{photo by Mary Knudson}
Our Handwriting Workshops are coming up the week after we get back from Thanksgiving – have you signed up?
Perhaps you don’t often think about handwriting, but we hope these workshops will inspire you to get excited about this subject! We want to encourage proper letter formation and neat penmanship as part of our classical curriculum. Students who can write comfortably, legibly, and quickly are better able to spend their time and effort on the content and style of their writing. This will serve them well in many areas of life where assessments are based on written work, especially in a timed situation. And even in our modern age, handwriting is an important communication skill – those who can write quickly and neatly have an advantage.
Our guest, Jan McCloskey from The Handwriting Clinic, will be giving a series of workshops on various handwriting topics such as beginning printing, cursive, and improving legibility. You don’t need to have a preschool or kinder student to benefit from these, either – there’s something for every age, from preschool through 12th grade! This is a special opportunity to work with a true expert in the field, who has developed the handwriting program that we use here at SLOCA.
So what’s the big deal about this handwriting expert and the First Strokes program? This is our third year using First Strokes as part of our school's Kinder curriculum, and we have found it to be an effective program for teaching handwriting because it uses multisensory techniques and consistent habits for letter formation to teach handwriting to all students. A few parents (many of them teachers, too), offered their thoughts on the First Strokes handwriting program:
I am a serious fan of First Strokes. Esther’s handwriting was so neat in kindergarten, and I even used it to “correct” some of Abe’s writing when he was in Primary. I think the various levels (beginning with large arm movements and gradually working to smaller movements and then to paper) really help develop the correct letters, and it’s done in such a kid-friendly way. They learn to spot their own errors and think it’s fun to circle their best letters. I have even been using their cursive program and Abe’s cursive is pretty darn nice looking (and I didn’t even help him with it!).
~Joy Newman, parent of four children, Track A
{photo by Joy Newman}
{photo by Joy Newman}
As a teacher I can say hands down, this is the best handwriting I’ve seen in all my years of teaching 1st grade (and this is my 15th class).
~ Jennifer Perneel, Primary teacher and parent of two children, Track B
The First Strokes program was a big hit for us. Last year, we really enjoyed all the hands on activities to develop the fine motor skills. Now, Lyla is conscientious about her printing, both how each letter looks and how her sentence appears on the page. We loved working through First Strokes and are pleased with the results. I think Lyla has an ingrained sense that her work should be lovely and she has a real understanding of how each letter should look so she can and does judge for herself. She proclaims excitedly when her work is beautiful and self corrects when it is less than so.
~ Lisa Ann Dillon, Intermediate teacher and parent of two children, Track A
{photo by Lisa Ann Dillon}
The results of implementing First Strokes in our kindergarten program has far surpassed my expectations. Each child has the opportunity to build fine motor skills, learn how to hold writing utensils correctly, properly place and form all letters, as well as write sentences with beautiful penmanship, all while having fun. It really is a joy to send confident kindergarteners on to primary ready to focus on the beautiful language and content of copywork without being bogged down by the mechanics of handwriting. Two thumbs up for First Strokes!
~ Mary Knudson, Kindergarten Lead Teacher and Educational Consultant, and parent of two children, Track A
{photo by Mary Knudson}
It’s exciting to see the overwhelmingly positive response to this handwriting program, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Jan McCloskey come and teach us more. Here at SLO Classical we want to keep offering great learning and training opportunities like this to our parents, teachers, and students. We hope to see you at one or more of these valuable workshops!
All workshops will be held in the Grace Church Founder's Hall (1350 Osos Street, San Luis Obispo). Sessions are priced separately, but there is a 25% discount on two or more sessions per family. This is also open to the public so invite your non-SLOCA friends!
Please click here to RSVP for the workshops.
Here once again is the schedule and descriptions of the workshops:
Intro to Cursive (2nd grade and above) – Thursday, December 4, 6-8pm
This two-hour class is designed for teachers and parents. Attendees will be taught the benefits of learning cursive, as well as how to teach cursive to children in a way that aids in good visual memory and increases speed while maintaining legibility.
SLOCA families: $25, plus $18 for optional workbook
Community members: $35, plus $18 for optional workbook
Print Legibility Techniques (3rd-6th grade) – Friday, December 5, 8am-3pm
This full-day class is designed for teachers, parents, and students. This interactive class will have attendees learning the importance and how-to's of a proper pencil grasp, as well as techniques to improve legibility (of letters and numbers) without having to rework through a handwriting program.
SLOCA families: $60/family, plus $18 for required workbook
Community members: $75/family, plus $18 for required workbook
Bring a bag lunch!
Print Legibility Techniques (7th-12th grade) – Friday, December 5, 3:15-5pm
This afternoon class is designed for teachers, parents, and students. During this interactive class, attendees will learn techniques to improve legibility (of letters and numbers) without having to rework through a handwriting program.
SLOCA families: $25, plus $5 for materials
Community members: $35, plus $5 for materials
Fine Motor Centers and Multi-Sensory Handwriting (Preschool-2nd Grade) – Saturday, December 6, 8am-3pm
This full-day class is designed for teachers and parents. During this engaging and interactive cla
ss, attendees can expect to learn how to teach a proper pencil grasp, incorporate fine motor activities into their existing curriculum, as well as how to teach handwriting using multi-sensory techniques.
SLOCA families: $60/family
Community members: $75/family
Bring a bag lunch!
SLO Classical Academy is not affiliated with the above mentioned business.
