Education

When we completed our summer camp this year, I wanted to evaluate its effectiveness.  The first measure of its success would be determined by data.  We had given each camper a pre-test to determine baseline scores in reading and math and then followed up with a post-test at the end of their camp attendance to determine growth and progress. 

You’ve prepared your child for back-to-school. You’ve secured the appropriate school supplies and attended Back-to-School Night at your child’s school. You have a better understanding of what’s expected for this new grade that has become your child’s world. Now it’s your child’s turn. As your child progresses through each new grade, responsibility and management of complex tasks increases. Here are some steps you can take at home to help your child manage and master the organizational skills needed.

Children benefit in so many ways when they attend Preschool.  One of the most important skills to be learned in a school setting is socialization.  A child’s foundation starts with social skills.  Learning how to properly socialize with adults and other children is a skill that will be used for a lifetime.
There are many ways for young children to successfully learn proper social skills. 

Today, the majority of parents with young kids work. This means that most parents, at one point or another, have to put their child in the capable hands of another adult.
Some parents have mixed emotions about leaving their child with another family member, babysitter, or day care - often feeling guilty or sad. These reactions are normal and show that there is a strong bond between you and your child.

At the beginning of the school year, all children enter the classroom as “A” students. However, as homework is handed in and tests are handed out, that “A” can slowly erode.
Studies show students return to school in the fall having lost some of their reading and math skills. A typical student loses the equivalent of one month’s instruction over the course of summer break, particularly in areas of incremental learning like reading and mathematics.

There’s no shortage of books, blog posts and online courses built around a singular goal: getting your child into an Ivy League university. Even parents who aren’t committed to the “Ivy Path” engage with these materials regularly, hoping that the formula pitched within will, if not get their child into Harvard, gain them admission (And scholarships!) to any number of other highly-competitive institutions.

With all the running around we do as parents, it can be difficult to figure out what those priorities should be. There is pressure from our children to support their involvement in multiple activities, pressure from the school to make students do their homework, pressure from coaches to put sports activities ahead of all else, and the ultimate pressure of making sure our children are happy, healthy and safe!

During the first five years, a child’s brain grows at an astonishing pace. When a baby shakes a rattle or takes his first steps, connections are being made in the brain to tell certain muscles to work together to make those movements happen. These are called fine and gross motor skills — and they form a critical part of a child’s development.

SCCS’s Kindergarten teachers, Jan Dennis and Kelly Steinbock, work hard to give their students the basics in reading and math, teach them the importance of God’s Word, and briefly introduce them to Social Studies, Science and Art/Music.
 “Kindergarten is the foundation for all future education,” said SCCS Administrator Mr. Huckabone. “It’s important to get it right.”

The Santa Clarita Valley SELPA actively encourages parents or community members who know of a child (birth to age 22) who may have special needs to contact their local school district office. The Santa Clarita Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) is a consortium of 5 school districts: Castaic, Newhall, Saugus, Sulphur Springs and William S. Hart Union High School District. These districts work together to provide special education services for students with identified disabilities from birth to age twenty-two. Services are offered in the least restrictive environment in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce is looking for nominations for the 2015 Distinguished Latino Student of the Year.  High School seniors within the Class of 2016 are encouraged to enter nominations.
The Student of the Year Award will be presented at the SCV Chamber Latino Business Alliance Gala and Dinner Dance on September 18, at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. 

The transition back to school can be full of excitement and trepidation for both parents and children. For children who struggle with learning issues, attention difficulties, or developmental delays, there can be many hurdles that exist in addition to the typical challenges of a school day. The following tips may be helpful in setting up your child for a more successful school year.

Kids start developing communication skills from the moment they’re born. Newborns quickly begin to recognize important sounds in their environment, such as their parents’ voices. As they grow, babies start recognizing the sounds that form language, such as the way syllables, words, and sentences work.
In fact, the first three years of a child’s life are the most critical for speech and language development because the brain is best able to absorb language during this period. That’s why it’s important to talk, listen, read, sing, and play games with young children and help teach important language skills that will last a lifetime.

This time of year I often get asked, “At what age should I start my child in music lessons?” The answer is not an easy one as each child develops at their own pace. For children, starting music at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people will tell you, “the sooner, the better”, but if children are put into lessons too soon they may feel overwhelmed and want to stop music altogether.

One has to have empathy for the public schools these days. They are expected to do everything: prepare students for college or vocational technical jobs, enable both brighter and slower students to excel at their respective levels, inculcate the “right” values, teach proper sexual behavior, teach students to think critically, raise the self-esteem of students, discipline children, prevent them from turning to drugs, alcohol, or suicide, teach a wide-ranging curriculum, create racial, sexual, and gender understanding and harmony, win ball games, and do it all in a manner that is pleasing to the students so they will not be bored or discouraged.

Saturday, October 17 will be the 26th Annual Art Classic fine arts competition presented by the Santa Clarita Artists Association (SCAA) and the County of Los Angeles.  The Gala event will be held at Hart Hall at William S. Hart Park in Newhall, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.