January invites a fresh start, not just in the calendar, but in the rhythm of homeschooling. As we move into the second half of the school year, many of us are settling back into routines, recommitting to goals, and reflecting on how far we’ve come since August.
At Cottonwood, we’re also highlighting our schoolwide theme for the year: Everybody Counts. This initiative is more than a clever math pun; it’s a guiding message that reminds us:
- Every child has the capacity to grow as a mathematical thinker.
- Every learning style deserves support.
- Every family counts in building confidence and skills in math.
“Everybody Counts is about math, but it’s also about so much more. We chose this theme to reflect our belief that all students need access to curriculum, learning tools, and support to help them achieve greatness. But it’s also a reminder that every individual at Cottonwood—students, parents, teachers, and staff—matters deeply. We are all part of a community where everybody belongs, and everybody counts.”
— Dianne Curtis, Director of Community
Why This Matters Now
By midyear, students may feel either confident or challenged in math. That’s why now is the perfect time to:
- Reignite excitement through games, challenges, and real-life applications
- Celebrate progress made so far
- Set manageable math goals with your chosen anchor curriculum for the months ahead
Whether your student loves numbers or approaches them with caution, building math confidence now lays a strong foundation for the rest of the year and beyond.
What Families Are Doing
At our school, we honor the fact that every student learns differently, giving you the choice to select the method that best fits your child, whether it’s one of our Instructional Programs (Boost, RISE or CVHS), a self-directed online program, or a traditional textbook-based curriculum. Your chosen curriculum serves as the foundation for learning. It is essential for students to engage with their math program regularly and consistently to ensure steady progress. This foundation allows for learning to be built upon in fun and meaningful ways, helping students make real-world connections that make the concepts stick.
Throughout the fall, our Family Liaisons wove Everybody Counts into weekly park days with math-themed games, STEM stations, scavenger hunts, and hands-on activities. These joyful experiences helped students connect math with movement, creativity, and play. Park Days will continue this winter with engaging math moments, field trips will highlight STEM connections, and Instructional Program teachers are encouraging students to set math intentions and celebrate growth. You can continue this momentum at home, too, and you don’t need to be a math expert to make a difference.
Easy Ways to Bring Math to Life This Month
Whether you’re looking for inspiration or just a little midyear math magic, try these ideas:
Measure It Monday: Choose something new to measure each week (length of a book, ingredients for a recipe, height growth since fall).
Math Game Night: Pull out classics like Monopoly, Yahtzee, or Uno with a math twist. (The Lending Library has math games galore!)
Math Read-Alouds: Explore titles like The Grapes of Math or Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi to build math language and spark curiosity.
Shopping Challenges: Ask older kids to estimate grocery costs, calculate per-item pricing, or compare bulk sizes to unit prices.
Math Goal-Setting: Create a weekly “math win” chart: mastering a times table, completing a workbook section, or solving a real-life problem counts!
Parent Self-Care Reminder
January can bring a post-break energy dip. As you support your child’s learning, don’t forget to:
- Celebrate your own wins so far this year, like organizing curriculum, staying consistent, and showing up (again and again!)
- Schedule short, screen-free breaks just for you
- Choose progress over perfection
- Reconnect with your community and come to a park day! A little encouragement goes a long way.
You count too.
Final Thought
Math isn’t just a subject; it’s a language for understanding the world. By helping our students build confidence and joy in math, we’re opening doors to critical thinking, creativity, and future opportunities.
Every skill counts. Every effort counts. And above all, every student counts.