Small script for parents:

    Dear Parents,

Please use the ACTR materials to prepare your child for the Olympiada, since the contests are based on them. If you chose a different poem, please explain the meaning of it to the child and do not forget to bring the print out with you.
Read the texts on the respective level several times and explain the new words.

Please explain to the kids that the Olympiada is organized not to scare them, but to encourage them to study the language. We want them to enjoy their heritage.

Several parents have already contacted us telling that the ACTR materials are outdated and some of them have language and usage mistakes. We have noticed it, too. Please be aware the materials were prepared by the American Council of Teachers of Russian, where the majority of members are not native Russian speakers. Such mistakes are common to any country (please see what Prof. John Bailyn of Stony Brook SUNY writes about teaching of English in Russia, “There are also many out-of-date usages taught, some more acceptable in England than North America, and plenty of downright mistakes in their teaching and in the textbooks. Participants often feel the responsibility to properly represent the various kinds of English, and should be strong about dispelling misconceptions.” (Retrieved from http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/Clubs/nels/jbailyn/schools.html).
This is true everywhere, with any language (and with our English, too).
The Olympiada is a trade mark of the ACTR, but while using ACTR materials, we do encourage you to teach your kids correct Russian.

We appreciate your understanding in this delicate matter.