Spring is here!
       Yippee!
              Hooray!

      I can feel it in the air! Do you hear the birds singing in the mornings?  It's a wonderful feeling isn't it?!  We can definitely feel the shift here at Cedarhome Elementary. Students are becoming a bit more antsy. They're talking about practices for their spring sports, and are excited to not have to bundle up in three layers to stay warm!

Thinking back when my two sons were young and in elementary school I remember the difficult time we had sometimes fitting it all in between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on school nights. (Bedtime was 8:00 p.m. and yes, they needed that much sleep!)  One would have baseball practice at Heritage Park, the other at Stanwood Middle School.  Their dad could sometimes help with transportation, yet other days mom was on her own.  On top of that, I'm a teacher! My first question was always " How much homework do you have today?"  And I always wanted to make sure some reading was done as well.

You've worked all year to establish before and after school routines and schedules. During this busy time of year I recommend trying to stay as close to your already established schedules and expectations as much as possible. It's tough to do, but so important! Children thrive when they know what is expected of them and what to expect in a day or week. Especially with reading!  For those students who struggle with reading, or "don't like to read", being allowed the opportunity to not have to read is like winning the lottery!  But unfortunately there is no pay off like winning the lottery and the struggle becomes even more difficult.  

So if something needs to be skipped because of busy spring sports schedules and activities, think about missing that night time T.V. show to get 20 minutes of reading in.  If that doesn't work, maybe skip the morning cartoons?  To quote Margaret Fuller (American Author) "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."