Gift Giving Guide

Of course, at Sylvan, we believe the BEST gift is the Gift of Learning! But, let's be real, what kid wants to open THAT on Christmas morning? So, in lieu of the BEST gift (or in addition to!) parents can shop for toys that are not only entertaining, but also have educational value, for their children.
This time of year, stores are packed with toys and games, and sometimes it's hard for parents to know what is appropriate for their children. I know what is fun for ME, may not always be fun for a 10 year old! But by selecting toys that offer a combination of fun and learning, us parents can help inspire our children's reading and math skills, as well as nurture their problem solving abilities and stimulate their imaginations!
As an educator, I'm all for giving children the opportunity to think and learn something new. And wrapping that up in engaging hours of play...that's a bonus! I encourage parents to look for toys that fit the child's age, skills, abilities and interests. Understand how the toy works and whether it's suitable for your child. I know some toys these days require a child to teach ME how to use them!
Here are some tips to help you find toys that make learning fun:
Math:

• Board games can show children how math is used beyond the classroom. Take turns playing banker in Monopoly or play a game of Yahtzee and calculate the odds of rolling specific number combinations.
• Electronic counting games offer children number and counting challenges.
• A toy cash register helps children understand math when making change with money.
• Building blocks teach children about geometry and shapes.
• Dominoes are a great game for children of all ages. Smaller children can use them to recognize similar quantities while older children can explore the concepts of probability. Playing the game can help children add quickly and learn their math families.

Reading & Writing:

• Books help children enhance their vocabulary and appreciate words and literature. See if there is a certain author whose books your child likes to read and be sure to bring home a couple favorites. http://www.bookadventure.org/ is a great resource for parents and teachers and can help parents generate reading lists according to a child's interest and ability level.
• Find a special diary or personalized writing tool for your child and encourage daily journal writing.
• Subscribe to a magazine for your child that will encourage learning about the world around us. It's exciting for a child to receive a piece of personalized mail each month!

Reasoning Skills:

• For young children, toys like building blocks, Lego's and Tinker toys actually help children acquire the reasoning necessary to learn math m ore quickly.
• Look into games like Connect Four or Yahtzee to teach your child strategy and problem solving skills.
• Science kits, chemistry sets and ant farms offer great insights into the world of science and help enhance reading comprehension and critical thinking. They also help build reasoning skills and logic as children navigate the different levels of each game.
• Project-based toys, such as model airplanes, cars, ships and rockets, help children build motor skills, teach them how to follow directions and encourage ideas about how things work.

And if you want to give the Gift of Learning, now is the time! Call today and receive $50 off testing and discounted tuition through December 31.

Don't forget, you can drop off a NEW, UNWRAPPED toy at the Phoenix, Anthem, or Glendale locations and help make Christmas good for some lucky boy or girl in Phoenix!

I sincerely hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!

Thank You!

Thank you to all our wonderful families who made the St. Mary's food drive in November a success at Sylvan! We placed boxes in all three of our lobbies and were pleased to be able to turn them back in full!
Thank you for participating!
We serve the BEST families in Phoenix!!!

Referral Contest

Hey past and present Sylvan families! Just in time for the holidays, Sylvan is offering you the chance to win a $250 gift card. Come to the center for your own referral cards. When you meet someone you think would benefit from our services, you can give them a card with your name on it that gives them $25 off testing, and enters YOU in the drawing for $250.

Here is the number to call: 1-866-949-4776 to book the test.

Contest runs between now and December 5 with the winner announced on December 7. If you don't make it into the center for your referral cards, that's OK, just be sure to have the referring family let us know that YOU referred them and we'll still enter your name in the drawing.

We have some exciting things going on at the center...Sylvan Math Prep, which allows students to do math instruction at home and the Early Learning Academy which will start in January. Great things are happening at Sylvan!

Call or stop by for more information on any of our great programs and don't forget to tell your friends!

And if you've been thinking about coming back or extending your program, NOW is the time! We are offering 10% off prepaid tuition for current and returning families. Why wait to get your child on the road to success?

We Won!

Check us out! We WON Best Tutor and College Prep for Phoenix in Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards! Thanks for your support!

Report Cards!

It's about that time again here in Phoenix! The time for report cards! Report card day is often one of the school year’s most stressful times for parents and students. But it doesn't need to be! Parents you can take simple steps to eliminate report card surprises and set the stage for your child’s year-round academic success.

We have this GREAT tool for your use...“You and Your Child’s Report Card,” available at http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/report-card-guide.cfm, This guide gives you several tips and suggestions to turn report card day into a day of achievement and celebration. And who doesn't want to celebrate a great report card?

It’s common for children to feel anxious about bringing home their report cards. But you can help relieve this anxiety by frequently talking about school and discussing how your child is doing in each subject.

Report cards enable you to assess your child’s academic progress and assess any strengths and weaknesses. They also provide you with an opportunity for further insight into your child’s progress in school.

When report cards come home, discuss your child’s progress and any changes from previous terms. A report card is a communication tool and a reminder for you to stay involved in your child’s education. If you are lucky enough to be at a school that provides parents with an online portal (like PogB or Powerschool), it can help you to stay on top of things by checking grades with your child weekly.

Just some tips for eliminating the anxiety and making report card time easy:

Maintain open lines of communication
Set goals with your child
Organize your child’s academics
Regularly track progress
Identify trouble spots
Get to know your child’s teacher
Celebrate successes

If you still need some help, please feel free to call us and discuss your student's progress report or report card. And remember, if you bring that report card to Sylvan, you receive 1/2 off your testing! What a great way to let us help you start celebrating those report cards instead of dreading them!

Sylvan Math Prep Comes to Phoenix!

I'm so excited to be able to offer this great FREE program to our local schools! Here is some information about it:
Created by educators, SchoolMathPrep.com delivers more than 2,000 instructor-led videos covering 750 lessons in Pre-algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and math test preparation programs for the SAT and ACT. Each lesson includes sample problems, summary notes, a quiz, a worksheet, and a deep thought question. Teachers in grades 7-12 and their students can use http://www.schoolmathprep.com/ to strengthen time-on-task learning during school hours - for remediation, enrichment, or test preparation.
Educators and schools interested in securing the free math resource from their neighborhood Sylvan Learning center are encouraged to visit http://www.schoolmathprep.com/.
“SchoolMathPrep.com is a rich resource. We especially like the wide variety of topics and examples. It provides an alternate way for us to introduce new topics, and to display practice and assessment questions for an entire class,” said Dr. Mel Ross, principal of Stephen Decatur Middle School in Berlin, Maryland. Stephen Decatur Middle School is a "Blue Ribbon School" for the Maryland State Department of Education.
Instructor-led videos and educational techniques that feature step-by-step assistance help students develop conceptual understanding and crucial problem-solving skills – and build the core math skills needed for lifelong success. SchoolMathPrep.com features a variety of rich tools and resources for grade 7-12 mathematics teachers and students alike. A powerful search function enables users to search by concept, keyword and textbook (for a majority of U.S. middle and high school math textbooks). It is easy for teachers to find lessons linked to content they’re currently teaching, and for students to obtain extra support for math concepts they may have missed in class – especially as they prepare for the rigors of college-level courses.
Because SchoolMathPrep.com is an Internet resource, no special software or hardware is required by the school. Additionally, student identification is guaranteed to remain private.
At the same time Sylvan Learning’s franchisees are participating in this initiative to provide SchoolMathPrep.com to local students and educators during the school day, Sylvan is also launching a sister site, http://www.sylvanmathprep.com/, for students to use at home for anytime, on-the-spot math homework help. SylvanMathPrep.com complements Sylvan’s superior in-center math programs and supplements SchoolMathPrep.com. Parents interested in a free trial of this cost-effective, “just in time” math homework help resource are encouraged to visit http://www.sylvanmathprep.com/.

Exciting News!

It is so exciting to be told you do something well! I had an unexpected surprise when I got in to work this morning and checked the mail. I had a letter informing me that our center has been nominated again for a Nickelodeon's Parents' Pick award for Best Tutor and College Prep in Phoenix.

We won this title last year, which was exciting, and I'm happy that parents continue to feel we are a good place to take their children!

I posted a link on the side of the page that will take you to the voting. Voting ends July 15. How exciting and I'm delighted to share this with our families and staff...we really do have a fantastic staff and they are VERY deserving of this nomination.

Oh, and the Silver Apple website (link also on the side) has been updated with the presentation to Mrs. Matthew's family. Enjoy!

Silver Apple Award

A perk of working for Sylvan is that I have the privilege of being on the Silver Apple judging committee. As a judge, I get to read all of the nomination essays from students as to why their teacher is deserving of this prestigious award. Early this fall, a nomination came in that the judges unanimously felt was deserving of the award. Sadly, however, the teacher passed away days before we were able to present the award to her in person.

On Friday, I also had the honor to attend a pep assembly at which we presented the award posthumously to her husband and daughter. It was unbelievably touching to see the kids give this teacher a standing ovation and hear from her husband how much her fellow teachers and nominating student meant to her.

All I can say is WOW! What dedication! Here is the nomination:
"In the last quarter of school in the year 07-08 Mrs. Matthews was suffering from cancer. Thought it must have been painful, she stayed strong and kept teaching. She is a great teacher. Her lessons were phenomenal. Mrs. Rebecca Matthews is a great, inspirational person. Even when she was in pain she kept smiling, telling us she was okay."
Being able to be there when the award was presented was inspirational to me. I was able to see how many lives this woman touched doing something she loved!

I will post the air date of the Silver Apple when I know it! Stay tuned...

Progress!

I love it when parents continue to keep me updated on their child even after they have completed their program at Sylvan. I always feel so part of their lives while they are here, then they "leave the nest" and I feel a little sad that I don't hear how the rest of their schooling goes. Today, I received an e-mail from a parent letting me know her son is doing great and how pleased they are with the progress he made here and continues to make at school. I love that this high school student is successful, and I love that I could be a part of that change! What an honor!

Math Anxiety Bill of Rights

I came across this today and thought it was really great! We deal with so many kids (and parents!) who say, "I'll never be good at math." (Which is entirely untrue!) I thought this will also go on my wall at the center!

Math Anxiety Bill of Rights
by Sandra L. Davis

I have the right to learn at my own pace and not feel put down or stupid if I'm slower than someone else.
I have the right to ask whatever questions I have.
I have the right to need extra help.
I have the right to ask a teacher for help.
I have the right not to understand.
I have the right to feel good about myself regardless of my abilities in math.
I have the right not to base my self-worth on my math skills.
I have the right to view myself as capable of learning math.
I have the right to evaluate my math instructors and how they teach.
I have the right to relax.
I have the right to define success in my own terms.

Overheard

I was at the center lobby tonight and heard two teenage boys talking. One had received a "successful completion" certificate this evening and was (apparently) feeling pretty good about himself.

The other was looking at the certificate and said to him, "You know, I think this place is really designed to make you feel good about yourself."

The recent Sylvan "graduate" responded, "Oh, I know that's what they do here."

What a great thing to overhear!