AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS 2012-2013 MIDDLE SCHOOL
An ACS Athens Initiative 129 Aghias Paraskevis Street & Kazantzaki, Halandri, 15234, Athens GREECE T: +30 210 6393200 F: +30 210 6390051 www.ACS.gr яБо iic@ACS.gr
Institute for Innovation and Creativity
ACS ATHENS: AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM
MIDDLE SCHOOL The After School Learning Enhancement Program is a program that extends learning beyond the school day and provides a supportive environment for our students at ACS Athens. The program is designed to help students develop a strong sense of their own learning processes and to provide them with a strong academic, social and emotional foundation for their schoolwork. All of the programs described in this guide have been designed to improve and maximize each student’s learning potential. All of the courses are led by teachers with a background in special education and who have the knowledge and expertise to enhance learning. Students will learn to apply basic skills and learning strategies to their work in their academic classes, so that they may be successful. In order to best meet the needs of individual students, LEP afterschool classes have been designed with sensitivity to grade levels, age groups and diversity issues. After school classes target discrete student needs and give emphasis to specific learning outcomes in mathematics, reading and writing and completion of homework. What really makes the difference is the way in which these classes are delivered. To enhance what we have identified as key elements of high performance, LEP after school classes utilize curricula and teaching methods that make learning fun and exciting. Each After School class is staffed with qualified personnel, maintaining a ratio of one adult for every 2-3 students. The reading and math support classes will run with a ratio of one teacher for every 2 students.
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Institute for Innovation and Creativity
ACS Athens: After School Learning Enhancement Program 2012-2013
Middle School Middle School 15:45- 16:45
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Homework
Homework
Homework
Homework
Friday
Homework \
16:45- 17:45
Study Skills Organization (MS)
Writing Captivating Essays
Homework
Homework
Test-Taking Skills (MS)
Math Support
Homework
Homework
Homework
Reading & Writing Support
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Middle School ACS Athens After-School Homework Study Program
A program designed for students in all grade levels
The After-School Homework Study Program is designed to enhance knowledge, skills, and understanding of core concepts through enriching learning opportunities that complement the school day. The goal is to link the after-school program with students’ learning experiences in the classroom in order to improve their academic achievement. Students will benefit in measurable ways from the additional support they will receive from this program. Last year’s staff, along with other highly skilled and qualified professionals, will supervise the program. They will have use of the library, online resources and interactive boards. Emphasis will be given to reinforcing skills such as good study habit development, organizational techniques, skills and strategies for managing and completing homework assignments, test taking strategies, and time management strategies for planning ahead. This will result in students’ returning home with all, or most, of their homework completed, leaving them time for leisure activities and family pursuits. This after-school Homework study program is open to all Middle School students. Sessions for Middle School Students will run daily from 15:45-16:45 and from 16:45–17:45. Students may ride the late buses at 17:45 or be picked up by their parents/guardians at 16:45 or 17:45. Program cost per semester: 1200 euro for 4 hours a week 1400 euro for 5 hours a week 1600 euro for 6 hours a week 2500 euro for 10 hours a week The program’s Instructors will: Provide homework support. Teach strategies and skills. Ensure that the academically-linked activities are engaging. Give students the opportunity to gain the confidence they need to become successful and independent learners. Work with students in small groups of 3-4 students. rd
Location: Library 3 floor SESSION SCHEDULES Middle School First and Second Semester dates: Daily from 15:45 - 16:45 & 16:45 - 17:45 September: October: November: December: January: February: March: April: May:
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
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Activity Name / Title
Age Group: Middle School
READING / WRITING SUPPORT PROGRAM Day(s): Fridays Time: 16:45-17:45 Location: Annex Building: 1st floor
Description The After School Remedial Reading/ Writing Program is designed to assist students that are struggling with the English language, at the reading, writing and oral level, in order to obtain the necessary skills to be successful in the Language Arts discipline. The focus of the program at all school levels is to provide phonemic awareness through the use of visual, auditory and kinesthetic means and to expose the students to meaningful literature of various cultures and genres. The program also includes a grammar component which will address correct sentence structure and organization in writing. Our goal is for our students to develop a love for reading and writing by providing a strong foundation in the English language.
Instructor: Chrysoula Ploutou, ploutouc@acs.gr Chrysoula Ploutou earned her Bachelor’s degree, in Psychology and Elementary Education from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Her Master’s degree in Education was also achieved from Clark University. She acquired her Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Special Education from Fairfield University. Ms. Ploutou is a certified licensed teacher in the state of Connecticut. Ms. Ploutou has been a teacher in the public school system in the United States and in international schools in Greece since 1997. She has taught JK, K, first, second, fourth grade and was a Middle School Optimal Learning Program Specialist. Currently she is the Optimal Learning Program Coordinator, supervising all three schools, Elementary School, Middle School and Academy through the department of Student Services. This is Ms. Ploutou’s sixth year working at ACS Athens and her forth year working in the Optimal Learning Program. She is providing students with strategies to acquire the skills necessary to be successful in school and in their lives. She encourages differentiation in the classroom in order to make learning meaningful, focusing on students’ strengths and talents.
Schedule (September 2012– June 2013) September: October: November: December: January: February: March: April: May:
21 5, 12, 19, 26 2, 9, 16, 30 7, 14, 21 11, 18, 25 1, 8, 15, 22 1, 8, 15, 22 5, 12, 19 10, 17, 31
Program Cost per Semester: €750 Number of Students per session: 2
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Activity Name / Title Age Group: Middle School MATH SUPPORT PROGRAM Day(s): Thursdays Time: 15:45-16:45 Location: Annex Building: 1st floor Description The After School Remedial Math program is designed to help students that are struggling in basic math skills and concepts. Learning math is a cumulative process and every year of math builds on the knowledge obtained from previous classes. Such skills as adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, decimals and fractions are reviewed and strengthened. Our emphasis will be on reinforcing such techniques as graphing, statistics, ratios, proportions, percents, geometry, algebra and problem solving. Our goal for this program is to enhance students understanding of mathematics at all levels. Mathematics is a way of thinking, through this program the students will build on what they know and they will learn to use and apply strategies that will help them be successful in this area.
Instructor: Maria Lambrinos, lambrinosm@acs.gr Maria Lambrinos is a member of the Mathematics Department at ACS Athens. She holds a degree in Education and Mathematics for the Secondary Level. She has taught Math 6, Advance Math 7, and Honors Algebra II & Trigonometry. Prior to teaching at ACS Athens, she taught Math 6 and Pre Algebra for five years in Middletown, New Jersey.
Schedule (September 2012– June 2013) September: October: November: December: January: February: March: April: May:
20, 27 4, 11, 18, 25 1, 8, 15, 29 6, 13, 20 10, 17, 24, 31 7, 14, 21, 28 7, 14, 21, 28 4, 11, 18 9, 16, 23, 30
Program Cost per Semester: â‚Ź500 Number of Students per session: 2
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Activity Name / Title
Age Group: Middle School
STUDY / ORGANIZATION SKILLS Day(s): Mondays Time: 15:45-16:45 Location: Annex Building: 1st floor
Description The Study Skills / Organization Program aims to provide students with the ability to manage their time and workload effectively and efficiently. In this program, interesting and creative activities are employed so that students will learn several timemanagement, organizational and study methods. Students will have the opportunity to discover which skills and tricks suit their individual needs and will be shown how to apply them successfully. Furthermore, they will obtain knowledge on various strategies, which will enhance their performance and make studying easier and therefore more pleasant. As a result, students are expected to attain the skills necessary to feel confident with studying in order to transform their most dreaded activity into a manageable task!
Instructor: Markella Kaplani, kaplanim@acs.gr Markella Kaplani has a Master’s degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology obtained from LaSalle University in collaboration with New York College, Athens Greece. Ms. Kaplani has academic and counseling experience with students of all age levels through several of her former professional positions and internship placements. She has extensively worked with students to provide them with skills that will allow them to enhance their performance, whilst simultaneously assisting them in decreasing feelings of anxiety, frustration, and boredom, behaviors of avoidance, and thoughts of self-downing. Ms. Kaplani is currently an Academy Specialist Assistant at the Optimal Learning Department, fully supporting students with learning differences and an After-School Instructor under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement Program in all three schools (Elementary, Middle and High), responsible of teaching skills to students so as to assist them in performance improvement. She has also served as an instructor in the ACS Athens Mentor Program, which addresses gifted students and their individual needs.
Schedule (September 2012– June 2013) September: October: November: December: January: February: March: April: May:
17, 24 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 5, 12, 19, 26 3, 10, 17 7, 14, 21, 28 4, 11, 18, 25 4, 11 1, 8, 15, 22 13, 20, 27
Program Cost per Semester: €500 Minimum Number of Students Required: 3
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Activity Name / Title
Age Group: Middle School
WRITING CAPTIVATING ESSAYS Day(s): Tuesdays Time: 15:45-16:45 Location: Annex Building: 1st floor Description Is it difficult for you to develop a topic? Do you lose marks due to lack of innovation? Is grammar and/or structure a problem for you? Does writing require so much of your time that it looses its purpose and is no longer pleasant? Do you panic at the thought of an essay test? You can put an end to that! The Writing Captivating Essays Course is designed to help students with the writing process and make essay writing an enjoyable task. It is a step-by-step course on how to write an essay, which will cover all aspects, including how to find creative topics to write about, brainstorming, outlining, establishing good essay structure, captivating the reader, writing strong persuasive paragraphs, and much more. In exiting this course, students will perform better in written assignments as well as tests, thus improving their academic performance and confidence.
Instructor: Alexia Marinides, marinidesa@acs.gr Alexia Marinides was born and educated in London England. After finishing her first degree at King’s College, University of London she went on to work with children with special abilities at the British Council. She later completed her postgraduate studies in Psychology of Education and Child development at the Institute of Education and worked at a London Hospital and Community school teaching children with a variety of learning and social difficulties. She has been working with the Optimal Learning Program for three years and has been an instructor under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement Program in the After School Program since its start in 2009.
Schedule (September 2012– June 2013) September: October: November: December: January: February: March: April: May:
18, 25 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 6, 13, 27 4, 11, 18 8, 15, 22, 29 5, 12, 19, 26 5, 12, 19, 26 2, 9, 16, 23 7, 14, 21, 28
Program Cost per Semester: €500 Minimum Number of Students Required: 3-4
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Activity Name / Title
Age Group: Middle School
TEST-TAKING SKILLS Day(s): Mondays Time: 16:45-17:45 Location: Annex Building:1st floor Description Throughout school, college and university students are mostly assessed through quizzes, tests and exams. Given that many times half, or even more, of a class’ final grade is based on test performance, knowing how to score well on examinations becomes a vital skill. Even though we may take this skill for granted because it seldom becomes a topic of discussion in the classroom setting and/or because we think that “if one studies enough they get good grades”, test-taking requires a certain set of skills that can drastically change a student’s performance. In fact, scoring poorly on tests many times has nothing to do with low IQ or little studying, but rather with lack of appropriate skills on how to take a test. In this course students learn how to prepare for tests, how to take tests of all types and formats (meaning: oral, true/false, essay, short answer, math, multiple choice, and even open-book tests), and how to assess their performance and themselves after the test in order to improve for next time. Furthermore, testanxiety, a factor that has enormous influence on test performance, is addressed and alleviated.
Instructor: Markella Kaplani, kaplanim@acs.gr Markella Kaplani has a Master’s degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology obtained from LaSalle University in collaboration with New York College, Athens Greece. Ms. Kaplani has academic and counseling experience with students of all age levels through several of her former professional positions and internship placements. She has extensively worked with students to provide them with skills that will allow them to enhance their performance, whilst simultaneously assisting them in decreasing feelings of anxiety, frustration, and boredom, behaviors of avoidance, and thoughts of self-downing. Ms. Kaplani is currently an Academy Specialist Assistant at the Optimal Learning Department, fully supporting students with learning differences and an After-School Instructor under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement Program in all three schools (Elementary, Middle and High), responsible of teaching skills to students so as to assist them in performance improvement. She has also served as an instructor in the ACS Athens Mentor Program, which addresses gifted students and their individual needs.
Schedule (September 2012– June 2013) September: October: November: December: January: February: March: April: May:
17, 24 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 5, 12, 19, 26 3, 10, 17 7, 14, 21, 28 4, 11, 18, 25 4, 11 1, 8, 15, 22 13, 20, 27
Program Cost per Semester: €500 Minimum Number of Students Required: 3
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Institute for Innovation and Creativity
ACS Athens: After School Learning Enhancement Program Middle School Registration Information Programs Homework Study Program
Days and Time 5 hours per week
# of Sessions Semester 1 78
# of Sessions Semester 2 77
Homework Study Program
10 hours per week
78 (2 hours)
77 (2 hours)
€ 2500
Homework Study Program
6 hours per week
47 (2 hours)
45 (2 hours)
€ 1600
Homework Study Program
4 hours per week
31 (2 hours)
28 (2 hours)
€ 1200
Reading/ Writing Support
Fri 16:4517:45 Thurs 15:4516:45 Mon 15:4517:45 Tue 15:4517:45
15
14
€ 750
16
16
€ 500
17
14
€ 500
16
17
€ 500
Mon 16:4517:45
17
14
€ 500
Math Support
Study / Organization Skills Writing Captivating Essays Test-taking Skills
Cost per Semester € 1400
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REGISTRATION FORM Please fill out the information below for the activity(ies) of your choice in order to reserve a space for your child in any of these. Payment must be made to the Cashier’s office, to the Institute of Innovation: Learning Enhancement Programs Account, no later than Friday, September 14, 2012. Please submit the bottom of this form to the Cashier’s office when making your payment. (If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Marietta Garbis at 210-6393200 ext. 302). If enrollment in an activity does not reach the minimum number of participants required for the class to run, the class will be cancelled, you will be notified and your tuition will be returned. Student’s Name: ___________________________Grade Level: ______ Parents’ / Guardians’ Names: __________________________________ Parents’ Email Address: ______________________________________ Phone #/s: Home: _______________ Cell Phone:___________________ Classes 1. __________________________ Tuition __________________ 2. __________________________ Tuition __________________ 3. __________________________ Tuition __________________
Amount Enclosed: ______________ €
Thank You!
*** IMPORTANT*** Sign ups by telephone will NOT be accepted. Please remember to submit this form when making your payment at the cashier’s office. Help us make our procedure as efficient as possible. THANK YOU!
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