Topic: Supporting Your Child’s Self Advocacy Skills in School and Beyond
Event: Wednesday September 17th, 7:00 PM
Speaker: Matthew Wanzenberg, PhD
Location: Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville, IL

About the Speaker:
Dr. Matthew Wanzenberg benefits from 16 years of experience as an award-winning special education administrator, teacher, and research professional in special education law and policy. Dr. Wanzenburg has built a reputation as an effective internal advocate in public schools. He has worked alongside lawmakers and lawyers in policy development in special education and has facilitated over 2500 IEP meetings in his career. He has a track record of student-focused outcomes, moderation and conflict resolution in school districts.

For more information on Dr. Wanzenburg please visit: www.iepguardians.org

RSVP for this event by emailing dagnaperville@gmail.com. Please include the names and emails of all attendees in email.

More info can be found on DAG Naperville’s Website.

School’s back in session!

New School Checklist:

• New School Year Supplies
• New School Clothes
• Met your child’s Teachers
• Reserved your tutoring spot?

WSEA supports children from K-12, from Math to Reading, and ACT/SAT Prep! Sign up today!

We all LOVE our summers! Yet, the long, relaxing days of summer are soon coming to an end. Children everywhere will be trading in their swimsuits for backpacks as they prepare to tackle their ABCs and 123s. As summer fades away, here are six ways for parents to help kids (and themselves) transition into the school year ahead.

1. Gradually adjust your schedule. So long late nights, hello early mornings! Start easing into your school-year routine a couple of weeks before school starts. Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier and serve meals around the same time that kids will be having them when school begins.

2. Rekindle friendships. As school approaches, set up play dates with kids in your child’s class so that they can reconnect. This is a great way to ease worries and solidify friendships before school begins.

3. Out with the old. Work together to give your house a clean sweep. Get rid of old clothes. Organize lunch options and snacks so they’re easy to grab. Establish a clean, well-lit place, free of distractions, where your child will be able to do homework. By getting rid of physical clutter, you also cut down on mental clutter. Before school starts, develop a homework routine and study system to create a foundation for learning.

4. In with the new. One of the easiest things you can do to get your children excited about school is involving them in the process of back-to-school shopping. Allowing kids to help pick out some, if not all, of their clothing and supplies will help. They will be more eager to use the supplies if they had a hand in selecting them.

5. Take a deep breath. Each child feels differently about the start of the school year. Some are nervous, some are excited, most are a mix of the two. But as a parent, you don’t want to make the beginning of the school year a bigger deal than it has to be. Read your child’s emotions and go along with their cues.

6. It’s not too late. Register for our August Brush Up classes to help kick start your child’s brain into learning mode, we want to be your partner in your child’s education. We believe the best education is one where parents and teachers work together supporting students from both sides.

Together, let’s make this a joyful school year full of discovery, creativity, growth and wisdom!

At WSEA Tutoring we Focus on Common CORE Strategies while making learning fun! We provide individual attention that promotes a LOVE of learning! Why shouldn’t learning be fun?

1. We make learning fun
2. Reading, reading, reading!
3. Maintain Reading and math skills through the summer
4. We provide individual attention that promotes a love of learning
5. Preparing for ACT , SAT and PSAT and test taking skills

Give your child the confidence to succeed in the new school year! Start preparing for the new school year now!

Register for any Summer Workshop with a friend in July or August and both you and your friend will receive $25 off tuition!

View Complete List of Summer Workshops.

Not valid with any other offer.

Are you tired of fighting your children to do homework? We all know the answer to that question! Spring Fever, we have all experienced this as parents. The temperature outside is getting warmer and the days are getting longer. There are many distractions that your children are exposed to at the end of the school year. To keep them focused, we as parents need to stay patient and help them work through ending the year strong.

Here are a few tips to help keep your kids focused and finish the year strong!

1. Stick to your routine. We are all creatures of habit and sticking to a well-established routine is one key to a smooth-running household.

2. Don’t skip school unnecessarily. Things can come up in the spring and it can be tempting to let your child lay out of school here and there. The more you do this, the more your kids will want to stay out, and a vicious cycle ensues. Send them to school and you send a strong message to your children about keeping their obligations.

3. Keep bedtime consistent. With the days getting longer, the evening can sneak up on you pretty quickly and it might seem earlier than it really is. In concert with routines, keep an eye on the clock and make sure your kids get their normal night of sleep.

4. Encourage outdoor play. Playing in the yard or with the neighborhood kids is a way to burn off that energy and buy you some peace and quiet in the afternoons. Use the warm weather and longer days to your advantage. Join them for some family fun and fitness.

5. Openly plan your summer vacations and fun. If your children have something to look forward to upon completion of the school year, it could sustain them through the rest of the year and give them something to work towards.

6. Be supportive of your teachers and school. Teachers are most effective when they have the full support and backing of parents, and this time of year is even more critical to have that cooperation. Have your child do their homework and study for upcoming tests. Keep the lines of communication open and be involved whenever you can as a parent.

7. Use praise, rewards and incentives liberally. Children respond very favorably when appropriate levels of incentive are given for doing the right things. When you catch your child doing something good, or getting compliments from their teacher, or bringing home good grades, let them know you appreciate it.

8. Don’t hesitate to seek outside tutoring. If your child needs homework support, or help staying motivated, or needs a boost to raise lagging skills or grades, you know who to call to help finish up the school year and keep on working throughout the summer! Call WSEA to help you! 630-922-8100.

Register for any June 4-week Program in May and receive $50 off tuition.

This is valid for:
Semi-private 4 week block T, W, Th, June 10-July 3, total of 12 hours. 1 hr. class unless noted. Classes are in a.m. at Grace, p.m. at Zion
FIRST GRADE PREP – ELEMENTARY

Not valid with any other offer.

This is big news for students taking the PSAT in the fall of 2015 and students taking the SAT in the spring of 2016.

The College Board has not released all of the changes but here is an update including revisions.

Scoring and Format

• The SAT will return to a 1600 point score .
• The SAT will eliminate penalties for wrong answers.
• The essay will be optional
• The test will take around 3 hours; the essay will be 50 minutes .
• The SAT will be offered in print and digital forms

Math

• Some math sections will be taken without a calculator.
• There will be more problem solving questions

Evidence – based reading and writing

• Critical reading and writing sections will be combined into one score
• Sentence completion questions will be eliminated. Vocabulary questions will be asked ” in context “.
• One passage will be a “Founding Document” taken from a historical text .

The essay

• Students will be asked to analyze a given text.
• It will be score desperately – not factored in reading/ writing score.

We will keep our students posted as the College Board releases updates.
As new material becomes available, we will modify our materials.

Stay tuned!

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations to Mary Kay M. of Naperville for winning WSEA Tutoring’s $100 Gift Certificate!

Please contact us so we can get you your $100 Gift Certificate!

Summer is meant to be a time when we can all be more relaxed; enjoying a family vacation, days at the pool, or simply being outdoors enjoying the sun and warmth. However, we shouldn’t take a vacation from learning altogether. We can still keep up our kids’ reading and writing skills and have fun doing it! Here are some examples of fun family activities to keep your kids reading and writing this summer, while creating some quality family bonding time as a bonus!

One way to incorporate both reading & writing is to keep a Family Reading Journal. Call it a reading adventure! As a family, choose a book that you can read together, either independently or out loud. Before you begin, pick a special notebook to create a family reading journal in which you can document all your thoughts and questions about the story. Keep the journal in a central location in your home and encourage family members to write in it at least once a day.

You can:
* Write your questions about the story.
* Record observations about the characters and events.
* Make predictions about where the story is going and how it will end.
* Note your favorite moments and lines.
* Draw pictures of your favorite characters and scenes.
* Respond to one another’s comments and observations.

When you’re done, you’ll have a wonderful memory book of your family’s reading adventures that you can treasure forever!

For independent reading take a trip to the local library and allow your child to choose his or her own book. However be sure to select books that are appropriate for your child’s individual reading level. A good way to do that is to use the five finger rule: Ask your child to read aloud a page from the book. Every time he stumbles or skips a word, have him curl up a finger. If all of a child’s fingers are curled up by the end of the page, this book is probably too difficult. If your child wants to read it anyway, turn it into a reading experience for the two of you. After all, even the best books are better when shared!

Reading responses are excellent ways to elicit thoughts about reading materials in writing.

Here are some prompts for fiction:
* How did the story make you feel?
* Which character did you like the most? the least? Why?
* Is any character like you or anyone you know? How?
* Did anything seem especially interesting, annoying, funny, puzzling, weird, sad? What?
* What was your favorite part of the story? Describe it and tell why it was your favorite.
* How would you have dealt with the situation or problem in the story? How would your outcome been different?
* If you could change the ending, how would your ending be different?
* If the author of the story were here right now, what would you like to say to him or her?
* Does this story remind you of any other story? If so, what is it, and what is the connection you see between the two?

Here are some prompts for nonfiction:
* What fact did you enjoy learning about the most?
* What information would you like to share with someone else?
* What pictures or illustrations did you find most interesting? Why?
* What did you discover that could help you in your life?
* Would the book be different if it had been written 10 years ago?
* Is this book like any other book you have read? If so, how are they alike? How are they different? Which one did you like better? Why?
*What questions would you ask the author if you ever met him/her?

These are just a few ways to share some quality reading and writing at home with your child this summer. Here at WSEA we offer a week long writing workshop in August for elementary students, called Cool Writing. We also offer Speedreading and Comprehension workshop in August for secondary students, as well as Reading Comprehension/Fluency Half Day Camp for secondary students at the end of July.

Happy Reading!