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Point Roberts Primary School News

Important Dates in June:
June 19 - Last day of school. Early Dismissal at 12:50 p.m.

Principal’s Corner
by Nancy Bakarich

We will be saying a sad goodbye to Rita Zimbelman-Worth at the end of this school year. She has been a teacher at Point Roberts Primary School since its opening September 1992 at the Point Roberts Community Center. Rita and the students moved to the current school in 1993 where she will be completing her teaching career with 30 years experience. Rita previously taught in California and Orcas Island grades K through 5. Rita was the sole teacher at Point Roberts Primary School for five of the past fifteen years. Some of her fondest memories are of the senior citizens playing pool next door at the community center to beach and trail walks around the point. In reflecting over the years at Point Roberts Primary School, Rita has touched the lives of over 100 Point Roberts students, some of which are now seniors in college. Rita plans to stay in contact with the Point Roberts community, so don’t be surprised if you see her walking with the Wacky Walkers on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

As the Principal of Point Roberts Primary School the past seven years, I have enjoyed working with Rita and watching her instruct the students in all areas of growth. She is always positive and is full of energy. The district, community and students in Point Roberts, Washington, will miss her. We wish her the best in her retirement years and hope that she will come and visit us often.

With summer just around the corner we don’t want our children to lose what they’ve already learned. Having kids do a small amount of activities during the summer months will help them retain important skills.

• Before the last school bell rings for the year, sit down with your child and let them know that reading and learning activities will be an important part of their summer. Assure them that they’ll still have lots of time for play and relaxation.
• Find activity books to exercise their minds. There are a huge variety of activity books available, usually catered to specific age groups. Give your children their own activity book, and let them work at their own pace to finish it. (Set a "due by" date to keep them on track.) Crossword puzzles, math activity books and number puzzles all keep children’s brains in motion.
• Set a reading time every day where everyone turns off the computer, TV, music, and video games, and spend 15 minutes or more reading. (As busy as parents are, it’s important that you participate as well, even if you just read the newspaper.)
• To find great recommendations on books for your child visit the American Library Association’s List on Summer Reading and Learning for Children at www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/recsummerreading/recommendedreading.htm.
• Be "International". Set aside one or two nights during the summer to have an international evening. Together, find recipes from a different nation and put together a special meal. Learn a few basic words in that country’s language and find a children’s book or an encyclopedia article that gives information on what life is like in that country. Get out a world map or a globe and show them where the country is and talk about what you’d want to visit if you could go there.
• Incorporate "thinking" into traveling. If your family is able to take a vacation during the summer, include stops at a few places that sneak in learning, along with fun. Zoos, children’s museums, and historic sites are educational as well as entertaining. For bonus learning, have your children help you plot out the trip using maps or an atlas. Older children can tally up the miles, keep track of expenses, or figure out gas mileage.
• Participate in sports/exercise. With hours of free time every day, there’s always time to build in some physical activity. Even if your child can’t participate in a local sports league or community-based team, there are plenty of ways to get exercise-from jumping rope to family walks.

There are wonderful resources available through libraries, and on the internet to help families keep their children’s brains "alive" during the dog days of summer. Even though it takes a little bit of effort on your part, the payoff, in terms of their education, is beyond measure.

Thank you for a wonderful year. Have a great restful summer.

Kindergarten,
1st & 2nd Grade
by Rita Worth, Teacher

Spring fever has hit Point Roberts Primary School. We’re not going fishing but on most Wednesday afternoons we are getting out of the classroom and touring the Point. The school children will see behind closed doors and high counters at the Market Place, the post office, the marina, the golf course and closer to school grounds, the clinic, the dump and the fire station. Our regular library days followed by a beach walk fill the remaining Wednesdays to the end of this school year on June 19th.

On these adventures the older children come with prepared questions for our hosts and the younger ones practice the names of important people, Nurse Virginia, Postmaster Lange, Jay, Arthur, Chief Skinner, etc. in our community. We thank these businesses for sharing a behind the scenes. These visits were indeed educational.

The school year ends with great joy and anticipation of a summer beak and a new grade next year. All of the children have worked hard academically, played together and became more skilled socially and enjoyed the beauty of nature that our environment offers. With great affection I say goodbye.

PARENT CORNER
by Dana Turpin

As a parent of a kindergartner and a PTO member, I'm truly grateful to have my daughter start her school years in Point Roberts. She has the benefit of a much smaller class; which gives her one on one time not only with her teacher, but with the paraeducator as well. Britni's learning experience has put a smile on her face every day when she comes home, and an excitement to go back to school the next day. This has also given her the opportunity to learn more and not be lost in the shuffle. The only wish I have is to see Pt. Roberts Primary expand to include all primary and elementary grades. I feel the children are much too young to be riding on a bus through Canada to Blaine.

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