June 2009 1791 Letter - Berwick Academy

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
OVER THE SUMMER
I thought it would be fun to
end the school year by hearing from
someone other than me, so I invited the
members of the “new” Support Services
Department at Berwick Academy to
assist with the writing of my June 1791
Letter. The department was created this
year and is headed up by yours truly.
Its members include Ben Hillyard,
Lower School Academic Support
Coordinator; Stacey Sevelowitz,
Middle and Upper School Academic
Support Coordinator; and Linda Gill,
School Nurse. It is my hope that by
bringing these professionals together
and creating this new department,
Berwick Academy can provide more
coordinated and comprehensive
medical, academic, and psychological
support for your child during the
school year. We know through years
of experience that a happy, healthy
child thrives academically. So, for my
fi nal 1791 of the academic year, I posed
the following question to each of the
members, “What is one thing that you
want Berwick parents to remember
while enjoying summer vacation with
their children?” As you will see, our
responses are specific to our particular
area of expertise. I hope you find the
advice helpful!
Ben Hillyard - Lower School Academic
Support Coordinator
Something to Think About Over the
Summer – SUMMER LEARNING IS
ESSENTIAL AND CAN BE FUN!
First, let me congratulate the
Lower School students on a wonderful
year. This school year was packed
full of opportunities for learning,
development and growth from the first
days of Kindergarten to the excitement
and fear of moving up to the Middle
School.
The Lower School strives
to develop an education foundation.
Elementary School could be
considered the mortar that connects
future academic building blocks. It is
the task of both the home and school
environments to develop a foundation
which is strong, adaptive and rewarding.
So where does summer vacation fit into
this complex formula? Should summer
learning opportunities mirror the rigors
of a day of school or should summer be
about rest and relaxation?
Let’s look at the research for a
defi nitive answer. After a brief survey
I found that some research states that
only math computation regresses over
the summer months. Unfortunately,
other research states that summer
regression is rampant and one of the
main reasons for our diminishing
United States achievement scores
as compared to other industrialized
countries. Still other research states that
summer school is crucial to long term
retention, fluency, and comprehension.
To complicate things still further,
there are theoretical grounds (Dewey,
1956) for supposing that children learn
academic skills effectively outside
school. If so, far from there being
summer losses, there may even be
summer gains (Wintre, 1986).
It is unquestioned that children
can grow emotionally, physically and
academically in the summer.
Well, this leads us back to
the needs of the individual. I would
argue that adapting the research to the
individual needs is the art of teaching,
but should be in collaboration with
parents. Maintaining motivation is a
fl uid dynamic and every technique
does not help every child.
I would conclude with these
basic recommendations:
• Ask your child’s teacher for
recommendations. In the Lower School
our homeroom teachers understand
your child’s strengths, learning style,
and specifi c challenges.
• Break it down to its simplest form
- require some but make it fun. The
relaxed exploration of a beach or tide
pool can lead to new discoveries and
certainly learning. Learning happens in
all aspect of their lives.
Stacey Sevelowitz - Middle & Upper
School Academic Support Services
Something to Think About Over the
Summer – AVOID BRAIN DRAIN!
As the lazy days of summer
approach, try to remember the old
saying, “Use it or lose it!” Indulging
in the temptation to do nothing over
the summer to boost your brain power
is a wasted opportunity! According to
www.sharpbrains.com (a leading market
research company focused on the brain
fi tness and cognitive health market), a
very repetitive and routine-driven life,
lacking in novelty and stimulation,
can lead to brain drain. Brain research
shows that intelligence is not fixed as
previously thought; rather, the brain
continued on pg 16..
12 1791 Letter ~ June 2009