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The Importance of an Academic Summer Program

An academic summer program might sound boring to many students, after all who would want to study during their summer vacation? Luckily, this program is not just about nose to the books learning. In addition to avoiding” summer learning loss” students acquire skills and tools to start the new school year off strong, students can explore their creativity, build their confidence, and explore their unique learning styles. Summer learning programs will prepare students for future academic years, as well as giving them a foundation for their career-related endeavors. So what’s the harm in attending an academic summer programs?

If you have contemplated enrolling your student in a summer learning program but are on the fence here are some reasons you may want to consider it.

4 Benefits of Summer Learning:

1. Expands A Student’s Knowledge and Skills

An academic summer program gives students the opportunity to work on projects in groups while, simultaneously teaching them new tools and giving them new skills to enhance their team-building and communication skills. At Groza Learning Center, we have curated a Young Entrepreneur Program that teaches students how to develop, create, and become leaders in business and life. These practical and valuable life skills empower students and give them the confidence they need to navigate higher studies as well as the real world.

2. Bridges the Gap Between Virtual and In-Person Learning

Over the past year due to the emergence of the coronavirus, all learning was conducted virtually. Many students and teachers were unprepared for this change, which caused a lot of stress for all parties involved. Students began to tune out, lose motivation, and were falling behind. This year students are not only facing “Summer Learning Loss” but are also dealing with “COVID Learning Loss”. Attending an academic summer program will help bridge the learning gaps created during those zoom sessions and make re-entry to in-person learning easier.

Academic summer programs will help children stay focused and prepare them for their next academic year. Just a few hours a week can help students stay on track and get ahead, so that they can begin the next academic year off strong.

3. Improves Social Skills

There is no doubt that in the past year, maintaining and building social skills has been difficult. Research has shown that social interaction is a crucial component for healthy child development. Due to the virus most children have missed a year of developing this important building block. If your child is struggling to make new friends or is having a hard time re-connecting with old ones, an academic summer program will help them transition back to in-person learning.

4.Encourages Exploring New Interests

Many students, especially those in high school, have a tough time honing in on and choosing a field of study that will help them in their career. It is okay for students not to know exactly which career path they are interested in, through an academic summer program they may discover new skills and interests that can help them focus on their path.

Takeaway:

Now that you are aware of the importance of an academic summer program, it is time for parents and students to find the right programs and enroll in before the summer gets away.

10 Ways to Prevent Summer Learning Loss

All students experience some form of summer learning loss during the vacation months when they may not participate in many educational opportunities. Furthermore, experts agree that this year’s learning loss will be exasperated due to the negative effects of distance learning. Sadly, they are anticipating a significant decrease in student achievement come fall 2021.

In fact, according to research from Northwest Evaluation Association, “30% of literacy and 50% of math gains could be lost” due to the transition to online learning.

Don’t panic, this does not mean your child is doomed. The summer is a perfect time to catch up and get ahead.

FACTS ABOUT SUMMER LEARNING LOSS:

• Only about 10% of children in the United States do educational programs or learning services during the summer months.

• According to a Johns Hopkins study regarding summer learning loss, students can have on an average two months or more of learning loss during their summer vacation.

• According to Summer Learning Loss.org ,“Two-thirds of the ninth-grade achievement gap can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during the elementary school years.”

• According to a study at the Johns Hopkins Summer Learning Loss program, 56% of children actually want to participate in educational opportunities throughout the summer.

• Research indicates that teachers can spend between 4-6 weeks teaching children the material they have forgotten over the summer.

Half an hour to an hour set aside daily can help students close learning gaps and perform at higher levels during the upcoming school year.

TEN TIPS TO AVOID SUMMER LEARNING LOSS:

Here are some tips to help you help your child avoid summer learning loss.

1. Read with your children, to your children, and encourage reading alone. Many libraries and businesses provide summer reading incentives, from certificates to prizes and gift cards.

2. Get a copy of the recommended summer reading list from your school district. If you cannot, most libraries will have one available to you. Note the names of authors your children enjoy and go back for more.

3. Use incentives to get them involved in academic programs. Reward their involvement with a special day, event or even have them work toward a special toy or video game they want.

4. Participate in activities that you cannot fit in during your normal year, like going to the park or museum. Many museums offer free family days throughout the summer months making this an inexpensive learning opportunity. Other interests could include cooking or gardening, which help children with basic math and science skills.

5. Write letters. It helps children with handwriting and spelling skills as well as organizing their thoughts. Use prompts for children 4 years and younger.

6. Get children involved in the travel planning; everything from the costs to the mapping and activities when you arrive provides learning opportunities, keeps them involved during the travel, and teaches basic life skills.

7. Start a summer journal or scrapbook. These activities help children with basic writing, organization, and math skills (for example, cutting out the shapes for pictures in the scrapbook).

8. Discuss age- appropriate current events. A great learning opportunity is finding one article in the newspaper that a whole family could discuss at dinner time. Read letters to the editor and talk or write about your thoughts.

9. Set a schedule for children and be sure to include both downtime and learning activities.

10.Use the web. There are many learning sites online with everything from coloring (teaching color recognition to young children) to math, reading, and even science programs.

If you are looking for an Educational Summer Camp for your child, consider Groza Learning Center!

Our Programs are offered in-home, online, and in-center.

• Young Entrepreneurs

• Credit Recovery

• Bridge Academy

For more information, call or email our office at 310-454-3731 or care@grozalearningcenter.com

Summer Camp programs have limited space.

Book Today!

Can Academic Assessments Evaluate Learning Loss?

As a parent, I am worried about my children, their education, and our future.

The pandemic has shaken the education system at all levels; consequently, many children will be completing this school year with a gap in their fundamental learning.

COVID-19 has transformed our learning paradigm; in 2020, nearly 50 million public school students and many private school students were required to shift to distance learning.

Unfortunately, politicians, school districts, teachers, students, and parents lacked the basic infrastructure to support the immediate change needed for at-home learning. These challenges have stretched into 2021, and we find ourselves still searching for answers.

The Importance of Academic Assessments:

Remote learning has increased the school districts and parent’s concern of wide-spread learning loss for students. It is not surprising that learning loss has become a daily topic in mainstream media and amongst concerned parents. It is a daily conversation in my household as well.

If you are like me, you feel left in the dark and are constantly worrying if your child is struggling or falling behind. Do you really know what material they have covered, if they have retained the information or hit the benchmarks? If you have questions or concerns consider having them take an academic assessment. As a mom, the information I received was VERY helpful to me because I could understand what each of my children needs to concentrate in order to rebuild their educational foundation. Grade level assessments are essential for evaluating learning (gains and losses) and critical for long-term education and career success. Once my kids completed their assessments, I sat down with the director at Groza Learning Center who reviewed the assessment results and gave me valuable feedback. After our meeting, the director sent me the results and curated an individualized learning plan designed for each of my children’s specific needs. As the old saying goes, a solid house must be built on a solid foundation. We had a plan and it made me feel so relieved to know that I can now take actions to ensure that my children are not part of the glooming “zoomed out by distant learning” statistic.

Summertime Programs Can Help Bridge the Learning Gaps

Summertime academic programs and camps can address and repair the foundation’s cracks by bridging the learning gaps, helping students get motivated, rebuilding their confidence, and find joy in learning, resulting in fast, lasting, and successful outcomes. I enrolled my children in the summer program at Groza and I can finally breath knowing that they will receive the individualized attention and that their academic weaknesses will be addressed and strengthened.

With just a few hours a week during the summer, intensive focus on academic skills with experienced teachers can significantly advance your child’s readiness for re-entry into the classroom and allow them to begin fall 2021 strong.

My family is thrilled to find Groza Learning Center. Their attentive, caring, professional staff, and their unique approach to every student have changed they way my children approach learning.

Groza is a place where students discover their academic gifts, learn to conquer scholastic challenges, exercise their creativity, and bloom into their full potential.

Don’t compromise your child’s future because you didn’t know who to ask for help.

For more information on Academic Assessments and Summer Programs:

Call (310) 454-3731

Partner Spotlight: Groza Learning Center

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As an experienced education partner, Laurel Springs recognizes that when it comes to learning options, one size does not fit all. Whether our partners want a comprehensive education program or to augment their curriculum with a few select courses, we help them find the best solution to suit their specific needs and student populations.

This additional academic support is one of the reasons why Groza Learning Center has chosen Laurel Springs to be a trusted partner for over six years. Tatyana Yukhtman is Director of this center located in Pacific Palisades, CA that offers tutoring, test prep, and other learning support to both full- and part-time students. She recently shared more about the kind of programs Groza provides and how partnering with Laurel Springs benefits all involved.

Growing With Groza Learning Center

At Groza Learning Center, students work one-on-one or in small groups with a dedicated teacher either at the California center, at a student’s home, or online. In addition, the following programs were created to fully ensure each student and family had their unique learning goals met:

A program to help parents monitor their child’s learning progress
An in-person program for students with learning differences
Guiding students through their current school curriculum either online or in-person
Providing more time for students to master a certain subject

So, what makes Groza different from other learning centers? According to Ms. Yukhtman, “besides our 20+ years of experience in education working with students from gifted to the ones that have superpowers of ADD, ADHD, Autistic, Learning Differences, etc., to students who just need someone to listen and hear them… We believe that every student is unique, which is why we provide educational experiences that meet each student’s individual needs and we match each teacher with the student.”

Groza students not only receive the right amount of academic support, but they’re also given the tools necessary to strengthen their life skills and become more self-sufficient, strong, and self-confident learners. “For many of our students, we provide Academic Management, Executive Functioning, Foreign Language Classes (French, Spanish, Latin, Russian, Mandarin, and Japanese), and Study Skills. Our credential and experienced teachers work with each student based on their learning style, whether the student is gifted or has learning differences.”

Where Laurel Springs Comes In

For a learning center that already provides students with so much support, what else can a family ask for? Well, there’s a lot more, actually. Part of the personalized learning structure that both Groza and Laurel Springs provides caters to students from many different backgrounds, with a variety of scheduling needs, and who pursue a host of different passions.

“Over the years we have had the privilege of working with students who are looking for a flexible school schedule and rolling enrollment while having an ability to grow and excel academically and personally. Among our student body, we have students who travel the world with their parents, students who are in [the] entertainment industry, students athletes, or students who are looking for a part time or a full time alternative schooling program. We strive to provide our students a curriculum option that meets their needs…a WASC accredited, college prep, online and text-based [options], with courses approved by the NCAA and the University of California a-g. We appreciate that Laurel Springs provides our students the curriculum that we are looking for and more.”

Not only does Laurel Springs prioritize a student’s needs, but we also support our partners with a multi-faceted approach including guidance, progress reports, and more. It’s what keeps partners like Groza coming back for more. “We love having an opportunity to have a trusted partner in our corner. One that meets our goals for the family and that we feel comfortable referring.”

How to be Productive Over Winter Break

Sure, I will get some work done during winter break . . .eventually.

It knows when you are sleeping

It knows when you’re awake

It knows when you are bad or good

So be good for goodness sake

You better watch out

You better not cry

You better not pout

I’m telling you why

Procrastination is coming to town!

Case in point…I REALLY did not want to sit down and write this article for December. Winter break is a time to sit back, relax, recharge, and recoup. It is certainly tempting for students (primarily middle and high school students) to spend their days mindlessly scrolling through social media, watching TV, or playing video games. After all, they have three weeks, and there will be plenty of time to get to any schoolwork that may need attention. Sure, they will get some work done . . .eventually. But suddenly, it’s the last day of break, and they are stressed out for the upcoming semester because they got nothing accomplished.

As parents and teachers, we know this year has been extremely challenging for students; many have fallen behind due to online learning.

Winter Break is the perfect opportunity to get students caught up so that they can begin their journey into 2021 with confidence, in-fact, winter break is an even better time than the regular school year to seek private tutoring. For starters, tutoring over the winter break gives students the ability to catch up or get ahead in a stress-free manner.

CALL A TUTOR!

An experienced tutor will help your child:

Review the semester and identify weaknesses.
Check-In with teachers; often, teachers will allow students to hand work in late.
Fill in the gaps.
Strengthen study skills.
Teach organizational techniques.
Prep for ACT, SAT, ISEE.
Boost confidence.
Reduce homework battles.
Write college essays.
Maintain structure and accountability.
Get ahead for next semester.
Support your child during their Zoom classes.

Groza Instructors are experience, and many, are credentialed teachers who will go above and beyond to ensure your child’s success.

When it comes to tutoring and academic advancement, Groza goes far beyond simply finding the correct answer. We seek to enhance, and even entirely reshape how a student thinks about each subject. We work with families to identify learning objectives and hit their goals.

Because every student learns differently, we carefully monitor and optimize their unique learning plan as they advance, giving special attention to their unique learning style, how to effectively engage and inspire the student, and what the individual progress suggests moving forward.

Your child is unique. So, don’t settle for a one size fits all approach.
Instead, give them a learning experience that meets their individual needs.

Groza Learning Center’s Winter Break tutoring programs