Summertime!

What a journey we have shared this year!  We have explored the universe, our earth, our continents, and the many countries with their own, unique cultures, including relating this knowledge to our Cayman Islands.  We enjoyed learning about animals, plants, the properties of matter, ancient civilizations, and the human body.  We shared creation myths, and discussed their origins, as well as folktales and legends around the world.

In addition to our math and language work, we explored a variety of art forms with Ms. Ali and Ms. Karen and created wonderful pieces of art we can treasure forever.  We also completed in-depth studies of two continents, Africa and Europe, and prepared detailed projects.  The results of our projects allowed us to share many aspects of each continent with our fellow classmates, including particular animals, biomes, country facts, artists, historical places, historical events, clothing, foods, and more.  One of our favorite events occurred at the end of each continental study – the Food Fest!  We loved sharing our projects with our families and sampling the authentic foods that were prepared.

Our field trips were, as always, standouts and enriching experiences:  the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society, local Caymanian storytellers, theNationalMuseum, and the National Gallery.  All of our lives were enhanced by the exposure to these wonderful opportunities.

Over the summer, there are many avenues to maintain your child’s skills from this past year – even to progress his/her knowledge.  Please use the following websites to cater to your child’s needs:

•  www.ixl.com – all students should work in their grade level and even start looking at what they can attempt at the next grade level.  If your child is feeling a little uncertain about math at his/her grade level, they can revisit a grade level below to build some comfort again and then move forward.
• www.mathdrills.com – our continuous message throughout the year has been facts, facts, and more facts!  We cannot stress enough how important it is that your child is comfortable with basic math facts.  Even complex equations at their level are simply a series of applied math facts.  The more quickly they can recall math facts, the faster and more competently they can solve higher level math equations, and the less frustrated they will be with these tasks.
• www.superteacherworksheets.com – this site offers an amazing assortment of fun math, language, reading comprehension, and science worksheets.  Unfortunately, it is not completely free, but there are still options available without paying the annual fee.  If you find the website useful, the annual membership is only $19.95.
• http://summerbridgeactivities.org  — of course, books you can buy in stores are great if you are on the go.  Please look for the “bridge” books which transition a child between grades.  They will typically indicate which grades are addressed on the cover.  The aforementioned website illustrates examples which might help you find the right book in the store.  We recommend tearing out only a few of the perforated pages at a time so your child doesn’t feel overwhelmed.  These are great activities for plane, car, bus, or train travel, while waiting for meals at a restaurant, etc.

We are going to miss our student family and we hope everyone has a fantastic summer!   Please join us in wishing Romy Stomps and Garrett Thompson best wishes in their new homes in Holland and Canada, respectively.  We look forward to seeing the rest of you this fall!

Warm regards,

Miss Marcia and Miss Adrienne