Every year on May 5th the world celebrates Cinco de Mayo. The holiday is an annual celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over the French in the 1860s. May is also the last full month of school for many students. It’s a month of celebration!
Time to Celebrate
The 2020-2021 school year has been anything but normal. Students have experienced virtual school, mask mandates, social distancing, and these are only the outwardly obvious changes. Learning has changed and there have been additional hurdles that many students have faced this school year.
This is exactly why it is so important to celebrate! Just as Cinco de Mayo celebrates victory, it is time to celebrate the victories students have had despite the battles they have fought. Overcoming the hurdles of learning new technology, restricted interaction with classmates, and navigating a virtual classroom are just a few of the victories that we can celebrate.
Keep Reading
Reading during the summer is crucial for helping students retain the information and skills they’ve learned during the school year. This is especially important this summer.
Here are a few ways you can help foster reading in your home this summer:
- Create a Fun Reading Space
- Model reading yourself
- Encourage any type of reading (ie. cereal boxes, comic books, etc.)
- Visit libraries (virtually if necessary)
- Allow reading to be a choice, not a chore
- Add books to their environment
Most importantly, use your influence to encourage students to read 15 minutes every day.
“If you want your child to walk into school each day ready to succeed, the best thing you can do is read to them each day. A reading routine builds their vocabulary, even for older kids, and benefits them when they start reading on their own.” – “The Importance of Daily Reading”, bookitprogram.com