Education

National Reading Month in March is an annual reminder that parents should continually assess their student’s reading and comprehension skills.
A common perception is students begin learning to read in first grade, when classroom teachers move from sight memorization to simple spelling and phonics. However, learning to read really begins earlier at home, when your child starts associating words with pictures.
Experts agree that the fundamentals of learning to read begin very early in a child’s life, but as a parent, do you know how to assess if your child is ready for reading?

A Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education infuses 21st-century skills into the classroom with its focus on collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking. At Legacy Christian Academy, students work together as a group to identify problems and solutions while developing skills for the careers of the 21st century.

On November 7, 2014, ARTree teachers led a project exploring the beautiful colors of Fall leaves.

We all have stress and anxiety in our lives. This situation holds true for adolescents, children and preschoolers too. Anything from not getting invited to a birthday party as a preschooler, to keeping track of homework, managing work, school and social schedules, taking tests, driving in traffic or dealing with financial and/or relationship stressors as an adult can cause significant anxiety and stress.

The Santa Clarita Valley Enterprise Zone officially ended benefits to local businesses on December 31, 2014. On June 25, 2013, the State Senate of California passed a proposal to eliminate Enterprise Zones in California. Even with the program ending in 2013, Santa Clarita businesses were still eligible to obtain a voucher certificate for qualified employee hired through the end of 2014.

SCVi, iLEAD’s founding school, is overwhelmed with gratitude for the generous donation they will be receiving directly from Remo Belli himself on Tuesday, January 20.  The gift of 30 drums will be presented to learners; to upper school director, Matt Watson; and to school founder, Amber Raskin, at its Santa Clarita location beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Following the presentation, two learners from the iLEAD ambassadors program will guide Remo on a tour of facility.

With a new year underway, it’s a great time to examine some tactics parents can use to help their child study more effectively. There’s no question that successful academic performance is dependent on work outside of the classroom; however, with so many distractions facing today’s students, it can be very difficult for them to establish good study habits at home. Luckily, there are strategies parents can employ to facilitate the right environment:

Kindergarten Roundup starts this month in SCV.  Do you know what is expected when your child starts Kindergarten? At this time of the year many parents wonder, “Is my child ready to enter the world of Elementary School?” If your child has been given the opportunity to attend a preschool with a versatile curriculum that allows them to learn the social and self-help skills that are beneficial to being successful, you should have no worries.

Dr. Marc Winger is certainly leaving his mark when he retires Jan. 31 after nearly 20 years as superintendent of the Newhall School District. Tonight, the district’s governing board will sign off on a resolution to rename the district’s office building the Dr. Marc Winger Administration Building. The building, erected in the late 1980s, is located at the corner of Orchard Village and Wiley Canyon roads and houses the district’s offices and board room.

Fifteen years ago the Kennedy family made the most important decision they would have to make when it came to their children: the decision to invest in a private, Christian school education, specifically SCCS.
“I always wanted our kids to go to a Christian school,” said Lia, mom of SCCS students Wyatt – 7th grade; Mackenzie – 10th grade and Kate, a sophomore at Moody Bible Institute. “What I love most about SCCS, besides the excellent academics, are the amazing teachers. All of them treat the students as if they were their own.”

Every student can access the curriculum when teachers use brain-based strategies that increase learning and achievement. When teachers use brain compatible techniques in lessons, students are more apt to pay attention, recall information, and delve into higher levels of thinking.
Movement has been found to improve creativity, memory, and reaction time in children.

Do you want to see your son or daughter like math or science again?  Do they need to take a course with more support than they are getting in their school? Maybe you just know your child is capable of more success given a different environment.
Fortunately there is another choice for taking classes in Santa Clarita, a choice that has actually been around for 18 years.

In the 21st century there seems to be endless choices of engaging activities that a parent can choose for their child.  Art is one of the important ones.  Art is everywhere, and education in art is as vital as the “three R’s.”  It encompasses history, reading, looking, and most importantly it teaches you how to “see”…to really see!  For those children and teens that are interested in learning to draw and paint realistically, the KidsArt program in Valencia is individualized to every student, so their interests are taken into account and their art programs are developed to include specific artistic goals.  Far too many children get little, or no exposure to fine art education. 

As families begin the quest for the right education for their student, they often make the assumption that Kindergarten is merely a transitional year before their “real” education begins.  They suspect that very little happens in the classroom academically in Kindergarten, and that it makes no difference to the rest of their education.  If you are a parent considering private education for your child, it might seem to make more sense (especially in these trying economic times) to save the cost of paying private tuition for one year and then transfer their student in when it starts to matter.

February brings hearts and love to our minds, but at CBS preschool, love surrounds us every day. Children learn and grow the most before age five, but the best way to encourage that growth and learning is to provide a safe and loving environment that gives little ones the confidence to explore and expand their knowledge by trying new things and participating in activities and play.

When you review your child’s report card, do you believe that the grades you see do not reflect the true talent of your child?  Do you wish you could do more to support your child but feel overwhelmed by the reality of juggling work and a multitude of other commitments?  You are not alone.  For many families homework time is met with fear and anxious anticipation.  Your already tired child does not look forward to doing more of the same at home, and you would like to relax after a long day at work or managing a household.
Do you exhale a sigh of relief when your child tells you that no homework is due?  Most of us cherish the nights when homework does not loom over us.

Young children demonstrate a remarkable level of drive and curiosity for exploring, learning, and problem solving.  However, as they grow and face increasing adult demands and tasks that they are expected to do rather than just naturally motivated to do, parents may struggle with figuring out how to maintain the high level of internal motivation which propels so much of learning and growth.  There are in fact strategies that have proven to increase children’s motivation to engage in tasks that are deemed important for their progress.

In 1969 the cost of gas was only 35 cents, and the average home was about $15,550.    President Nixon was in office, and the Beatles recorded their final album together.  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid graced the big screen that year, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon.  In sports news, the New York Jets won the Superbowl and the Mets took home the World Series Championship.
1969 was also the year when instruction began at College of the Canyons.