ARTICLES

EDUCATION

Portfolios and reports will arrive home very shortly. Secondary student reports are relatively easy to read and interpret but primary portfolios and reports can be difficult, especially if a child is not achieving his or her academic potential.

In a recent survey, 99% of a cross section of WA teachers and parents reported dissatisfaction with the current reporting system in primary school, most saying they had no idea whether their child was struggling, cruising on average or above average academically.

This is what parents from A1 Learning have said:
"I had no idea that Jon was so far behind. His teachers have always told us not to worry that heíll catch up."

"Teaganís teacher said that her handwriting and story writing have really improved since she started at A1 Learning. She is now scoring 100% in spelling and 95% in her last maths test."

"My twins, Adam and Sam were failing in Year 9. Now they are organised and scoring mainly Bís in Maths and English."

"I wish I had brought Jade to A1 Learning years ago."

Too many intelligent children in our schools are failing to meet their ability levels in reading, writing, spelling and maths. There are many causes for this including low concentration, immaturity, and learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Other reasons may include large class numbers, poor teaching and learning methods, moving from school to school and a lack of remedial facilities in the school.

Whatever the reasons, it is vital each child is individually assessed by an educational specialist to find out what is happening with the childís learning, why and, most importantly, what we can do about it!

For further information, advice or to book for assessment and teaching programmes please call Julia on 9402 5080 or visit the website at: www.a1learning.q-net.net.au

Thank you from Head Start

Head Start Tutoring would like to thank another satisfied customer for her feedback.

Margaret Horne of Dalkeith decided to get tuition in November 2003 for her four children following an interstate move, to ensure they were progressing well and were confident in class.

"The tuition is going well", Margaret says. "Gillianís (year 3) teacher has noticed an improvement in her standard of reading and writing and we have seen her confidence increase. The tuition has also been an invaluable resource for stress-free homework for our eldest son Jacob (year 6). James (year 4) continues to do well and Cameron (year 1) is doing fine according to his teacher."

"Overall, I am very pleased with Head Startís service."

To see what other satisfied customers say visit www.headstarttutoring.com.au.

If you would like more information about this professional tuition service, please contact Rebecca on 9450 2653, email rebecca@headstarttutoring.com.au  Head Start also offers discount for referrals.

Help for comprehension
- Reading and Learning Centre

Children with comprehension difficulties often have a history of learning to read at an early age and become quite proficient at this skill in a very short time. In general, these children may be able to associate simple words and sentences with their meanings. However, when comprehension depends on the cohesion of sentences, organisation of ideas, and making of inferences when information is implied (not clear), they perform poorly. The comprehension difficulty includes both written and spoken language and hence the child may misunderstand things when spoken to. These children tend to be good at spelling single words but struggle when spelling in writing stories.

The Reading and Learning Centre is a specialist clinic set up specifically for children with reading and comprehension difficulties or dyslexia. The centre is recognised by the Education Department of WA as an alternative avenue of educational support for these children who tend to be creative, bright, gifted underachievers.

The clinic was opened 10 years ago at the request of frustrated parents searching for a place to fix their childís problem. It is a genuine clinic and has an excellent reputation for producing quick results. If we can be of any help for your child please phone 9343 0333.

Experience success with Kumon

My name is Alex Komorek. I am a Year 9 student and I have been studying Kumon for eight years at the Ocean Reef Kumon Education Centre. Kumon has certainly contributed to my success at school. Let me tell you how I became a Kumon student.

It all happened when I was in Year 1. My Mum heard about Kumon from her friend. Mum was looking for a good maths extension programme for me. Having thoroughly researched the programme, we got started immediately.

First, I was doing the Kumon Maths Programme and I had such great progress that six months later I started Kumon English. Completing the English programme this year has given me a tremendous sense of achievement.

Kumon is hard work but it has certainly helped me. I find school work very easy and I always finish my school work promptly. Homework is just a breeze and time management is not as difficult due to the good study habits that I have developed through studying with Kumon.

I recommend Kumon to any kids who want to catch up with their school work or get in front with their academic achievements, it has certainly helped me with all aspects of school life.

To find out more about Kumon, please call 1800 458 666 or visit www.kumon.com.au

Help for childhood speech problems

Are you concerned about your childís talking? Do others have trouble understanding your childís speech?

Is your child speaking less than his her peers at playgroup, day care kindy or school?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions then your child may benefit from speech and language intervention.

At Ballajura Speech Pathology Clinic we are a team of specialised Speech Pathologists with over forty years combined experience in the private, public and disabilities sector. We provide thorough speech and language assessment followed by fun focused therapy for children of all ages in the areas of,

ï Speech delay and Dyspraxia
ï Language delay
ï Reading and writing difficulties
ï Stuttering
ï Autistic Spectrum Disorders
ï Learning difficulties

The team members at Ballajura Speech Pathology Clinic have specialised training in PROMPT, a technique used with children who have speech delays or dyspraxia. This is a unique therapy approach that significantly accelerates the childrenís response to therapy.

For more information contact 9248 1353 and a qualified Speech Pathologist will be happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have.

Disorganised Chaos? Help is here!
- Victoria Carlton, Director International Centre for Excellence

We are working with a number of primary and high school students to improve organisational concerns. These students tend to present with brilliant ideas, showing normal to high intelligence. However they show a complete inability to organise themselves or their schoolwork and are always behind, procrastinating and can never find anything!

Often students cannot organise their thoughts for writing and sit staring at blank paper without being able to start. They simply cannot sequence ideas and consequently written work is always inferior to their true capabilities. These students need structure and techniques to get their thoughts onto the page.

They do not generally focus on organisational issues and need practical help to do so. These skills have to be taught, learned and practised until they become automatic. It is always worth the time spent on this issue as it can have such positive effects later in life.

Without organisation skills, a student simply cannot study, take exams effectively or take their place in society. Everything we do requires a degree of organisation and focus. Chaos may be exciting but it is not a recipe for success!

We include organisational skills in our ëstudy skillsí course and also offer weekly classes to help students organise, timeline and practice study techniques.

During the first week of the holidays we are offering programs for both primary and high school students in the areas of Academic Stimulation, Multiple Intelligences, Study Skills and Emotional Intelligence. We will also have a one day art/craft program.

These courses really do help children to achieve success and as they are relaxed during the holidays, they learn fast and tend to retain the information. Please contact us to make bookings and for further details: 9478 3323 or 0409 911 135.