Learn about the latest news in education and tips to help your kids thrive in elementary school. Delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Primary Focus was founded by Natalie Parmenter, a former kindergarten teacher to guide parents through elementary school. We provide information that is often common knowledge to teachers but is not widely known among parents. Primary Focus is dedicated to enlightening parents on all things elementary school so their children can thrive.
🧡 Happy Thanksgiving from Primary Focus 🧡
"The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow"Over the River and Through the Woods by Lydia Maria Child (Yes- this is a Thanksgiving song!) Hi Reader, This Thanksgiving I'm feeling especially thankful for YOU. Thank you for being a part of the Primary Focus community! Some of you I've met through workshops, calls, conferences, coursework, and social media. Others I haven't met (yet!) but your interest and support means so much. Something Special for Your Kids: If you've been keeping up, then you know I've been live streaming lessons for kids aged 4-7 every morning. This is to support kids impacted by CBP / ICE raids in North Carolina. I will continue to share special Thanksgiving lessons through Friday. I hope your kiddo can watch- I've planned special Thanksgiving activities for the rest of the week. Something Special for the Community: I'm also fundraising to support the Carolina Migrant Network (they provide free immigration legal services) and an anonymous neighborhood association in Charlotte (rent support and groceries for those impacted by the raids). We are just shy of $600- can you donate today? Share Something What's making you smile this week? Are you celebrating Thanksgiving? Reconnecting with family? Respond to this email to share! I'd love to hear from you :) What's New?🧡 Little Focus: The Little Focus Livestream has brought me so much joy the past two weeks. It feels wonderful to teach again. It's been featured on the news here and here. I have about 30 families consistently joining. Will you donate to support the Carolina Migrant Network and the Charlotte community? 😴 Laying Low: This Thanksgiving I will be enjoying the day with my husband and a few friends in Charlotte. We ordered a turkey from Mac's Speed Shop (amazing BBQ) and bread from Verdant Bread. We will see family in December, so it felt right to spend a nice weekend at home to unplug. Things I LoveFriends, I'm sure you have a lot of things on your list to shop this weekend. If you make an order at Target, Amazon, Walmart, or Nordstrom will you use one of these links to shop? And other than that if you're shopping for gifts- I challenge you to buy 1 local gift per person! Small businesses need your support more than ever! Be kind to yourself- Happy Thanksgiving! |
Primary Focus Newsletter
Learn about the latest news in education and tips to help your kids thrive in elementary school. Delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Primary Focus was founded by Natalie Parmenter, a former kindergarten teacher to guide parents through elementary school. We provide information that is often common knowledge to teachers but is not widely known among parents. Primary Focus is dedicated to enlightening parents on all things elementary school so their children can thrive.
"And with that the 2025 season comes to an end" This is the last newsletter of 2025. Thanks for being a part of the Primary Focus community 🩷 Happy New Year Reader! Primary Focus is dialed in to schools. All my videos, workshops, 1:1 calls, and content have to do with students Preschool - 5th grade talking directly with parents and caretakers. After watching closely the past year- here are my prediction for school trends in 2026...Let me know if you agree or disagree! WHAT'S IN FOR 2026 ㊗...
"There's always gonna be another mountainI'm always gonna wanna make it move" The Climb by Miley Cyrus Hi Reader, I am a real sucker for Christmas books during the holiday season. Ever since I was a kid, I gobbled up every book I could find that described a family warming up by the fire. I've put together a list for readers of all ages to enjoy. A Personal Fav: "The Night Before Christmas" is a poem that's pivotal to describing American Christmas traditions and beliefs around Santa Clause. If...
"There's always gonna be another mountainI'm always gonna wanna make it move" The Climb by Miley Cyrus Hi Reader, Yesterday I was tutoring one of my fourth grade students, when she started to cry. To me it came out of nowhere, but to her it came from deep frustration. You see, we'd just had a HUGE win. Each week we start tutoring with 4 minutes of free writing time. She was really excited to write, so I quietly stopped the clock and she doubled her writing time to 8 minutes! She excitedly...