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This is just a sample of the numerous articles printed each month in
 Kids in Perth ñ The Parentsí Paper. To read the rest, pick up a copy of
Kids in Perth ñ The Parentsí Paper from your nearest outlet.
If youíre not certain where that might be, please give us a call on 08 9388 1600.

The Gift of Learning
Victoria Carlton, Director International Centre For Excellence 

The International Centre for Excellence (ICE) is proud and happy to announce we have opened up a fantastic centre in Bayswater. This is a beautiful house with facility for individual as well as group students, a seminar room for parents and teachers and a wonderful welcoming feel. Please drop into 19 King William St and have a cuppa, bring your childís report and we will help you work out ways to improve their learning during the holidays! Our long travelling clients will also be pleased to know we are definitely beginning our Joondalup centre in January and bookings are now being taken. 

Even if your child is given a poor report, remember that research shows us all children can learn if they are given the specific teaching and support they need. ICE is now taking enrolments for our January Academic Booster programme. (Primary and high school). All children are tested and placed on programs that address their specific needs and learning styles. Call 9271 4200 to register interest and receive information.  

Children from 4-17 can attend full days (9-5) or come for one, two or three-hour learning sessions. We will be helping children revise and get ready for success in 2006. Special programmes for children with dyslexia, ADD and low self-esteem will also be held during the January holidays. We also hold transition to Year One and high school as well as our comprehensive Study Skills programme for high-school children. 

These programmes will be held in Melville, Bayswater and Joondalup. ICE achieves excellent results during this time and attending children gain great benefits, as they are relaxed and receptive. Learning sessions are multisensory, relevant and fun! We firmly believe that all children can learn and that we must provide friendly, supportive learning environments.  

ICE wishes all Kids in Perth readers all the blessings and peace of this magical season. Thank you for all your support this year. This is the season for generosity and giving. Lets all resolve to make 2006 the year of effective learning for all children, and give them what they need to become competent and happy learners. 

In the spirit of Christmas, ICE is offering all readers of Kids in Perth ñ The Parentsí Paper a 10 per cent discount off all holiday courses. Just mention this article when you call. We also offer a suggested list of toys and games to switch on all the eight intelligences. This list will be sent to you free of charge along with our suggested book lists for Christmas giving. Call today to get these useful Christmas buying guides.  

January holiday turbo boost for kids: off to a head start in 2006
- Julia Gilmore (M.Ed., B.Ed., Dip.Tch.) 

At the end of the school year, students are working at their highest levels for the year and have established themselves in their current class. Then along comes Christmas and New Year, when all thoughts of school are banished and much merriment and holiday-making is enjoyed. When the festive season winds down, there is still a long way to go until school starts again. 

Without academic stimulation, children can regress rapidly over the long summer break. The new school year usually means a change in teacher and often friends are in a different class. Students who struggled in the previous year can take all of the first term to catch up.  

Just two hours per week of reading, writing, spelling and maths can make a huge difference and boost self esteem. This applies to students from pre-primary to high school. 

Since 1988, students from Kindy to Year 10 have been attending A1 Learning Centres for interesting and educational holiday programmes including:

* Reading, writing, spelling and maths
* Self esteem and confidence boosting
* Study skills
* Transition to year 1 and year 8
* Remediation and extension
* Essay writing and editing
* Handwriting 

Julia Gilmore is a highly qualified, experienced Specialist Teacher who provides individual programmes for each child. Students, their parents and teachers are offered educational assistance and support so that the childís potential may be achieved. All the students are intelligent and capable, but may need remediation or extension work in one or more subject areas. Children respond well to activities that are fun and also help them to learn. 

The programmes run throughout the year, as well as holiday periods. By Term 4 parents are often concerned about how far behind or ahead their child is performing in maths and language. 

Comprehensive assessments and reports are available in Term 4 and during January. Current school reports and portfolios reveal very little about actual academic levels, so parents often opt for an objective assessment in Term Four and bring their children in for the January holiday programme. 

The flexible programme allows for time spent away on holidays. Students may come in for just the January period or may opt to stay on in Term One. 

The best feedback received from parents and students is how effective the holiday programmes were. For example, 12-year-old Adam was delighted when he was the only one in his class who could understand a new maths concept presented by his Year 7 teacher. 

Preschoolers who attended the transition programme in January 2005 were off to a flying start in Term One. They had started reading, writing and maths and had been given a handwriting programme to boost their self-esteem. 

Years 1 to 3 parents have reported major leaps in enthusiasm for reading and writing stories and how their children had not regressed over the summer break. 

Mathematics can be a painful subject for many Year Three to Seven students. Nine-year-old Jess scored high marks in Year Four maths and is now confidently and eagerly doing extension work. 

Last year's Year Seven to 10 students responded very well to the Study Skills programme as it helps them with organisation, essay writing, research skills and many other skills necessary for success in high school. 

Many students and their siblings return year after year for another dose of ìturbo boostingî. Some are years ahead and some need to revise basic maths and English skills, but all of them are intelligent and respond positively to the success they enjoy at the centres and at school. 

Programmes start in mid-January and students attend for a two-hour session once per week. A total of six hours is all it takes! Costs are kept to a minimum and discounts are offered for advance payments and for families with more than one child attending. 

For enquiries, bookings, or advice, call Julia on 9402 5080 or visit: a1learning.q-net.net.au