Huntington Learning Center - Ankeny: November 2017

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Questions to ask your kids about school.

Huntington Learning Center Celebrates National Parental Involvement Day on November 16, 2017

Contact: Dr. Dennis Shaw, Center Director
Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny
515-965-3860
ShawD@HLCmail.com

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Huntington Learning Center Celebrates National Parental Involvement Day on November 16, 2017

Ankeny, Iowa. November 2017– This month, the Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny will celebrate National Parental Involvement Day on November 16, a day that honors the powerful contributions that parents and caregivers provide in support of students’ success. This annual celebration held on the third Thursday in November each year was founded in 1995 by Project Appleseed, a nonprofit educational advocacy organization.

Doctor Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center says that the center encourages family involvement every day. “Parents and caregivers can have a tremendous impact on their children’s school experience,” he says. “Some of the simplest activities help the most—like showing an interest in what children are learning at school, helping children prioritize their homework each night and encouraging children to give their school work sincere effort. On National Parental Involvement Day and every day, we express our appreciation to parents who care about their children’s education and want to be a part of it.”

Dr. Shaw adds that there are many ways parents can foster their children’s academic success. Here are several suggestions for enhanced parental involvement:

· Ask teachers about academic milestones for this school year and keep tabs on how your child is progressing toward grade-level standards and checkpoints.

· Monitor homework time to ensure your child is managing his or her time effectively and working on the most important (i.e. due the soonest) tasks first.

· Check your child’s homework each night for neatness and obvious errors.

· Set goals together for the semester, school year and longer term.

· Ask questions each day about what is going well and what is proving challenging in school.

· Take advantage of opportunities to meet with teachers and staff at back-to-school nights, open houses and conferences.

· Read all communications from your child’s teacher and respond in a timely manner when he or she requests information.

· Make reading a daily habit for the entire family.

· Ask your child’s teacher(s) if you can volunteer in the classroom or in other ways from home.

Doctor Shaw reminds parents that parental involvement is easier than it might sound. “While volunteering in the classroom and for the school’s Parent Teacher Organization are great things, there are lots of ways to support your child,” he says. “Parents should make clear to their children that they believe school is important and encourage them to make it their top priority. Those who communicate this to their children and hold high expectations for them as students will see the positive influence.”

Learn more about National Parental Involvement Day at www.projectappleseed.org. For more information about Huntington Learning Center, visit www.huntingtonhelps.com.

About Huntington

Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington’s mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com.

©2017 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center®, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN® are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

Huntington Learning Center Celebrates American Education Week Nov. 13-17, 2017

Contact: Dr. Dennis Shaw, Center Director
Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny
515-965-3860
ShawD@HLCmail.com

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Huntington Learning Center Celebrates American Education Week

Ankeny, Iowa. November 2017– The week of November 13-17, 2017, the Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny will celebrate American Education Week. Created by the National Education Association, this observance of public education honors the professionals who make a difference in ensuring that every child in our country receives a quality education—from teachers to support staff to many others.

Huntington will join educators and communities around the country for the weeklong celebration, which includes the following events:

· Monday, November 13: Kickoff Day – The nationwide kickoff, with activities and events at schools around the country.

· Tuesday, November 14: Parents Day – A day for parents and/or other family members to join their children at school for a first-hand look at a typical school day.

· Wednesday, November 15: Education Support Professionals Day – A day to honor the contributions of public support staff, such as instructional assistants, office workers, paraeducators, bus drivers, custodians, and security guards.

· Thursday, November 16: Educator for a Day – A program in which community members are invited to school as “guest educators.” This day gives them the opportunity to get a feel for all aspects of a school day, including everything from teaching classes to lunch in the cafeteria.

· Friday, November 18: Substitute Educators Day – A day that honors the professional substitute educators who keep classes running smoothly when regular educators must be absent.

Doctor Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center says that American Education Week is a great chance to thank those in the community who contribute to children’s education. “As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and during this week, we want to thank each member of that village,” he says. “Education is one of the keys to a successful community and we are so thankful to the many people who nurture our nation’s children toward experiencing school success. From parents to teachers, from guidance counselors to bus drivers, there are so many people who are integral to students’ academic achievement.”

In 1921, the National Education Association and the American Legion founded American Education Week as a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of education. Today, the celebration is co-sponsored by several other organizations as well, including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Parent Teacher Association, the American Legion, and many other groups.

“Huntington Learning Center counts on the support of parents, teachers and other community members to do our jobs more effectively,” says Dr. Shaw “We are appreciative of those individuals who dedicate their lives to giving children a quality education and to the countless others who support that effort.”

To learn more about American Education Week, visit www.nea.org/aew. For more information about Huntington Learning Center’s services, contact us at (515) 965-3860 or visit www.huntingtonhelps.com.

About Huntington

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Help Your Child Strengthen His or Her Weaker Learning Styles

Contact: Dr. Dennis Shaw, Center Director
Huntington Learning Center of Ankeny
515-965-3860
ShawD@HLCmail.com

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Help Your Child Strengthen His or Her Weaker Learning Styles

Ankeny, Iowa. November 2017– When it comes to learning, no two children process information exactly the same. Like adults, children have their own learning preferences and styles and it can take a little trial and error to determine exactly how they learn effectively and retain information. Doctor Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center says that while knowing a child’s preferred learning style or styles is valuable information, parents should still help their children improve their lesser-refined styles too. “Not every classroom or subject will fit a child’s tendencies, so even though it is natural for children to gravitate toward certain subjects because the typical class activity fits their learning style best, they shouldn’t just ignore subjects that are a bit more out of their comfort zone.” How can you help your child strengthen any weaker learning styles? Here are a few tips:

To become a stronger visual learner, have your child try the following:

· Use mnemonic techniques for memorizing information.
· Organize notes logically so that main concepts and ideas are highlighted and it is easy to skim supporting information.
· Try a variety of visual aids to learn new material, such as graphs and charts—and combine these tools with reading aloud.
· Pair any of these techniques with his or her stronger learning preferences. For example, if your child generally enjoys reading and talking aloud, he or she could do so while writing things on a whiteboard or in a notebook.
To become a stronger kinesthetic learner, have your child try the following:
· Study in small groups to talk through ideas.
· Use flashcards and other “active” tools.
· Have your child share material with you or a study partner to reinforce learning.
· Take notes while reading, draw out concepts on a whiteboard or piece of paper, or act things out with you or someone else.
· Pair any of these techniques with his or her stronger learning preferences. For example, if your child generally needs a quiet place to focus, he or she can still improve those tactile learning strategies by active studying (e.g. highlighting while reading).
To become a stronger auditory learner, have your child try the following
· Record information (such as vocabulary words) on a tape recorder and play back while on the go or in the car.
· Use the “Read Aloud” tool in his or her word processing software to review drafts of what he or she writes.
· Purchase both the audio and regular version of textbooks and listen to chapters while following along in the text.
· Read aloud to him or herself.
· When learning new information, make associations—with music, for example—to remember what he or she learns.

· Pair any of these techniques with his or her stronger learning preferences. For example, if your child benefits from the use of memory devices and flash cards, he or she could also have a partner read those tools aloud to strengthen the auditory learning aptitudes.

Lastly, Dr. Shaw reminds parents that students who are versatile in their learning preferences will be better prepared for the real world. “When children spend time developing their less comfortable learning styles, they’re essentially helping transform themselves into stronger, more agile students,” he says. “The world is fast-moving and children who are able to adapt as the situation requires will be well equipped for lifelong success.”

For more information about how Huntington helps students strengthen their learning styles, call Huntington at (515) 965-3860.

About Huntington