Chess Club

Keep Your Kids Away from... the Summer Slide. By Robert Lavala

Here in Bonners Ferry many may not know there is a very special program that welcomes elementary school children to have great fun during the summer while helping them maintain their reading and math skills. For the past several years dedicated volunteers and staff have come to Valley View Elementary School to offer a free program entitled “Fizz Boom Read.”The program runs from June 18th through the first part of August.

As parents, we always want the best for our children. Sometimes in the summer we are so busy we may let our kids become complacent in certain skills. Reading, math and critical thinking are all essentials that our kids need to do their best, not only on their report cards but also in the future when either college or career demand it of them. Experts in the field of academics all agree that the “Summer Slide” is a serious problem that needs to be addressed so that our kids have a better chance to succeed in scholastic endeavors, and quite honestly... in life itself. According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association, “A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al. 2004). The research on summer learning loss is so persuasive the John Hopkins University founded the National Association for Summer Learning a decade ago to help educate parents and teachers on how to prevent summer learning loss. Concerned teachers and parents here in Bonners Ferry have taken the initiative to see that our kids have the opportunities they need to be ahead of the curve in terms of reading and math skills.

All students experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer, and we as parents and educators have a great responsibility and opportunity to help our children do the best they can. That is one reason why Mrs. Lavala initiated the chess program as part of the reading and math offered by Debbie Pauls and Julie Coleson with the added volunteer work by Boundary County Librarian, Terry Neumeyer and several other parents.

When asked about the chess component of the program, each agreed that it is a great “draw” to get the kids in so that they not only learn chess but also are encouraged with reading and math. The program averages between thirty and fifty kids each week and there are many organizations locally that support the program through donations. Super 1 Foods, Beck's Furniture Store, the Lion's Club, WalMart and Rotary all donate to the success of the program. With continued local support kids will have a place to have fun and avoid the summer slide along the way!

#local #lifecommunity #entertainment