Fun ways to memorize Multiplication Tables

Multiplication tables are a CRITICAL resource for your child to have nailed down by 3rd grade. There are numerous math skills that require a working knowledge of multiplication and your child needs to have the knowledge and the speed to be successful.

Flash cards are really the best way to practice and memorize multiplication tables, but at the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville, we know all kids don't necessarily respond to this method as well as others do.
We have found a site that has some fun worksheets that might just work for your child.

Follow the link below to see all the free tools!

http://www.multiplication.com/teach/teaching-tips-and-tricks

Helping Your Child Become Successful and Self-Assured

These are just a few things you can do to help your child be happy, healthy and confident. At the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville, we focus on your whole child, by improving academics, building character and instilling confidence.  Our kids love to come here; more importantly, they love the results they get from their work with us. Call us at 268-8556 to see how we can help your child.    

Let Your Child Make Decisions   When children have the opportunity to make choices, they’ll gain confidence in their own good judgment.  When they’re young, it’s best to give them two or three choices.  Rather than asking what they want to wear, for example, allow them to select between two or three outfits you’ve put together ahead of time.  And let them know there are other things that aren’t up for a vote, like swimming lessons, or weekly trips to the library, (or tutoring)!. 

Consider Your Compliments  If you tell your child "Good job!" with every accomplishment, or exaggerate your praise (“You’re the best player on the team!), they may have a hard time recognizing when their work is really worth celebrating.  Instead of praising your child when they do something they’re supposed to do, try a simple “Thanks” instead.  Make every effort to give very specific feedback. Instead of saying their artwork is beautiful, maybe you could praise them for their design or use of a particular color.  

Encourage Special Interests   Expose your child to many activities, and encourage them when they find interests they want to pursue. Kids who have a passion are proud of their expertise. And hobbies can be helpful for kids who find it difficult to fit in.  A student with a talent for painting, for example, may lead the pep squad in creating posters supporting the school’s sports team. 

Don’t Save Your Child   We all want to keep our child from getting hurt, but when you intervene, sometimes you’re not doing them any favors.  Kids will learn to succeed by overcoming obstacles, not by having the obstacles removed for them.  They need to know they can take risks without feeling their parents will criticize or correct them for doing something wrong.  We all learn by doing – and by being allowed to make mistakes without being reprimanded - or seeing you mess up without making a big deal about it - will help your kids understand that mistakes are part of life, and something to be learned from. It also teaches them to be accountable, and accepting of the consequences and rewards that come with their decisions and actions.

Look for Ways to Help Others   It’s empowering for a young child to help you with a project.  Seeing the effort and planning that grown-up tasks require, and watching their parent taking mistakes in stride, will make kids feel better when they have to work at their own projects in the future.

Summer Classes for Highschoolers is a GREAT idea!

(Excerpt from an article entitled "What Should High School Students Do Over The Summer?")  We found it compelling that taking classes is listed as a great way to spend some of their time! 

Full article can be read at http://blog.prepscholar.com/summer-activities-for-high-school-students

Classes

Description: Taking classes may not be the most fun way to spend your summer, but they can help you stay on track in high school and prepare you for college. Some students take summer classes to improve their grades in a class they didn’t do well in the first time, some do it to take a class they wouldn’t have time for during the school year, and some use summer classes as a way to take college courses or advanced high school classes. Summer classes can be taken in a variety of ways, either through your high school, at a community college, through an academic program at universities, or even online.

Pros: Strengthen your transcript, take classes you’re interested in, can help prepare you for college.

Cons: May be harder to motivate yourself to study during the summer, not the most enjoyable way to spend the summer.

How to Stand Out: If you’re able to, taking college classes over the summer can be a great way to become a stronger applicant. Having college classes on your transcript, even if they are only introductory classes at a community college, can boost your application by showing schools that you’re able to handle the rigor and workload of college. This is an especially good option if your high school doesn’t offer a lot of advanced classes and you want to strengthen your transcript.

2016 Duval County Principal of the Year

It is quite an accomplishment to be recognized as the Principal of the Year, especially in a school district as large and diverse as Duval County. This year's winner is Dr. Donna Richardson of Mandarin High School.

Dr. Richardson, we at the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville would like to offer our congratulations to you!  Keep up the fine work you are doing!

Keeping off the Summer Slide

KEEPING OFF THE SUMMER SLIDE

What’s on your schedule for summer?  The family vacation, camp, trips to the pool . . . and something you didn’t think about, the summer slide. That’s what we call the educational ground children lose during the three-month break from school, especially when it comes to reading.   

According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year . . . It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Summer learning can erase early reading deficits   

The transition from third to forth grade marks the change from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”.   Summer learning programs have been shown to mitigate summer learning losses in reading and to help children gain needed proficiency in reading skills as they enter the fourth grade. 

The summer before high school is one of the most critical transitions    

The transition from eighth to ninth grade is one of the most pivotal moments in a student’s education.  Students who receive extra support of adults in summer learning programs are more likely to navigate this transition successfully. 

High-quality summer learning programs level the college entry playing field

Evidence shows the need for remedial coursework in two- and four-year colleges has created a sense of urgency around college preparation programs, particularly for first-generation college attendees.  Students who participate in SAT / ACT test preparation courses can increase their scores by 200+ points.  This may be the differentiating factor between winning a one-time $500 scholarship award and a more valuable 4-year scholarship. 

Make sure to put reading on your list of things to do this summer.  Make a weekly trip to the library a fun family event.  Read to your kids, and ask them to read to you.  For more help in preparing for school in the fall, call the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville at 268-8556.