Clinton Township Newsletter

1 3 A u g u s t 2 0 1 6 Rd V Scho All of us at Round Valley School hope that these summer days are giving you some happy, fun-filled family time! As always each adventure provides the opportunity for you and your child to learn together. We encourage you to continue your summer reading, whether it is a book, magazine, or a graphic novel. The Round Valley Community Garden is growing daily. All of the preparation done by students and staff has really paid off with some wonderful flowers and veggies! We encourage our families to come help with the weeding and watering! Our custodians are busy shining up the classrooms and hallways getting the school ready for September! Families should expect an email in mid-August with information on the upcoming school year. Enjoy your summer vacation and be safe! ton Tohip Midd School On June 10 we said congratulations and goodbye to our graduating 8th graders. We wish them the best as they embark on the next stage of their academic career. If you were driving past CTMS on a weekday morning in July it was hard to believe that it was the summer and school was officially over. CTMS was a hive of activity filled with students attending the CTSD Extended School Year program and the Clinton Township Recreation Department Summer Program. In both programs students enjoyed a multitude of activities designed to promote learning while having fun. As we relax and take time to rejuvenate over the summer it is important to recognize the importance of summer reading. Research shows that students who do not read over the summer demonstrate academic loss in the Fall. All CTSD students are expected to read throughout the summer. Our purpose is to encourage students to acquire the wonderful lifetime habit of independent reading. Information on the reading requirements for incoming seventh and eighth grade students and students entering 9th grade at NHHS can be found on the CTMS library webpage wiki.https://www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpagebykey?districtkey=clin ton&userkey=12866082 Summer math resources can also be found on the CTMS homepage: http://www.ctsd.k12.nj.us/7th-grade-summer-math-work/ 7th grade math teachers' webpage: h t t p : / / c l i n t o n . o n c o u r s e s y s t e m s . c o m / s c h o o l / webpage/12866066/1354828 School families should expect to receive an email in mid-August regarding visitation day and and important information for the upcoming school year. Enjoy the rest of your Summer! Preventing Summer Learning Loss! Summer learning loss erases gains made during the school year, but summer learning programs keep kids growing! • In a study of summer learning slide among elementary school children in Baltimore, Stephanie L. Slates et al found that low-socioeconomic status (SES) students who gained as much as their higher-SES peers in reading or math during at least three of the four summers of elementary school had parents who took them to the library during the summer months, checked out books while there, and read to their children for longer periods of time than other low-SES parents. (2012) • A pilot study at Missouri's Mid-Continent Public Library suggests that summer reading programs raise student reading levels during the summer, particularly among at-risk youth. (2014) • In 2010, a study carried out at Dominican University3 found that: "Students who participated in the public library summer reading program scored higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year than those students who did not participated and they gained in other ways as well." "Students who participated in the public library summer reading program had better reading skills at the end of third grade and scored higher on the standards test than the students who did not participate." • A 2001 survey of summer reading programs in southern California notes that: "Teachers reported on over 900 participating and non-participating students. Differences between students who participated in the Summer Reading Program and their non-participating peers were readily apparent. The most dramatic difference between students who participated in the program and their classmates was in their enthusiasm for reading." • A survey of summer reading programs in Pennsylvania in 20015 reported that: "Observations at various libraries and interviews with parents, children, and library staff reveal that preschool and summer reading programs encourage children to spend significant amounts of time with books, a first step towards reading achievement." "Observations and interviews also show that library programs encourage parents to play great roles in their children's literacy development— another factor leading to reaching achievement." "Finally, experimental methods showed that children who attend library summer reading programs read s i g n i f i c a n t l y b e t t e r t h a n t h o s e children who attend a camp program, suggesting that the time children spend in the library significantly enhances their reading achievement compared to other recreational activities." The Round Valley Community Garden is growing daily! Look who came to visit the Round Valley Community Garden!

• Cover