At Etna Elementary, we are excited to help your child succeed and to reach high levels of academic achievement. Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic skills are the keys to success in high school and beyond.  Students who are behind in any of these areas right now have steep hills to climb in their school career. The summer lag combined with the COVID crash has negatively impacted many of our students in these key academic areas. As I examine our data, I am concerned about students who (based on their assessment scores from this fall) appear to have not had much interaction with reading or math over the last five or six months. Now is the time for us to rally together to help close these new gaps. It is evident that at home practice is CRITICAL to helping students close these gaps. You can help by doing ALL that you can to make sure your children practice and build their skills in each of these areas.  Structuring time and demonstrating a commitment to these three content areas can positively influence your children, and can be used to give your children an advantage for years to come.  Several simple things can be done to solidify school success for your children.  Please consider these building activities in the three “R’s” to support their growth.

Reading:  Children should read AT LEAST twenty minutes a day AND visit with you about what was read.  Ask your child about new words they encounter or the theme of what they read.  There are many ways you can engage in your child’s reading.
wRiting:  Many judgments outside the world of school are made about a person based on the written work he/she produces.  There are many things you can do to help build these skills.  Your child can journal.  Students are always working on a writing piece at school that can be further developed at home.  Writing emails to relatives about things that are going on in their lives is another great strategy. 
aRithmetic:  Simply put, MATH FACTS are essential, simple, and they can easily be slipped into gams at home. From knowing addition facts to knowing ¼ is the same as .25 (for higher level students), being proficient in math facts is important.  Most importantly, multiplication facts need to be mastered.  These can be reinforced using traditional flash cards.  We would be happy to help students make their own set upon your request.  Students can do “skip counting” anywhere, anytime; i.e. 3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24.  There are also many computer and iPad games available to those who have Internet service. 

As is the norm at Etna Elementary, at parent teacher conferences, teachers will inform you about your child’s performance level relative to where they should be specific to the Wyoming curriculum standards.  Grades for students will reflect each student’s level of mastery specific to those standards.  4th and 5th grade report cards will focus on student academic performance separate from behavior.  Student behavior or citizenship will also be reflected on the report card, but will not be a factor in the academic grade marking.  If students are below or behind, we will provide you with multiple options to help them get where they need to be. This will be an excellent opportunity for you and your child’s classroom teacher to brainstorm solutions, in addition to the suggestions listed above, to work collaboratively in order to get your child back on track.  It is crucial that we work as a united front to help these students reach their full potential, especially in  the areas of Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. As a parent, your role in communicating the importance and value of these skills is imperative. Thank you for working with us to help your student be set up for a successful future.