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Administrator’s Corner by Nick Sofio

Earlier this month, our elementary teachers held their fall parent/teacher conferences.  These conferences are truly a great opportunity for both teachers and parents/guardians to connect and share about the successes and growth opportunities for each student. Parent/teacher conferences help to foster the school/home relationship that is so crucial to student success.

One common question that frequently comes up within the conference is how can parents/guardians help support their child in math and/or reading at home.  Teachers always have a plethora of suggestions that families can engage in to help support academic learning while at home.  Some of these suggestions can be as simple as reading a book and playing board/card games to counting and sorting food items in the pantry and adding and multiplying fractions while reading a recipe.  

With the holiday season approaching there are a variety of ways to incorporate some learning with your child during your day-to-day holiday activities. Working together in the kitchen cooking and baking is a simple and easy way to not only spend quality time with your child, but it also is a wonderful opportunity to sharpen math skills like adding, subtracting, multiplying, counting and fractions, just to name a few.  Invite them to be a part of the meal planning process where they could practice their writing and phonics skills by writing down the grocery list. Older children can do the shopping with you and keep track of your budget and how much each item costs. Perhaps your child could use their art and literacy skills by creating a special card for a family member, friend or neighbor. 

These are only a few examples of how time together as a family at home can allow for learning opportunities that connect directly with what your child is learning at school. In addition to these indoor activities, the Albert Lea community provides a great deal of outdoor experiences for our children to get outside to play, learn and enjoy the fresh air. 

Learning doesn’t need to be a formal worksheet with addition or subtraction problems for children to solve. There can be a learning opportunity for your child in almost all experiences they are able to be involved in daily — especially when it is a family experience.  

Nick Sofio is principal of Lakeview Elementary School.