Expensive college textbooks - how a more competitive SAT score may help!

Do any of you have college bound kids?  You need to read this article about the cost of textbooks!  This story says that the cost of college textbooks has increased at a rate of 3x inflation!  I can attest that they are grossly overpriced AND I know students who have opted not to buy them and try to get through the class as best they can without the book.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/02/02/cnbc-college-textbooks-expensive/5038807/

All this to say, it does make the cost of college just that much more expensive.  And often times, it's a cost we haven't accounted for properly!  So, what to do?

Scholarships are definitely one way to combat the costs.  But to qualify for many of these scholarships, the students need competitive SAT scores.  We can help with that!  Call us today at 268-8556 to enroll in one of our SAT Prep courses.  We will be running them ongoing for the next few months and the sooner you get in the better!

School Supplies - longing for the good old days!

In honor of Throw Back Thursday (#TBT) we have been contemplating the many things that are different about being an elementary school student now versus the late 60's/early 70's.

Who remembers this?

The school supply box was filled with pencils, crayons, an eraser, scissors, and ruler that the individual student would use. That was just about it!  Parents and students were responsible for keeping up with their supplies and this box was kept in the desk.

Today we have to buy the aforementioned supplies, plus hand sanitizer, white board markers, Deskjet ink, batteries, Kleenex, copy paper, colored pens, glue sticks, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention the specific binder sizes, specific folder colors (with and without prongs), college rule vs. wide rule notebook paper, etc.

We just yearn for a little more simplicity!  Yay for #TBT and fun memories.  And hold on - one day these will be the good old days!

Is your child's backpack a container of chaos?

We have got to talk about the phenomenon of the trash-filled backpacks that have been coming through the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville lately!

While it is kind of funny on the outside, and we do get a little chuckle when students open up these seemingly bottomless pits of wadded up papers and food wrappers, it really is something that needs to be addressed!


Parents, please make it a habit to go through your child's backpack with them at least once a week.  Papers should be organized in a binder or folder according to subject, and then by date.  You may be surprised to find assignments they haven't turned in, because they couldn't find them!  You may also find assignments that will be coming due, like a project, that your child hasn't started yet because the paper was lost in the great abyss!  Organization is part of good study skills and habits.


It would also be a great idea to go over the planner to make sure your child is writing assignments in their planner.  You can show them the correlation between planned work (from the planner) to completed work (in their binders) to grades (online grade portal). 


Unfortunately, messy and unorganized backpacks aren't unique to any particular age group.  Many of our worst offenders are our High School students!  This is just one more way to plug into your child's success in school.  Make it a weekend tradition!

Progress Reports - early indicators of success...or failure

For most of you, progress reports will come home some time this week.  It will be a reflection of how your child is doing so far this first 9-weeks.  It's your early indicator of success...or failure.

Don't let this be you!

If you see that your child is struggling, please call us at the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville.  Getting on top of the issue NOW will save you and your child a lot of stress!  Through our diagnostic test, we will be able to tell you if your child has not mastered some fundamental skills that they need to succeed in school.  And if that's the case, we can design a personal curriculum for them to bring them up to where they need to be!

Our goal is to make sure students are in a position to confidently, independently, and accurately do their work in school and achieve good grades!  If your child's progress report isn't reflecting that, call us immediately and let us partner with you to help!

$50 off SAT Prep Class when you mention the code in this article!

The Tutoring Club of Jacksonville is accepting students for our next SAT Prep class.  Call us at 268-8556 to register.  The code to give us is BLOG0920.  This will save you $50 off the cost of the class!

Our next pre-test will be given on Saturday, September 20th from 8:30-12:30.  Sign up now so your child is well-prepared to take the SAT in November!

"Look for the Helpers" - a way to talk about 9/11 to kids

We were looking for a way to talk to kids about today and its significance. We came across a post from Kid President on Facebook that we felt summed it up pretty nicely.  Enjoy the post! 

 

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Today, like many days, we have to look back to the words of Fred Rogers. Here's to all the helpers. Keep spreading hope. - Brad and Robby

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the... helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world." - Fred Rogers

 

 

We are taking sign-ups for our next SAT Prep class

At the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville, we are taking sign-ups now for our next SAT Prep class that begins on 9/29/14.  Spaces fill up fast, so if your student is planning to take the test on November 8th, this is the class to join!  Call us at 904-268-8556.

Here is a link to an article that highlights the importance of the SAT results for college admissions as a predictor for success in college.  It also discusses the application of the test score as a predictor for success in life after college!  Interesting information!

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/04/what_do_sat_and_iq_tests_measure_general_intelligence_predicts_school_and.html

Dress Code Violation Discussion - the "Shame Suit"

Two incidents have been in the news lately about a "Shame Suit" for dress code violators at a local High School.  We are a little torn on the topic and are very interested in your perspective. 

On the one hand, the school does have a dress code/code of conduct policy, as all schools do.  If in fact a student is in violation, should the consequences be applied?

On the other hand, are the options appropriately applied? ISS, Shame Suit, or call home for other attire.

We really are interested in your thoughts.  Are you aware of your school's dress code?  Do you/your children adhere to it?  If you were in charge of running a school, what would your ideal policy be?  Please post, but keep it civil!

Florida Prepaid Dropping Plan Prices and Refunds!

As a parent with 3 children who participate in this plan, let me first provide an unsolicited endorsement that this is one of the best financial decisions we have made for our kids.  I have to tell you, I love not having to worry about coming up with the tuition payments when it comes time to pay that college bill!  (The books are entirely a different subject though)!!

So when this article came across the newswire, it caught my eye!  Read it here:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/os-florida-prepaid-tuition-plans-prices,0,6893314.post

Better than a refund for me, may be the news that the current rates are significantly dropping to allow more parents and grandparents to enroll in this program for their kids!  If the rates were cost-prohibitive for you last year, give it another look during the upcoming enrollment period!  This is one purchase that is well worth it!

The importance of SAT scores for College

At the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville, we are getting ready to accept enrollment for our next SAT Prep class. If you have a student who is beginning/in the weeds of the process of looking at colleges, taking tests, monitoring their GPA, fulfilling their volunteer hours, etc., you may be facing a myriad of questions and wondering just how important the SAT score is to this whole process!

We found an article that actually addresses this question and a couple of other pieces of the college admissions process.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecohen/2012/09/29/the-three-biggest-lies-in-college-admission/

We believe SAT scores are VERY important.  Our SAT Prep class can improve scores dramatically.  The diagnostic test allows us to individualize your student's program to maximize his or her time with us.  Our special software system allows us to target specific test and study strategies to the items missed on practice tests.  The result is that students only study what they need to study.  We give them instruction and practice taking these exams.  We build on their strengths and fill in gaps and teach them how to strategically approach these tests.