Huntington Learning Center

Friday, June 21, 2019

Seven Tips for Helping Elementary Students Transition to Middle School

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

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Seven Tips for Helping Elementary Students Transition to Middle School

Ankeny, Iowa – June 2019 – If your child is just finishing up elementary school, you’ve probably heard it all year: the transition to middle school is a big one. “Classes are more challenging, teachers expect more, and there’s more homework, responsibility and pressure overall,” says Dr. Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center.

How can you help your child navigate this major change? Dr. Shaw offer these seven tips:

Set expectations. Give your child an idea of what’s to come. Talk regularly about the specific aspects of the school experience that will be different, including:

Size of school
New surroundings
Number of students
Number of classes
Amount of homework
Teacher expectation changes
Grade point average
Discipline and behavior expectations

Focus on time management. It’s time to get serious about curbing those time-wasters and bad habits. Work with your child on establishing a daily routine and scheduling time for everything: school, sleep, dinner, homework, extracurriculars and free time.
Discuss the importance of planning out study sessions and prioritizing homework assignments.
Work on the organizational system. Good organization goes hand in hand with time management, and students who embrace both perform better academically and are less stressed. Invest in a large binder with folders for each subject to keep everything in one central place. At school, have your child divide the locker into shelves/slots for books, take-home folders and leave-at-school folders. At home, an accordion file, stackable letter trays or a file cabinet will assist your child in keeping track of graded homework and everything else. Also, these apps for digital organization are worth a look too: iStudiez Pro, Todoist, RescueTime and Scanner Pro.
Build independence. Up to now, you’ve probably played an integral role in school. It’s essential that your child begin to take full ownership of his or her school work and grades and feel the impact of any and all choices, both good and bad. As best you can, step back as your child moves into middle school. Put your child in charge.
Empower your child. A big part of being independent is learning to advocate for oneself. In middle school, teachers want students to participate in class and come forward when they don’t understand something. If your child’s teacher doesn’t grade a test correctly or mistakenly marks him or her absent, it’s on your child, not you, to point out those things. With teachers, those early first impressions matter.
Take a tour. Many middle schools offer orientation programs for incoming students that include school tours and other valuable information sessions. Take advantage of this opportunity if available. If there’s nothing formal in place, call the school to ask about tours and any informal mentoring programs that could help your child.
Teach your child to recognize when to ask for help. In middle school, it’s still critical that you keep the lines of communication with your child open and watch for any warning signs that he or she might be struggling. However, your child needs to be self-aware enough to identify when he or she needs help. Start talking about how to manage stress and a heavy workload and what to do when your child feels overwhelmed.

Middle school is a whole new ballgame, and it’s important to help your child prepare. “Don’t worry, though,” adds Dr. Shaw. “A little effort goes a long way to get students ready. Lay the groundwork now and your child will have a successful middle school experience.”

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. 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.

©2019 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.

Six Activities to Keep Your Child Learning this Summer

Dr. Ray and DR. Shaw June 2019

Six Activities to Keep Your Child Learning this Summer

It’s summer break and children around the country are celebrating. While your child certainly deserves a break from the daily grind of homework and studying, it’s important to keep that brain active to avoid regression, the loss of academic skills that is so common over long breaks from school.

What can you do to keep your child learning over summer break? Here are six ideas from Huntington Learning Center:

Read daily. A regular reading habit is quite possibly the best and easiest way for children to retain their reading skills over summer and avoid the dreaded “summer slide.” Make reading a part of your nightly summer routine. Check out Huntington’s Reading Adventure program and any summer reading programs at your local library, and visit the library often. And consider setting goals and rewards for your child for summer (e.g. dinner at a favorite restaurant for every book finished).
Start a journal. You might not be able to convince your child to practice essay writing over summer, but a journal is a fun way for your child to keep track of the things he or she does, trips, and more. Browse the bookstore for themed journals with daily prompts if you think your child might benefit from a little nudge. Some of those memories and moments might prove useful later on when your child is seeking inspiration for college entrance essays.
Play learning games. No matter how old your child is, there are all kinds of games out there that are fun to play and teach valuable skills and knowledge at the same time. Research online for websites with popular games but don’t forget classics like chess, checkers, all kinds of card games, Apples to Apples, Scrabble, Risk, and other board games.
Get out the puzzles. Puzzles are a fantastic way to pass those hot summer days. Even if your child isn’t into the traditional jigsaw puzzle, there are lots of variations. Look for metal and wood disentanglement puzzles, tangrams, box puzzles, Tetris puzzles, speed cubes and interlocking ring puzzles.
Embrace summer science. There are many ways for your child to use the outdoors to learn about weather, how things grow, living organisms and more. Start a garden and put your child in charge of researching and planting fruits, vegetables and flowers that grow well in your climate. Have your child chart the weather and track how it changes over summer. Encourage your child to watch for birds and animals in the yard and pay attention to their behaviors. Science and summer go hand in hand!
Save and invest. If your child is planning to earn money this summer, why not take him or her to the bank to open an account and learn about the different savings options available? Search for an online class that will teach your child the basics of saving and earning interest. Check out the tools and information at Northwestern Mutual’s The Mint.

The great thing about summer is it offers an opportunity to explore curiosities and learn for learning’s sake. It’s okay if you can’t get your child to crack a math book—there are lots of ways for children to deter learning loss and enjoy themselves in the process.

Need more ideas? Call Huntington at 1 800 CAN LEARN to learn about our customized summer programs for kids that help children of all ages catch up or get ahead in school and boost their confidence.

About Huntington

Tips for Creating a Great Resume for College Applications

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

Ankeny.HuntingtonHelps.com

Tips for Creating a Great Resume for College Applications

Ankeny, Iowa. June 21^st, 2019 – If your teen is starting to think about college, it’s also a good time to work on developing a resume. As Dr. Dennis Shaw of the Ankeny Huntington Learning Center explains, resumes are valuable for many reasons. “Teens can use the resume to prepare for college interviews, to share with people writing them letters of recommendation and much more,” he says. What should teens include on their resumes? What should be avoided? Dr. Shaw offers these tips:

Make it brief. Even the most involved, standout high school junior or senior should limit the resume to one front-and-back page.
Format well. A resume should be scannable and easy to read. It’s important to divide it into sections (separated by headers) and make use of bullets, bolding, and italics where appropriate.
Focus on the most important elements. For a high school student, the education section of the resume should be the primary focus, but don’t leave out other important content. Here’s a possible template:
- Contact information – Name, address, phone number, email address
- Education section – Graduation date, weighted grade point average, and SAT/ACT scores
- Valuable skills section – Software proficiency, foreign languages, etc.
- Extracurricular activities – Any sports, clubs, activities or volunteer work
- Work experience – Any for-pay work experiences, including employer name, job title, responsibilities, and recognition
Highlight character traits and work ethic. The purpose of a high school resume is to augment, not repeat, the college application. Thus, teens should highlight their skills, passion, work ethic and leadership skills through the jobs and other activities they list.
Highlight accomplishments. Again, it is important for teens to use the resume to showcase their strengths to colleges as well as teachers/mentors writing recommendation letters for them. That means including any achievements, awards or other recognition on the resume (e.g. not just Chess Club, but Chess Club, Four-time district champion, 2016-2019).
Show course work not on a high school transcript. That includes any college prep courses, college courses, academic camps or training programs, certifications or similar.
Consider a summary section. Some teens might want to include a career summary or personal summary. This section calls out a teen’s goals and best traits/assets and can be a great resume addition.

Lastly, Dr. Shaw shares with parents that the resume helps teens reflect on their high school careers and prepare for the next step in their lives. “As teens get closer to college, it is so important that they put their best foot forward and feel confident talking about their strengths and assets,” he says. “Encourage your teen to invest the time into developing a great resume, as it will help get him or her into ‘professional mode’ and prepared to show colleges his or her very best.”

About Huntington