The Foyer, 2019-2020, 08

     We are counting the days until school starts. Supply lists are on the home page since the sales tax holiday is this weekend. You may have noticed some unusual items. Students need bug spray, waterproof boots, and water bottles for nature study and walks. Composition notebooks work better than spiral bound because they are used every day. Students need a Bible which is their textbook for faith readings during the week. Six years of experience has taught us what works best.

     You may wonder why we order some supplies and books for your children. We are picky about colored pencils, paints, and notebooks which are the foundation of nature study. Our curriculum is based on living books, not textbooks. During the year, we will order books for your children. The best way to build a rich vocabulary and improve spelling is to read books. Our language arts draws from their books which get a lot of mileage in class. We try to find economical books.

     If your child devours books and has already dipped into the classics, Harvest will seem like a dream come true. They get to read real books every day! Some children who come to Harvest do not care for reading. The books seem wordy to them. They think the illustrations are old-fashioned. Our books have wonderful stories with complex language that whet the appetite. We offer adventures, travel, fantasy, nature lore, fairy tales, myths, short stories, plays, poetry, biographies, and more. In time, many a reluctant reader develops a taste for books. Having to draw a lot teaches them to appreciate the craft of illustrating books. Their tastes may change by the end of the year.

     Elementary and above classes have books assigned for home reading. The next school day, they write narrations of what they remember during class. This practice helps students develop reading fluency and writing fluency. Once they finish a take home book, we order new ones. Thus, we may order a book in the middle of a term. We also order a few books at the beginning of a new term. In time, your child will build a personal library. Research has shown that having “for keep” books is just as effective as summer school in maintaining reading skills. Every other week the bookmobile services our school and, when next summer rolls around, your children will have library cards. They can check out books  at the library and enjoy special events.

     Two important dates are coming up. Mark your calendars for Open House on Monday, August 19 and the first day of school on Wednesday, August 21.