End of Year Curriculum Completion Newsletter Guide

The curriculum completion newsletter tells the story of the year that a report card cannot. It describes what students worked through together, what problems they wrestled with, what skills they built, and what they can now do that they could not do in September. For families, it is the context that makes the report card meaningful.

The curriculum completion newsletter structure

Subject line: Looking back at [grade]'s year: what your child learned and accomplished

Opening: As we close out the year, here is a summary of what we covered in [grade] and what students are taking with them into [next grade]. This is not a performance review. It is a story of what the class built together.

Reading and literacy highlights

Describe the year's reading and writing curriculum. What books did the class read together? What writing projects did students complete? What literacy skills were the focus of instruction?

Name specific titles and projects. "We read [book] in October to introduce our theme of community and belonging. Students wrote personal narratives in November and December, and in the spring we completed our first full research paper using multiple sources." Specific details make the year feel real and memorable.

Math highlights

Cover the major math units and the skills students developed. What concepts were introduced this year for the first time? What foundational skills were built and reinforced? What should students be able to do with confidence as they head into next year?

A sentence or two on fluency goals and where students landed is useful. "By the end of the year, most students have solid multiplication fact fluency through 10x10 and can apply those facts in multi-step problems."

Science and social studies highlights

A brief overview of the main units in each content area. What did students study? What projects or investigations did they complete? What questions drove the learning?

What students are ready for next year

Close the academic summary with a forward-looking statement. What has this year built that next year will build on? What skills are students taking into [next grade] that they were not ready for in September?

"Students are heading into [next grade] with strong foundational reading skills, a solid understanding of place value and operations, and the habits of a curious and persistent learner. They are ready."

Summer maintenance suggestions

Give families two or three specific things they can do over the summer to maintain what the year built:

• Read for 20 minutes a day, choosing books your child finds genuinely interesting
• Practice [specific math skills for the grade] for 10 minutes several times a week
• Talk about interesting things your child notices, asks about, or wonders about - the habit of curiosity is the most important thing to maintain over the summer