November 4th, 2017
21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM
City school gets money smart
By KYLE ASHTON
Special to the Messenger
ST. ALBANS — Throughout the last two weeks, Kindergarteners through eighth graders at St. Albans City School have had the opportunity to get “Money Smarts.” By accessing our resources in the Maple Run School District, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ellen Cislo and Rachael Hackett from People’s United Bank into our school. The purpose of their visit was to educate our students on financial literacy, which would help support the students’ work during their Economics Thematic Unit.
What exactly does financial literacy mean? Teaching our kids about financial literacy means educating them about the value of money, as well as earning, spending and saving. According to Sharon Harris, at born2invest.com, “financial literacy is one of the most important but often overlooked subjects that need to be introduced to children at a young age. There is no right age to teach them to be financially smart, the earlier the better.”
Our presentations were separated into four groups, based on grade levels. Each grade band was presented an ageappropriate financial literacy topic. Kindergartners and first graders had the opportunity to work with the concept of “needs and wants.” This idea of “needs and wants” is essential as children grow up so they can make good financial decisions based off needs, not wants. Second and third graders worked on building an understanding of money, the value of coins, and counting coins to make purchases at a made up school store.
There was an emphasis placed on finding the quickest way to count coins by using the least amount of coins possible. The concept of earning, spending and saving was addressed with our fourth through sixth graders. Students were asked to keep track of the spending habits of two brothers, as they worked towards a goal of buying a snowboard. Students were very reactive and circled back on the idea of needs vs. wants and how that becomes extremely important when managing their own money.
Seventh and eighth graders wrapped up the financial literacy presentations by learning how to build a relationship with the bank by finding out what services may be available to them, specifically opening a checking and savings account. They then focused on how to organize and keep track of the money going in and out of their accounts, through deposits and withdrawals, with the use of a register. The common thread among all these presentations was to have students begin thinking about being financially responsible.
Becoming financially smart is one of the most important skills for children to learn. It is essential to their success as they grow and become active members of the community. We are appreciative of the knowledge that People’s United Bank shared with the students of St. Albans City School, and hope this is just the first step in getting our students “money smart!”
If you’re interested in reading about ways to support children at home with financial literacy, please visit www.tiny.cc/ sacsfinancialliteracy for more information and resources. --Kyle Ashton is a math interventionist at St. Albans City School.
City school gets money smart
By KYLE ASHTON
Special to the Messenger
ST. ALBANS — Throughout the last two weeks, Kindergarteners through eighth graders at St. Albans City School have had the opportunity to get “Money Smarts.” By accessing our resources in the Maple Run School District, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ellen Cislo and Rachael Hackett from People’s United Bank into our school. The purpose of their visit was to educate our students on financial literacy, which would help support the students’ work during their Economics Thematic Unit.
What exactly does financial literacy mean? Teaching our kids about financial literacy means educating them about the value of money, as well as earning, spending and saving. According to Sharon Harris, at born2invest.com, “financial literacy is one of the most important but often overlooked subjects that need to be introduced to children at a young age. There is no right age to teach them to be financially smart, the earlier the better.”
Our presentations were separated into four groups, based on grade levels. Each grade band was presented an ageappropriate financial literacy topic. Kindergartners and first graders had the opportunity to work with the concept of “needs and wants.” This idea of “needs and wants” is essential as children grow up so they can make good financial decisions based off needs, not wants. Second and third graders worked on building an understanding of money, the value of coins, and counting coins to make purchases at a made up school store.
There was an emphasis placed on finding the quickest way to count coins by using the least amount of coins possible. The concept of earning, spending and saving was addressed with our fourth through sixth graders. Students were asked to keep track of the spending habits of two brothers, as they worked towards a goal of buying a snowboard. Students were very reactive and circled back on the idea of needs vs. wants and how that becomes extremely important when managing their own money.
Seventh and eighth graders wrapped up the financial literacy presentations by learning how to build a relationship with the bank by finding out what services may be available to them, specifically opening a checking and savings account. They then focused on how to organize and keep track of the money going in and out of their accounts, through deposits and withdrawals, with the use of a register. The common thread among all these presentations was to have students begin thinking about being financially responsible.
Becoming financially smart is one of the most important skills for children to learn. It is essential to their success as they grow and become active members of the community. We are appreciative of the knowledge that People’s United Bank shared with the students of St. Albans City School, and hope this is just the first step in getting our students “money smart!”
If you’re interested in reading about ways to support children at home with financial literacy, please visit www.tiny.cc/ sacsfinancialliteracy for more information and resources. --Kyle Ashton is a math interventionist at St. Albans City School.