Peterson Summer Update
Does the air feel warm?
Updates
My kids walked out on the deck this morning and excitedly reported that “ the air feels warm today.” Additionally, my truck thermometer showed 71 degrees as I was driving out to Peterson Elementary. This is all very exciting, and maybe, just maybe, we are into the summer weather now. Here’s hoping.
If you’ve been by the school in the last week or so, you might have noticed the updated school sign. It has a fresh coat of paint that helps it stand out a little more, and four blue spruce trees have been planted around its base. These are dwarf trees that should fill out the area around the sign nicely as they grow.
The roof construction continues. There are about 16+ workers now on site removing parts of the old roof, and I’m hearing reports that we are on track for the new roof to be completed before school starts. This has been 25 years in the making!
Audiobooks are Legit
Summer is a great opportunity to have fun with reading. Take time to explore books together as a family. Make a trip to our local book store. Make a trip to the Kodiak Public Library. I recently discovered that our local library offers the Libby App and Hoopla App for downloading digital books and audio books. All you need is your library card number and your pin for both of these apps. You don’t even need to create a new user account. If you don’t have your pin, call the library (907-486-8686) and they will help you out.
Here are a few key audiobook benefits to consider.
Audiobooks help students learn vocabulary. Your elementary student is learning thousands (Yes, that’s right, thousands!) of words a year all through elementary school (Seriously, like 3000-5000 a year!). Audiobooks help them learn new words if the book is at a high level. Aim for books that are well above their reading level. You will be surprised by what they can comprehend and the words that they absorb through listening. The primary way that we learn new words is by hearing them used in context and not by dictionary definitions.
Audiobooks help students hear enunciated words and clearly pronounced words that will help them later with spelling and even reading. If a student knows what a word properly sounds like, it benefits them when reading.
Audiobooks help to expose students to content and concepts early. Place names, historical dates, famous people, geographical locations, scientific terms, and more can all be part of an otherwise unassuming audiobook. When the time comes to start talking about these topics in class, the student that has heard these words before will be ahead of the game.
Here are some links for further reading about the benefits of audiobooks. Remember, the benefits of audiobooks impact all learners, and not just struggling readers.
I hope everyone is having a great summer!
-Principal Hargraves