “math” don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. This challenge makes learning basic math concepts a little difficult sometimes.
However, we also know how important these basic math skills are.
So we created a list of super fun math games to help your kids learn subtraction, addition, division, and multiplication this summer. Or anytime!
1. Beach Ball Addition
Supplies needed:
- Beach ball
- Permanent marker
Instructions:
Label a beach ball with numbers 1-12 (make sure to repeat numbers for practice adding doubles). Have your children toss the ball to each other. Before they can pass it on to the next person, they simply add whatever numbers are under their hands after they catch it.
2. Subtraction “War”
Supplies needed:
- Deck of cards
- Kitchen Timer
Instructions:
Deal out the cards, giving each player an equal amount until the deck runs out. Make sure to keep all of the cards in a stack. Don’t peek!
Each face card is worth 10 points, while an ace is worth 1 point.
Set the timer for 10-15 minutes. Each player turns two cards face up, and turns those numbers into a subtraction problem. For example, if your child drew a 6 and a 4, he or she would say “6-4=2” and if you drew a 7 and a 6, you would say “7-6=1.”
If your child had the higher number, he or she would win the cards and put them at the bottom of his or her stack. If two players come up with the same answer, the two will “go to war.” In this case, each player lays out four cards, two face down and two face up. Instead of doing a subtraction problem this time, the players will do an addition problem. Whoever has the highest answer wins all 8 cards.
Once the timer goes off, the person with the most cards in his or her stack wins!
3. Multiplication Jenga
Supplies needed:
- Jenga set
- Tape
- Markers
- Paper
Instructions:
Write out one multiplication problem for each block on separate pieces of paper. Cut out the multiplication problems and tape them to each block.
Set up the pieces as normal, and make sure each problem is hidden from sight. The game is played just like the normal version, but if a child successfully pulls one of the blocks out of the stack, he or she must answer the problem written on the block.
4. Division Leftovers
Supplies needed:
- 15-50 beads per group of 2
- A pair of dice per group of 2
Instructions:
Choose the number of beads you want each group to have. The larger the number, the longer the game takes.
Player one will roll the dice. Say you’ve given the group 35 beads, and the student rolls a 3. The student will then see how many groups of 3 he or she can make out of the 35. The player keeps however many beads are leftover as points. In this example, there would be 2 beads left over, so that player would receive two points.
The next player would repeat the above steps, only this time, he or she would divide into 33, since the first player kept 2 beads of the 35 as points. The game continues like this until a player rolls a number higher than the number of beads left. The person with the most points, or beads, at the end of the game wins.
As you can see, adding fun into math can make all the difference in a child’s learning.
Main Office Changes
About Us
Email: hstaley@newfanecentralschools.org
Website: https://www.newfane.wnyric.org/domain/17
Location: 2909 Transit Road, Newfane, NY, USA
Phone: (716) 778-6376
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewfaneEl/