The Best is Here to Stay
The economy forces many adults to direct their attention to this moment, to the crisis of today. Sometimes emergencies, when they last such a long time, cause adults to stop focusing on anything past the next few moments. Then, there are the procrastinators among us. You might know one person (or more) who live by the adage, “Why do today what you can put off until next week?” There are constant reminders on the news and among our families of those who are serving in the military, protecting the freedom we hold dear and not always returning home to those who love them. How do these grown-up concerns affect he lives of our children?
There is a rhythm to every family. Part of that rhythm is created by personal disposition, by need, by family dynamics and by many other aspects too numerous to list here. Children do not understand that there are a variety of life philosophies or ways to approach day-to-day living. What they see at home is what they know as “normal.”
“Our children may only be twenty percent of our population but they are one-hundred percent of our future.”
(Richard Wilson Riley, former Secretary of Education in the United States of America)
Give your child the best chance to be happy every day at school. Help your child learn the basics of alphabet letter recognition and sounds, memorize the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts and read aloud every day to enhance fluency, understanding and love of reading. Supervise structured learning time and make it fun. Congratulate your child for every skill mastered and every assignment completed.
If your child has ever been resistant about coming to school, it may be that she/he is not ready for the school day. There are negative consequences for students who do not know basic facts or have homework completed. There are positive consequences, including pride and progress in school, for those students who are ready for the school day. Parents and grandparents can help children be ready for the next day and the day after that, with confidence!
As an adult, one day or one week or one month may not seem like a long time or seem to make much of a difference. For a child in elementary school, one day of being unprepared can snowball into one week, then become one month and soon your child may have lost significant ground for that grade level. This often results in embarrassment, behavior problems and long-term intervention issues.
We need your child to be ready for our future. When your child’s grandparents, aunts, uncles and parents need medical assistance, call 911 or want to hire a contractor twelve or fifteen years from now, will your child be able to respond? These weeks of Summer Break can be the beginning of a new path, with your help. If you assist your child in becoming more confident of her or his skills, think of the smiles for your child at home and at school when the new school year begins. Let’s join together and reach new heights!
You and your children are the best of Wilmington. You are its spirit. Please do your part to make that spirit strong and positive in every way.
It has been my pleasure to learn with you for these past two years and to see the progress of the families of Denver Place Elementary School. Have a safe, wonderful Summer Break!
Your principal,
Claire Ann Kubiak