This month I thought I might answer a question I am asked sometimes: “My child is improving at tutoring but they are not getting improved results at school. Why is that?”
At school your child is tested on the topics they are covering throughout the year. If your child is behind, they may not understand these topics and hence perform poorly. We have to close any knowledge gaps before your child can keep up with the rest of the class.
At Kip McGrath your child is taught at their level of ability and understanding so that they score
consistently 70-75% or higher. This ensures they feel successful and motivated to keep trying.
We work at the pace of your child’s learning, closing their knowledge gaps as we go.
When the gap becomes small enough school results will improve.
I know it can be disheartening when children do a test at school and don’t score the 70-75% or higher they are use to scoring at tutoring. Explain to them that the schoolwork is at a higher level at the moment, but if they continue working at their level, they will reach this higher level.
Your Tutor will update you every week on how your child is going, and we will formally test them at the end of each level they reach. This will give you an accurate picture of how your child is progressing and how long before they catch back up at school.
Teachers Tips: Describing Fractions
Describe fractions to your child as parts of a whole.
The bottom number (called the denominator) is the size of the parts.
The top number (called the numerator) is how many we have of these parts.
For example, ¾ is read as 3 quarters.
Study Tips for Kids
Children need to be raised to have good learning habits in the same manner as they need to be raised to have healthy eating habits. It is important to keep in mind that ways of studying that are not fun and more difficult can nonetheless be more effective than the easier and more enjoyable methods.
One good tip is to test your child’s memory. Rather than simply having them constantly re-reading the same notes, get your kids to close the book every now and then and test out their knowledge and memory.
Even good grades do not necessarily translate to good learning. Cramming can result in good test scores, and yet the knowledge will only be retained for the short term. A better strategy is to study a little bit each and every day, reviewing things a couple of times, with the result being that the knowledge is retained for much longer.
Monthly Joke : A Couple of Quick Ones…
Q. What’s small, furry and bright purple?
A. A koala holding its breath!
Q. What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back?
A. A stick!
Surprisingly Easy Health Tips
There are some tips regarding health that are so easy and
simple they may seem rather silly, yet they are all true!
If you eat spinach and eggs on a regular basis, your reflex
actions will be much improved, while pineapple juice is
surprisingly good for treating an irritating and persistent
cough due to the fact that the juice contains Bromelain,
which eliminates bacteria.
If you enjoy a cup of coffee, make sure you have a little sip of water afterwards, as this helps to prevent tooth decay. One of the most unusual health tips is to sing in the bathroom as, apparently, people who do this tend to have lower stress levels, healthier blood pressure levels, and a stronger immune system.
Whatever else you eat for breakfast, be sure to have a banana. Fruit puts you in a better mood and frame of mind for the day ahead, experts claim.
Sudoku
Fill in the blank squares with the numbers 1 through 9.
Every row, column and 3×3 region of a 9×9 grid must contain each number only once.
Student of the Month
” Congratulations Tahlia. A really proud moment and a huge thankyou to the Kip McGrath teachers at Greenhills for helping our daughter with gaining more self confidence and improving her skills. Congrats on your achievement Tahlia xx “
Mel & Daniel, Tahlia’s parents.
Tahlia – with her award for Outstanding Improvement in English
Child-made School Lunch
•Veggies like carrot sticks, snap peas, broccoli, cucumber, grape tomatoes, etc.
•Hummus (or any other dip your child likes)
•Whole Wheat Pita Chips
•Cheese Stick
Let your child pick out the veggies and pack them into a container, scoop some hummus into a section or a separate container and pack some whole-wheat pita chips and a cheese stick.
