• Skip to main content
Kindergarten Registration
25-26 Budget
Capital Projects
Find it Fast
EAGLE HEAD LOGO STROKE

Exeter Township School District

Berks County | 610-779-0700

Search
Close
  • Schools
    • Exeter Township Senior High
    • Exeter Township Junior High
    • Reiffton School
    • Jacksonwald Elementary
    • Lorane Elementary
    • Owatin Creek Elementary
    • Exeter Cyber Academy
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Administration
    • Board of Directors
    • Board Presentations
    • District Planning & Goals
    • Employment
    • Federal Programs
    • Right-to-Know Requests
    • Non-Discrimination & Title IX
  • Departments
    • Business
      • 25-26 Budget
      • 24-25 Budget
      • 23-24 Budget
      • Capital Projects
    • Communications
    • Food Services
    • Human Resources
    • Pupil Services
      • Gifted Education
      • Health Services
      • Homeless Students
      • Homeschooling Information
      • Multi-Tiered System of Supports
      • Special Education
      • Student & Family Resources
      • Student Assistance Program (SAP)
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Students & Parents
    • Athletics
    • Attendance
    • Cafeteria Menus
    • E-Funds
    • Emergency Closing Information
    • Enroll in Exeter
      • Kindergarten Registration
    • Flexible Instruction Days (FID)
    • Forms
    • Music
    • ParentSquare
    • Request or Change Student Records
    • Safe2Say Tipline
    • Schoology
    • Skyward
    • Student & Family Resources
    • Visitors & Safety
      • Safety FAQs
      • Safe2Say Tipline
      • Emergency Communication
      • What to do in an emergency
      • Reunification Information for Families
    • Working Papers
  • Community
    • Advertising
    • Building & Fields Use
    • Community Bulletin Board
    • Track & Tennis Court Use
    • Exeter Alumni Association
    • Exeter Community Education Foundation (ECEF)
    • Homestead/Farmstead Tax Exemption
    • Pre-K Counts
    • Senior Citizen Tax Rebate Program
    • Volunteer Clearances
  • News & Calendars
    • News
    • Calendars & Events
    • Exeter Grapevine
  • Contact Us
    • School Directory
    • Staff Directory
Home » Cursive Makes a Comeback at Exeter
students hold up cursive workbooks
a student shows off her cursive in a workbook
a student writes cursive in a workbook
a teacher writes cursive on a whiteboard
a student writes cursive in a workbook
a student writes cursive in a workbook

Jacksonwald students in Mrs. Stacia Miller’s third grade class “juggled” pencils yesterday as they wrote in a “jiffy” and “judged” the quality of their “juicy” cursive words starting with the letter “j.” Here, as well as throughout all 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades in Exeter, teaching cursive handwriting has returned to these classroom curriculums with fresh and modernized resources that teachers say bring more learning and teaching enjoyment for students and teachers alike. “Handwriting and an emphasis on teaching it was becoming a lost art with so many digital devices being introduced into the classroom and modern-day society,” said Superintendent Dr. Christy Haller. “But as more and more research comes out that reinforces that carefully writing things by hand rather than typing them is essential for brain development, learning and retention, we decided that this was an essential part of the curriculum and should be reintroduced to our students with a new and aligned curriculum in third through sixth grade.”

“This isn’t just about having a pretty signature,” says Mrs. Becky Bush, who helps select and oversee K-6 curriculum in Exeter. “Teaching cursive contributes to students’ overall cognitive development and helps them improve their reading, writing and spelling.” The results of that research are coming to life in Mrs. Miller’s classroom. “The connection between fine motor practice, which is heavily relied on during cursive formation, and the retention of content is awesome to see in my class,” she said. Plus, she said students just really enjoy learning it. “The students love our cursive time! It is engaging and gives them a sense of ownership over a completely new way of writing.”

As students in third-sixth grade now take some time out of their day to learn how to shape letters, many are doing so with enthusiasm for learning how to write carefully. “I really like how it forces me to be neat,” said sixth grader, Eden Hodges. “Me too. It’s also organized, and as an organized person, I like that,” said Lizzie Davis, also a sixth grader, both of whom are in Mrs. Gross’ homeroom at Reiffton. In Mrs. Miller’s class, Emma Greenhalgh proudly held up a notebook showing off her penmanship as she grinned and confessed that learning to write a “j” was fun, but her favorite letter to write in cursive so far was an “f”--a grade we’re sure she won’t receive based upon her neat penmanship.

Exeter Township School District

district map

Address & Contact Info

  • 200 Elm Street
    Reading, PA 19606

  • District Phone:
    610-779-0700

  • Fax:
    610-779-7104

Follow us on social media

Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary