Letter from Betty for August 2015

A new school year is coming soon! Although we will all miss the long summer days, now is a perfect time to prepare children for the rhythms and routines of the school year. We have some great tips for back-to-school preparations in our feature article this month, “Getting Back On Track for the School Year.”

For our puzzler this month, "Who's That American?" we selected 6 fascinatingly famous Americans and challenge you to match their faces to their names and accomplishments. Sure, they look familiar, but what did they do? Test your skill!

Finally, please remember that whatever your educational needs are, Foundation for Learning, is ready to assist you with caring, one-on-one, individualized tutoring, SAT/ACT test prep, and educational evaluations. Please don't hesitate to give us a call at 973-425-1774 for a free consultation.


Best regards,

Betty

Betty Bodenweiser
Director
Foundation for Learning

Focus on One: (New) SAT or ACT, August 2015 Dates

Free Diagnostic test offered at FFL


Currently many high school juniors take both the SAT and ACT to determine which test is better for them. We feel it is beneficial for the students to focus on only one test. In order to accomplish this, we administer a complimentary SAT/ACT diagnostic test to help students determine which test is better suited to their abilities.

Summer test dates are:
August 8, August 22

*Our diagnostic test incorporates the new SAT which will be administered beginning in March 2016. Please call Donna for more details.

Please call (973) 425-1774 or email betty@foundationforlearning.com.

August 2015 Test Schedule

Mark your calendars! Here are the latest test dates.

NOTE about ISEE - Independent School Entrance Exam: For test locations and to learn more go to erblearn.org.

Getting Back on Track for the School Year

Where has the summer gone? Back to School signs are popping up at the local shops and on TV, probably triggering your family into action to squeeze every last drop out of what’s left of summer vacation. Right? This is a good time to start thinking about and planning for the new school year and beginning now will help to alleviate the stress that comes from waiting until the last minute. What can you do now to prepare? Here are a few ideas for you:



Get those skills going again by setting up a school-like routine at home. Head to the library, pick up a few good books and set aside a time for reading each day. Hopefully your child has already pored through some great tales this summer. If not, now is the time to ramp up the reading, building it into each day. If your child is too young to read, use that time to sit and read to your child. Your child will benefit from the attention you’re setting aside just for them; he’ll hear some great stories and you’ll get to enjoy the extra time with your him. If you want to take a step further, head to your local bookstore and pick up some workbooks. Add a fresh box of crayons, markers and stickers, and let your child practice skills that may have been forgotten over the break.

An important part of this new routine is to add regular bedtimes back into the schedule so that the adjustment will be easier once school starts. An equally important part of the plan is implementing the morning routine, as it is often difficult to get kids up and ready for the school day. Slowly start moving towards school year bed and wake up times now. When the year begins, your child is acclimated to the new routine. I know this will be tough, but you’ll be glad that you made the effort.



Did you move to a new school district? Is your child just starting school for the first time? Set up some play dates! Beginning the new year with friends will help to ease the transition and you too can benefit from becoming acquainted with their parents. Is your child returning to the same school? Help your child to refresh friendships and build momentum by setting up a pool party or other gathering with the classmates they probably haven’t seen since school’s end.  It’s a fun way to get everyone excited about being together again once that school bell rings.

Though you still have a bit of time, it’s not too early to start school shopping. Check to see if your school has already posted a classroom supplies list, then buy a few items each week. If the list isn’t available yet, then go for the basics: pencils, paper, markers, lunchbox, backpack, etc. Spreading out the new-year shopping allows you to take advantage of sales and coupons, and is easier on your budget too. The same goes for school clothes. Instead of dealing with an exhausting day trudging through the stores for new outfits, buy a few here and there during these final weeks of summer vacation. Be smart and stick with clothes that fit the temperature and by purchase pieces that interchange with each other. You don’t need to buy for the whole school year; you just need a few new pieces to start.



If the opportunity arises, take your child to his school for a walk-through and to meet his new teachers, especially if the school is new to him. This will certainly help to ease any jitters on that first day of school.

If your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), now is a good time to reread it, make sure that you understand it, and think about any questions that you may have for the teacher or school officials before the year begins. Understand that right now, teachers are very busy, but it’s okay to make an initial contact and request a meeting with your child’s teacher to discuss the IEP.  Remember too, that this is also the teacher’s summer vacation, so be flexible and courteous with her time. Are there old issues or concerns that were not resolved during the most recent IEP meeting? Now is a good time to request and schedule another meeting, even if that meeting won’t occur until school is underway. Now is also a good time to have a new assessment done. Having a baseline to work with will be a powerful tool to measure what skills need extra attention and to measure progress throughout the year.

Get yourself a fresh bound notebook or organizer. Use this to record contacts, messages, plans, questions, and to-do lists. You can also store any hand-outs that come home from the school during the coming year. Make sure that you attend the school’s Open House and take your organizer with you. Attending this event shows the teacher that you’re an active parent, makes a good impression, gives you the opportunity to spend a bit of additional time with the teacher, and allows you the chance to hear about and understand classroom rules. Having these recorded in your organizer will help you to better explain the rules to your child and answer any questions that he may have.


 
It may be hard to switch gears and move out of summer vacation mode, but taking steps now, setting daily routines, and doing a bit of prep work will definitely pay off and make the transition easier. You and your child will be glad that you did!

New Puzzler for August 2015: Who's That American?

Question: Who are the famous Americans in the images below, and what did they famously do?

Instructions: You may click or tap on the image to see a larger version and get a closer look. Use the jumbled list of people from the left column and famous accomplishments from the right column and match them with the photos to identify all 6 people.  

Answers in the next issue. 

Answer to July 2015 Puzzler: What Sport Is That?

Question: What are the nine sports in the images below?

Instructions: You may click or tap on the image to see a larger version and get a closer look. Use the jumbled list of choices below the photos to assemble the name of all 9 sports. Each totally real competitive sport has two words in it's name. Choose one word from the left column and one from the right column to go with each sport. 

 

 

Answer:

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